Pre-op day

Rather than working up to the wire it seemed sensible to find some head space to contemplate the impending butchery, spend some much-needed time with the family and do something that I wouldn't be able to do for many months -- such as queuing for 2 1/2 hours outside Bristol Museum to see this unique exhibition. Sas and I took turns to join a very friendly queue while the other sampled the huge choice of café life available on Park Street with the kids. Without the impatient ankle-biters, queuing with the Times seemed quite pleasant - I think I got value for money from Murdoch's empire having read every almost word and completed the Sudoku before my mum arrived from the bus station [reading an entire daily newspaper seemed like a rare treat at the time, although now, post-op, it's not unusual!]

The exhibition was extremely well worthwhile, and once inside - no crowd and no hurry. The ground floor galleries were devoted to Banksy works and the main gallery contained the now-famous automata which have been well publicized on YouTube and the BBC following Banksy's fake petshop in New York last October. These were the kid's favourites, but for me the paintings distributed throughout the main galleries of the museum by an "unknown local artist" were the best.

Banksy is clearly a modern day genius, although I do struggle a bit with criminal damage just a tad. Part of the mystique is his anonymity, and now that he can afford to, he goes to great lengths to preserve this: when the exhibits were first being laid out a throng of museum staff lay in wait to try and catch a glimpse of the artist only to be thwarted by the arrival of 20 identically hoody-clad Banksys all equipped with steps and measuring tapes.

A very relaxing day, with close family around and plenty of time to talk through what lay ahead - an important part of the kids acceptance of my condition and for me a great chance to de-stress after a busy week of handover and trying to catch all the loose ends. Our contribution to the local exhibition was the purchase of a coffee table book of famous if mindless vandalism called Wall and Piece. My favorite piece (not exhibited in Bristol), seems strangely applicable to my condition and reads as follows:

"Once upon a time there was a Bear
and a Bee who lived in a wood and
were the best of friends. All summer
long the Bee collected nectar from
morning to night while the Bear lay
on his back basking in the long grass.

When Winter came the Bear
realised he had nothing to eat and
thought to himself 'I hope that busy
little Bee will share some of his
honey with me'. But the Bee was
nowhere to be found - he had died of
a stress induced coronary disease"

Stenciled to the side of a bin in Notting Hill, London 2005.