Wednesday this week saw Sir Alan bouncing into the office suggesting a department trip to the Richard Long exhibition at the Modern Art Gallery. So off we skipped at lunchtime, hearts full of eager anticipation at the cultural stimulation ahead.
Unfortunately it was all downhill from the sweeping entrance to the gallery. Of course appreciation of art is a very personal thing. But as far as I could tell, Richard Long has made his fortune from clustering sticks and stones into circles in various far-flung locations.
For a little variety, he had thrown buckets of muddy water at the gallery walls. In room 7, he made a little effort - as he'd used his hand to spread the muddy water into a giant arc. But in room 5, he let gravity work its magic, restricting himself to simply chucking the bucket and leaving the water to make its own art as it trickled down the wall.
In fairness, there was a giant slate cross in the garden area that was pretty impressive. And Sir Alan - who knows what he's talking about - said that Mr Long's best pieces had been left out of the exhibition altogether. Lizzie and I were rather more taken by the cakes in the restaurant. Rude not to buy souvenirs, after all.