In March my Shetland postcard correspondent the polymath Stephen Gordon (aka Shetland Times Cartoonist Smirk) arrived from the North wearing his kilt and bonnet, with a huge amount of luggage and complaining about his frozen knees. Admittedly London was a little damp and freezing. Stephen’s luggage included a guitar and more crucially – a stash of postcards. These were part of an exhibition of more than 150 postcards exchanged over a year, originally displayed in Shetland’s Bonhoga Gallery, now travelling south with Stephen to that well-known arts venue Mario’s Cafe in Kentish Town, north London.
Stephen stayed with me for a few days while we organised our vast and entertaining array of postcards before heading off to Mario’s to hang the exhibition, which included prints and postcards for sale. But first there was a quick tour of London which included a visit to the Tate and our dancing the tango in Euston’s Underground concourse for some reason.
Guests at the private view included a young Actionette , Finnish lady-about-town and sometime Northumbrian castle dweller Outi, photographer Peter Haxton, film-maker Roland Denning, the soignee Ms Patti and a large ex-Tory MP.