2018 finished with a hectic round of lectures delivered to audiences as far afield as Spain and as close to home as the local Probus club! I particularly enjoyed delivering my lecture on Monet's various gardens to a packed house in the former palace of the Domecq family in San Roque, on the Costa del Sol, where I was so kindly taken out for a splendid lunch on the beach in mid December! This was quickly followed by the equally enjoyable privilege of lecturing on Russian art in one of the most historic places in our former Empire, the British Garrison library on Gibraltar, followed up by a most convivial meal accompanied by the CEO of the Arts Society, Florian Schweizer and members of the local Arts Society committee. A stimulating and lively conversation on the pros and cons of Brexit duly ensued!
2019 has kicked off equally busy, and I have been touched by the warm welcome I have received and the number of follow-up emails asking for further information and reading.
Following my lecture in Llandudno on the "Glitz and Glamour in the Golden Days of the Transatlantic Liner" word seems to have got around that my geekish love affair beginning with the finding of a £5 note on the beach when I was 3, is a winner, and I am thrilled that I have as a result been invited to run a study day on the Isle of Man!
Who'd have thought it?