Journal

The sculptures of Jorge Marin

Jorge Marin 1 Jorge Marin 2 Jorge Marin 3 Jorge Marin 4 Jorge Marin 5 Jorge Marin 6

I have always been a sucker for wings, so I was sideswiped when Mauricio (Bonilla) and I were walking back to the hotel from the National Museum of Anthropology–and came across the long line of sculptures, ‘Wings of a City,’ by Jorge Marin. Made me feel I wanted to be fitted out for a new pair of wings on the spot.

A visit to the National Museum of Anthropology

NMA 1: flying dancers NMA 2: Aztec Viagra NMA 3: skull NMA 4: Five figures and me NMA 5: Two hats NMA 6: God of war NMA 7: Passers by NMA 8: Hovering, like the Mekon NMA 9: Contortions NMA 10: Peyote jar NMA 11: Sacrificial altar

Having arrived in Mexico City last night, I had thought I would spend much of today writing, but Maurico Bonilla–who I first met when he was a student in 2003 at Imperial College, arrived for a coffee–and we decided to go for a walk through nearby Chapultepec Park. Among other things, he is Editor of ReConnecta, a sustainability-oriented newsletter and website based in Mexico City.

We went first to an art gallery, then on to the National Museum of Anthropology, which was one of the most exciting museums I have been in anywhere in the world. Granted many of the objects aregruesome, having to do with various forms of human sacrifice, but the presentation is wonderfully done. Probably the most striking single object is the Aztec Stone of the Sun, which is apparently not a good thing to be photographed near, but that wasn’t deterring various folk from being shot against it.

Sampling Bruno Loubet again, in King’s Cross

Livening up King’s Cross

Elaine, Gaia, Hania and I had lunch today at Bernard Loubet’s new restaurant, The Grain Store, in King’s Cross. Glorious food and, because we were serendipitously able to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary, I also ordered a bottle of Nyetimber ‘champagne,’ grown in West Sussex. Extraordinarily good–one of the very, very few good things I can think of to say about climate change.

An immersion in values

The carpet ripples around the feet of John Ruggie and Phil Clothier Altes Rathaus Tell covers his eyes, John Ruggie beams

I was part of the teaching faculty, organised by Tell Muenzing and his colleagues, at the GIZ summer school on responsible business, these past fews days, in Bonn. GIZ is a key part of the German Government’s contribution to sustainable development around the world.

At the end of the first day, I did a speech in Bonn’s Altes Rathaus, apparently following in the footsteps of Charles de Gaulle and Queen Elizabeth II. The high point of the trip, however, came with two sessions done by Phil Clother of the Barrett Values Centre. We have worked with them before–and I really like their way of capturing people’s values and helping them work out to drive change both in themselves and in their organisations.

It was also great to see Professor John Ruggie, who led the UN charge on business and human rights a while back. Lovely man–and great presentation.

A day of rampant cabbages and Peacock butterflies

Tim and Pat Cabbage in the garden behind the barn Pat contemplates the beans One of Caroline’s cron cobs served for supper A bowl of cherry tomatoes

A day in Little Rissington, with much of the family. Elaine saw the buddleia bush completely covered in peacock butterflies, which was encouraging. We drove back to London very late, with a huge haul of vegetables from the garden. Joyous.