ARVON 41

Much to my surprise - and joy oh joy! I have been awarded an Arvon 41 bursary place at one of the Arvon Foundation's (have I used my apostrophe correctly?) residential writing courses.

NEW STUDIO

A new venture. This week I took the keys of my new studio. I haven't had a proper studio since Waygood. That's a long time. It was there i realised the benefit a studio gives. However there is always that "Can I afford to have it? - Can I afford not to have it? dilemma. So I have taken the leap and will spend the winter making/creating in a much more focussed (hopefully) way.

A blurred camera phone image to give a hint of the flavour

At the moment it's bare - apart from the first few bits i could take. It will be becoming more studio like in the very near future. It's going to have to lure me in and make that hour long drive seem like a good thing - i know how grim winter driving is - and that whole leave in the dark get home in the dark thing . At the moment though it's all joy. I just picked up an overhead projector off freecycle so that will be making it's way studio bound soon. Beginnings - always exciting as they unfurl.

Outside In

On the 7th of august I was Lucky enough to attend the opening of Outside In at Pallant House Chichester. This is the Biennial of Outsider Art and it is a real privilege to be in such a brilliantly curated exhibition. Marc (Steene) and Kate (Hadley) have done an amazing job in pulling this off. The show runs until 8th November. http://www.outsidein.org.uk/

Nature

Today i found 5 baby rabbits in a hole in my garden - no sign of mum. So I put aside my fear of furry things, and put them in a box and drove them to where i know there are other baby rabbits. Whilst rabbits do destroy my vegetables i couldn't bring myself to despatch them with the back of my shovel or let the terriers (not mine) have sight of them and then face the carnage that would have undoubtedly ensued. I pondered this moral dilemma over a cup of tea which was not without stress as i was hoping the sparrow hawk wouldn't come a visiting as it is currently teaching baby to hunt.

Butterflies

Not so much butterflies as caterpillars. Whilst it wasn't too good a year for veg - tomatoes failed dismally, pak choi bolted,  mange tout came and went in a week, it was a brilliant year for the cabbage white. Wet weather ensuring not much time in the garden when I was on the Fell it was open season on the winter veg. Kill one and hundreds came to the funeral so in the end i just let them gorge themselves.

 

Black Rocks on the Fell

After a brief trip cycle touring in Orkney, which by the way is awesome, we returned to the fell ready to pick up the next new arrivals. 3 Black Rock chicks. This meant in the wet summer we had to build a coop and a pen, bearing in mind that several of next doors Rhode Island crosses had been snaffled by the rogue fox. We wont be due eggs till mid november. However, without personalising them too much, they have each developed a personality and they provide many hours of joy. A welcome distraction when the muse wont visit and inspiration is low.

FOAL

It seems ages ago but up here on the Fell one of natures miracles happened. This foal was born to mum ( Blossom). It was all leg. Now of course a few months on its filled out, been weaned on to solids and hangs out in the fields with the others - still under the watchful gaze of mum of course. It was truely amazing watching it take its first doddering unsteady steps, finding out what her legs are for.