Off into Central London this evening to see The David Hockney exhibition at the Tate Britain (and not the Tate Modern as I imagined leading to a mad dash across London in a taxi to get there before it closed...).

I love Hockney's swimming pool paintings and was looking forward to seeing them in real life but sadly there was only 2 large ones and 1 smaller one in the exhibition but they were worth the trip all by themselves.

I was particular taken by 'Rubber Ring Floating In a Swimming Pool' painted in 1971 as it so accurately evoked the warmth, feeling and vision of standing by a swimming pool and seeing your wet footprints dry out in the surrounding stone. I could have looked at this for hours and it made me crave some hot sunshine so much. Sadly I had to settle for a Bigger Splash cushion.

I would gladly have left with this incredible Taschen sumo-sized book which comes on its own stand but it wasn't to be.

After the exhibition we had a lovely walk along the river seeing London at night and seeing Big Ben before it's covered up by scaffolding for the next 3 years.