Fluxus and Yoko Ono at the Baltic ....(I wish I deserved a wish )

I was headaching in a minor way much of the night , such that at two am I took Ibuprofen and fell into a blissful sleep . At five I woke , headache free , but done with sleep and watched as the dog rolled over onto her back and stuck her long skinny legs straight up into the air like a dead beetle , her blue and green tartan blanket wrapped round her tummy like a disposable nappy . How come this dog is asleep on the bed without a care in the world , whilst me and three cats look on anxiously unable to sleep ? Why not ?

I find my book , Ali something , Smith ? Accidental something . ? ( It turns out to be Ali Smith "The Accidental " )Accidental what ? is this the first sign of something , that I cannot recall the title of the book I am almost finished ? ( How can you tell I watched a programme about Alzheimers last night documenting Terry Pratchett's investigations into his own decline and his rather upbeat look towards his future . His personal assistant seemed rather bleaker about the whole matter though why this should be was not clear . ). I find my book and read for an hour or so before setting out on my morning routines of coffee making , guinea pig feeding , cat tending , and dishwasher duties before taking the breakfast tray back upstairs at 6 45 . D is still asleep as is Dog . The cats are at the edges of the bed and Kitty is waiting for her breakfast as close to the food bowls as she can get without sitting in them.

Today is the day for seeing art ( Fluxus , as well as the Yoko Ono , second visit ) at the Baltic , but as I am scurrying about getting ready the snow starts to arrive and by the time we are ready to leave the roads are covered and fat flakes are falling fast . Deb's friend Sally Madge has been commissioned to perform new work inspired by " The Dream of Fluxus " and this takes place in one of the galleries .

Fluxus ( I discovered ) is a global network of influential and vibrant artists who aspire to revolutionise the avant garde . Through introducing concept art , mail art and radical performance practices , Fluxus pioneered an " aesthetic appreciation for the everyday " .

Sally has on a cleaner's overall on top of her arty outfit and encourages a group of students to climb up her ladders and borrow her feather duster and do a bit of cleaning around the gallery , paying particular attention to the "bottoms wallpaper " and the students are well up for this , climbing the ladders and feeling the dusters up and fiddling with the feathers whilst Deb and I look on from behind a painting of a Fluxus Meditteranean Island and wonder if it is time for our next coffee stop . We are thrilled however with our Fluxuswork badges which we apply to our heavy duty coats , first peeling off our layers of scarves gloves and pashminas . The snow is heavy and we are receiving texts from home urging caution .

We skip round the Yoko Ono exhibits and I look again at the beautiful wish tree .

Someone ( I picture a man ) has written on his label " I wish I deserved a wish " and I want to write on the back Everyone deserves a Wish . I don't of course ( write on it ). The Buddhist in me tells me that this is his journey not mine and for him to work out , not for me .

Someone else ... " I wish I had a pony with the features of Nigella " . I nudge Debbie and laugh till I have to walk away from the exhibit . Later I say Do you think that was a bit kinky ?

Later , when driving home in the driving snow I figure that though I pictured a man feeling undeserving of the wish , it is more likely to be a woman . Or a girl ? We know from crime statistics that men commit more eg violent crime than women , but I believe that women carry more guilt than men for their misdemeanours ? So more likely that a woman would feel she didnt deserve a wish than a man ? Who knows ?

What do you think ?

Meanwhile its still snowing and Debbie and I have ( almost) booked to go out in the Yoko Ono Coffin Car ..... a hearse that rides around the city .