Friday 3 August 2012

a bit of a catch up..

where to start? so much has happened and is happening i am a bit lost and fuzzy. 

firstly i will tell you about our wonky roof.. how i wish i had taken a picture as it was quite funny really. the crown supports that are not supposed to be structural turn out to be very structural when it is the first time you put up a yurt and you have no idea how to tie a knot that actually stays tied! we planned after four days of glorious sunshine to take her down and put her again.. obviously it then threatened to rain most of the day but thankfully we made it just in time. we had some amazing helpers and a professional knot tier and all went as expected and our roof is back at nine foot instead of the five and a half foot it had slipped to, all the same we have left the crown supports in just in case!

secondly not only has papajoe started work in the office but i have been offered a sort of artist in residence role. the outlook inn (also known as the art barn) is a beautiful little hideaway filled with fascinating and eclectic objects taken from nature and the natural world. it is a space that invites creativity and reflection. while the groups are on their free time they can come and see me, join in or create on their own, i will be there, not to judge but to guide and to support. i have so many ideas, things i never had the time, space or resources to do. 

what else, what next..? today i discovered we have an abundance of fleece which i am going to use for felting, stuffing, spinning and best of all natural dying. i am hoping to use some of the space outside the straw bale to plant a bed specifically for that purpose. also i have been invited to a meeting to discuss some funding we have received for producing our own veg. the chap that comes with the money will only be able to give us a morning a week so he is going to need someone willing to fill in the rest of the time "abisnail waves excitedly".

last quick notes.. papajoe made us a pallet kitchen work station which is slightly to big but a vast improvement on what we had before. the home ed plans are coming along and we have arranged a bbq
which i am hoping will be sunny and busy and full of ideas. oh and papajoe played the dad in "we're going on a bear hunt" (read here by the author micheal rosen), in front of fifty people. it was fantastic and i only wish i had recorded it so i could embarrass him further and show you all.


Wednesday 1 August 2012

artist in residence

starting my residency with a poem -

yurt days

crackers by wind up torch light            
walking across stones to the loo          
the children are staying up later            
and waking up earlier too                    

plaiting the willow boundaries              
animals that need to be fed                  
the children have gone on a bear hunt    
while we put chickens to bed              

the kettle doesn't whistle                      
the washing ups done on the floor        
the children play games in the straw bale
we still need a lock on the door            

rustic homemade furniture                    
beautifully painted crown wheel            
the children and papa and baby
the happiest that we could feel