Greetings from Iain

Censored extracts from Iains letter:

It is chucking it down here and it is bloody cold. Life here is otherwise quite pleasant. I seem to spend most of my days working in the sodden garden or up the sodden hill with the sodding dogs. That makes it sound so dreary but it's not, it's simply sodden.

Been doing a bit of festivaling, mainly with Molly but also with Stephen McGowan and Steve. The state Ballet of Georgia were brilliant although I suspect some of them ought to have been back home manning the barricades against the Russian hordes. Plenty of morning concerts, Schubert, Mahler, Strauss and Wolf, loads of lovely miserable music.

By the way looking at tilling-sur-aude I need to sort out a little error. There is a photograph which makes claim to be of myself and I can assure you sure it cannot possibly be. I see my face in the mirror every morning and that is certainly NOT the face I see, that is the face of a much older man. Indeed if I were not absolutely certain that my father was incinerated 15 years ago I would have sworn that you had taken a photograph of him. Perhaps its an archive piece.

I'm glad I've had the opportunity to sort that out.

Trevor and Irene are staying with us for the August bank holiday so [censored]

Some good exhibitions on in the city at the moment, Tracy Emin has a retrospective at the gallery of modern art ( I didn't realise she was old enough for that), Anne Redpath, Elizabeth Blackadder (a favourite of mine) and Leon Morrocco(fab stuff) and the Scottish National Gallery has Impressionism and Scotland with works by Monet, Manet Renoir and Sisley to name but a few. I'm going to leave them all until after the festival when it's much quieter.

I'm rather missing the sunshine, my friends and my garden but as you can see there is at least plenty to do. I'm hoping to get out in September after the tests* but it rather depends on what, if anything, they decide to do. I don't want to do lots of traveling backwards and forwards.

Give my love to all I and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Much love

*Iain goes into hospital for tests on the 28th -
Other important info in the letter is that he and Steve have sold their land but he hasn't said who too - Iain, please, is it to an artist, a musician or a poet? Do tell!