Be inspired in whatever you do

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Two walks, no yoga but, after a lovely couple of days in Barcelona,  full of good intentions – waiting to see where that will get us..

As so many people who travel to Barcelona, we got caught by Gaudi and his amazing works – full of colour, nature, fun and more colour. It is said that he lived an almost monastic life in virtual poverty but his work is so full of fun and colour that I find that very hard to believe. I mean who lives a monastic life and uses broken champagne bottle to decorate a chimney???? I was even wondering if the word gaudi, implying fun and enjoyment comes from his name but it transpires that that is an even older catalan word, which his name is derrived from.  

Walking through his famous chruch, La Sagrada familia, we were stunned by his use of light, his using nature as his inspiration and at the pure size and courage of his imagination and the amazing concentraton on detail for such a huge project. 

What came to mind later was the backing and support he got, the aparently bottomless pit of funding, the many people who must have believed in him and supported that belief with bags and bags and bags of money.  How many archtitects built so many monuments to their own genius and how many others are thwarted by their low budged commissions, by the limited vison of their funding bodies or indiviudals. He might have lived in poverty but how amazing must it have been for him to actually be able to realise his vision so many times, to be able to create something as funky as the town house, he built for the Mila family. 

Anyone who ever built or renovated their house knows that money rules and many plans just are not affordable. Imagine the planning meetings and the huge desire of the Milo family to not be outdone by their wealthy friends, the Batlo’s who had just got a funky house design from Gaudi. So we want something really showy but balcony railings that look like seaweed, really?? And than their house, the Casa Mila, was nicknamed Pedrea, the Quarry. How that must have stung the so very conventional Mrs Mila and her ambitious husband, who apprentely quarrelled with Gaudi for years over bills to be paid and design fees to be signed off on. Gaudi also ignored planning legislaton and height restrictions and built to his own plan. 

So maybe he didnt have that bottomless pit and support which I envisaged but just pure doggedness and determination.

 I have always felt sorry for architects like the no doubt very talented man who we got to help us when we bought a ruined and long deserted farm house in Gowran 20 years ago. He had so many ideas and visions for this place which invariably ended in “ that is a great idea but how much will it cost”, “ is there a cheaper options” and “ as it is right now is good really” No colourful mosaics, no designing chimneys, no reflection of the scenery in the building, no imagination really at all allowed as the little money we had disappeared frighteningly  fast into the bare necessity of a house structure. 

So an appreciation of talent and skill is really what I brought home from Barcelona, an appreciation of everyone talents and need to design, invent and vary. So after the bread round, we now not only  prep for the next day to do it all again but we also think about a new sourdough which we’d like to try and a new chocolate pie which might just go perfectly with a cup of coffee. So watch this space as we let ourselves be inspired and refuse the stagnation of the everyday.