"YES, OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT A LION LOOKS LIKE...

...but I haven't actually seen one with its mouth open", said the sculptor. "Still, I'm sure I can busk it. How hard can it be?"

This beast with the weirdly grinning dentures is one of a pair guarding a bridge at Wynyard Hall which caught my eye when I went over there for lunch and a walk this afternoon. I was treating myself after a morning spent making what I half-expected to be difficult phone calls with lots of waiting on the line, but turned out to be quite easy, with helpful people at the other end.