I deferred to Bob's advice this morning and took a 'rest day'. Still no ill effects from the mountain run, however I had a mega night sweat ++, and my lingering head cold was 'refreshed' - no doubt aided by laying in wet bedclothes in a Canberra winter. I decided to get some cultural value from the day, and spent a few hours at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) to check out the exhibition of the National Sculpture Prize. Some of the pieces were absolutely magnificent; inspired and inspiring ~ the curator had displayed them thoughtfully and with an easy progression. Whilst some were OK, pleasant, or left me cold; others made me break into broad spontaneous smiles (so I would have looked like a not-very-smart duck).

There were more traditional, static works (the Manta Ray); one utilising moving 'flower' heads; video installations; and some marvellous organic constructions - one of star fish and another made of paper to mimic sea sponges. The winning exhibit Glen Clarke's, American crater near Hanoi #2 was a remarkable piece and deserving recipient: He states:

I also caught the Bill Viola video installation, The Passions which was a mature and thoughtful group of work which demanded more time than I had to spend. No doubt the leaps of technology have enabled works like this to be more accessible to many. Displayed as a diptych like a pair of photo frames, the plasma screens draw attention to the grossly decelerated subjects in a familiar and comfortable setting. My visit was quick, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The night sweats are getting much, much worse - and with the three changes of bedclothes and sodden towels, my cold gained a hook making breathing difficult and that persistent fatigue of having had little uninterrupted sleep. Even though the sun shone through the glass wall upstairs in the living room, I retreated to the bed in my study for snatches of sleep throughout the day. No run.