Cormorant

Yesterday was one of those momentous days - Britain was battered by a ferocious North Atlantic storm which produced a North Sea Surge of a magnitude not seen since 1953. I was relieved that my closest friend, who lives a stone's throw from the sea bank just north of Boston, was not affected, though the sea overtopped the bank just a little further south and Boston itself was overwhelmed, with a very large number of houses flooded.

And then, just before midnight the death of Nelson Mandela was announced - one of the greatest men to have lived in the past century.  At ninety-five, this event was not unexpected, but still sent shockwaves rippling round the world.

Today has been quieter all round, and after a day of report writing I felt the need for fresh air and exercise. One of our usual routes passes through the Peterborough Sculpture Park in Thorpe Meadows, where Elizabeth Cooke’s sculpture, Cormorant, is perfectly placed close to where actual cormorants frequent the waters. Made from a combination of found and hand finished materials, the characteristics of this bird have been recreated with skill and simplicity. He stands proud - catch in beak, wings spread wide. This is perhaps not the best angle, but was the only one where I could place the sculpture against the sky, rather than a background of trees.