Ludlow Medieval Fayre

Tree and I chose to go to the Fayre at Ludlow and see if it was all that it is cracked up to be. We had thought of working this one, but were too late to apply. The layout within the castle grounds was well put together, ensuring everyone was under cover, and had representatives of most crafts. However, Tree and I were not overly impressed by the "Medieval" side to the fayre. Most people had not made much effort to get into the theme of the day and everything looked a bit last minute. But then we went into the side arena and found a couple, called Bryan and Donna, who make ceramic dragons, fay and mystic sculptures. Their work ranges from the fantastic to the humourous. The "smelly butts" incense burners are brilliant. You light an incense cone underneath a bottom, sticking up in the air, and you can guess where the smoke comes out! Needless to say, we bought loads of wholesale stock and found they were people after our own hearts. Bryan has a problem with pricing and Donna sorts out all the negotiating. Who do they sound like? Definitely worth a trip to the shop to see the work we bought.

Squizzer

I can't remember if I have mentioned before, but we have a grey squirrel that lives in the tree at the back of our garden. You can plainly see his dray, now the leaves have fallen, and he regularly comes down for a feed on the nuts that we put out for him. Usually he shoots off before I can get the camera but I was fortunate to have it nearby and got a couple of shots in. He sits on the bracket, by the side of the shed, and then swings down, grabs a nut and swings back up, all in one swift loop. Some would argue about the feeding of grey squirrels but there are a couple of myths attached to them. Firstly, it has been proven that they did NOT account for the decline of red squirrels and, secondly, that they damage trees. True, they will strip the bark from a tree when they are hungry, so my answer is to feed them. So far I cannot see any damage to the Sycamore which proves my point. Sorry the photos are blurry, but he's a quick mover.

Mind the Gap!

No I'm not talking about how Gap exploit children in India, but rather about my trip to the big smoke this weekend just gone. Tree and I decided to get "outta town" for a couple of days and settled on a trip to London. We stayed in Pimlico in a hotel on Belgrave Road, within shouting distance of the centre of London. On Saturday we started the day with a visit to Covent Garden Market and stopped by to see the stall of mirrors, and the man who inspired me to make them in the first place. It was here that I said "I could do that" , to myself, and did! At the time, I was in awe of his work but now I feel the pupil has surpassed the master (Tree's words, not mine).
The performing artists, outside the church, were amusing as ever and we stopped briefly before going on to Govindas, the Khrishna restaurant run by devotees, for lunch and to see the Khrishna temple. The food was exquisite, and Prasadam to boot, and we went upstairs afterwards to buy some incense. We had hoped to go into the temple but the landing outside was packed full of people. I went downstairs and left Tree to try and recover our shoes, from by the doorway, which was a mammoth feat. Some time later, Tree emerged, holding our shoes aloft, and looking red faced and triumphant. We retired to the embankment to watch the Lord Mayor's show but only managed to catch the end of it. This was rounded off with a fantastic display of fireworks, set off from barges on the Thames. We headed back to Covent Garden to see The Lord of The Rings stageplay at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The stage set was amazing as it came out of the stage and enveloped most of the boxes and stalls giving the feeling that you were part of the performance, set in Mirkwood or Fangorn! Coming back on the tube, we were the only ones around...very American werewolf in London!
Sunday was a lot quieter for us and we went to the Tate Modern to see Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth. Hence, mind the gap! The work was very powerful, not least by the fact she had actually carved a huge fissure the length of the Turbine hall. My best bit was a litle Dutch boy who rushed up to me and said" careful you don't fall in", which I thought was brilliant.
Also included in the trip were a visit to The Old Baily, Temple Bar, and to see some cool architecture, but I will blog on those another time.