This is not the article I intended to write today, but this morning I have been inspired by PVM's knife sculpture post - and if you haven't seen it go and check it out. I won't say too much about it, as that would only serve to steal PVM's thunder, but having said that I can happily provide you with a picture anyway :)

In terms of modern sculpture it was probably the most significant one made since the famous Angel of the North, which marks the gateway to the Northumbria and the north of England. Again here is a picture:

However, in the last year a third one has appeared in the Lincolnshire countryside which is even bigger and an impressive site to see.

Located between Lincoln and Newark, in Norton Disney, it is a life-sized representation of an AVRO Lancaster Bomber, the largest heavy bomber that the RAF used during the Second World War. It was also the bomber of choice for the famous Dambusters raid, which actually flew from RAF Scampton, which is located just north of Lincoln. In the final scene of the movie those who returned were seen flying over Lincoln Cathedral.

Due to it's location, Lincolnshire has become known as Bomber County. The south of England and especially the south east was very much the home of Fighter Command as they fought off the German Onslaught during the the Battle of Britain (1940), but Lincolnshire with its flat lands and convenient location for hitting Germany became very much the centre of the RAF's Bombing Campaign and while there were other bombers such as the Gloucester and Halifax, none were as heavy or have caught the public's imagination more than the Lancaster and it is only fitting that such a sculpture was made to honour those who flew missions and the very many who never returned.

Further to this long overdue monument to sacrifice - for that is what war is about at the end of the day, when regular people suffer at the hands of the decisions made by politicians and those who need to control and dominate others - there is a further memorial to Bomber Command, again located on the outskirts of Lincoln which is a little more accessible.

Coming back to my point about sacrifice, Ozzy Osbourne while with Black Sabbath didn't get it wrong in their song War Pigs. 

Regular people, whoever and wherever we are, just want to live our lives in safety, building a legacy for our children without conflict and division. John Lennon's vision of a peaceful world wasn't wrong, but it was naive. We live in the real world.

And just to drive my point home, just yesterday my near 5 year old had to be evacuated from his kindergarten yesterday, alongside many other children across the city because of a widespread bomb scare that was targeting such institutions. There was a sense that they were hoaxes but nobody wanted to risk making the wrong call.

This is the world Putin and Trump have endowed to us.

As always stay safe and well my friends and thank you for the inspiration PVM.