Wednesday 29 September 2010

⸎ this is the sound

our annual feast of music arts and smiles
on Saturday:
thankfully it stayed dry:
but it was brrrrr indeed:
a fascinating installation by 
Stuart Bowditch and Damien Robinson:
recordings donated by the public and 
the Essex Sound Archive:
snippets of other people's lives:
different streets, workplaces, parks, homes:
plug in your headphones and listen:
or put on your hands and 'feelsound':

 
take a seat, get comfy and enjoy
extraordinary sounds by Forest Fringe:
listening to kettles being filled and half heard conversations
while watching the world go by:
snippets of music, accents and song:
1'o'clock at the Uke picnic:
'play this' says Yvie:
so I strum and smile:
I watch bands, laugh at comedy hosted by Sundown Arts 
in the Meadow Tent:
Quirkish Delight make up tales of Dick Van Dyke:
I see friends I haven't seen for years and years:
and some I saw only yesterday:
craziest tent had to be The Bunker hosted by
we got comfy in Grandpa Summers living room:
hypnotised by colour and random scribbles:
challenged them to pingpong and watched the mayhem:

we did so much more:
all day:
till the cold got to our bones:
and only home and rum would do:

Monday 27 September 2010

⋕ part two

 friday and a trip to Tent London:
an edgy design show held in the Truman Brewery:
things that caught my eye >
digital fabrics:
{lab craft}
hand crafted textural colourfulness:
line drawn wonkiness:
amazing maquettes: *making these would be my dream job*
{Kingston University}
origami lights:
new ideas in dusters:
my favourite stand:
recycled + reinvented pieces by

hop on the train home:
wrap up warm:
then head off to the park:
we took our seats:
gloves? {check}
blanket? {check}
hot chocolate? {check}
oreos? {check}
a night of dance with Ballet Black:
how often do you get to do that!
* to be continued ....

Sunday 26 September 2010

⋈ how much culture can a girl have?

this week was the Rayleigh Arts Festival:
with free tickets for How to Speak Essex:
not quite as you would think,
a talk given by Martin Astell of the
he played us sound recordings from as early as 1906:
lilting accents and dialects:
from north to south:
east to west:
'little old boys' 'a'er noon' 'roobub':
how vowels are changed and consonants dropped:
it's nothing new:
they've been talking for centuries:
thursday evening and more spoken word:
this time from Sundown Arts :
any poem about chocolate gets my vote:
{crank up the volume as Stuart speaks quietly}






















next a piece in the form of a break-up letter to a 
London commuter train:
written and read by Ray Morgan:
we sympathise:
'I cannot commit to you when you make me feel so cold,
even in the middle of July':
we are amused by Simon Blackman and his jaunty odes:
impromptu asides and audience reaction:


our hostess Jo Overfield makes us welcome:
her punchy lines and open smile:
sharing her likes and dislikes and a light hearted tale of the
30th birthday cake she was unable to eat:

finally, the straight talking Cherry Scott:
her say-what-you-see works of our locale have
energy, daring and poignancy:
all a privilege to hear and see:
to nod and smile and appreciate:
looking forward to the next Sundowner
at Village Green ......
*on a blog coming soon!*

Sunday 19 September 2010

𐐅 home made

yogging: 
ready to be heaped with fruit for breakfasts:
it's ok! I've not killed anyone {yet}
as much as I love beetroot, 
I can't eat them all at once:  
Nic's knobbly and strange shaped cues &
my weird peppers and deformed chillies,
get a salting:
pickles for Autumn:
jars of goodness:

Saturday 18 September 2010

∯ saturdays are for ....

when there's a big blue Chevvy outside ....
and a sign with an arrow:
what's a girl to do?
when it's packed full of handmade treats:
and vintage finds:
and ladies dressed in 40's frocks:
with tea and cakes in china cups:
accompanied by beautiful ladies
singing quirky tunes:
bring home some bargains:
one pound a piece:
a red pot and a blue bag for me:
minnie ears for Libbie:
what a perfectly cool way to spend Saturday:

Wednesday 15 September 2010

☼ parklife

sunday:
Polski Picnic at Priory Park:
we could have made traditional paper 
cuts like these ~ from Polcraft:
instead we tried macrame with Jolanta Surma
and wove hearts:
hungry?
pierogi ~ smacznego!
up the stairs:
through the hatch:
Chodzenie-Siberia by myclub:
we learned how the Prince Regis shaped the
fashion of 17th century uniform:
making it a glamorous attraction for men conscripts:
Libbie made her own neck cuff:
in response to the work:
we danced to St Nicholas Orchestra:
and I bought a Polish Pottery dish:
nam drogiego polskiej kultury: