Nelson Mandela

The news today was that Nelson Mandela's health has improved slightly. Given his great age, it's inevitable that some will assume, probably accurately, that his long life is fading. It certainly seems that way. But it's wrong to assume too much. A life, any life, takes its own course. It's not scripted or choreographed or conveniently packaged for media consumption. His has been a great inspiring spirit. I can't imagine where South Africa would be today without him. There's a fine line between awareness and concern and an invasion of the dignity that should be owed to anyone in the twilight of their lives. Anticipation has merits in most circumstances; in death it's unedifying, bordering on the ugly. For now, he lives and that's the only news we need. This bust, incidentally, is outside Festival Hall on London's south bank.

In other, a little more trivial news, I received my birthday present today (my birthday was in April) - some soft light boxes. The delay is a long story. Anyway I'm well pleased with the lights and have tried them out already. Gill did this one of yours truly, warts n'all but softly lit.