How late is too late? Better late than never? Who knows - and given that it’s ‘only’ been 8 days since the last one in this fledgling weeknote run - I’m not going to beat myself up about it (much).

Working With Uncertainty

I ran a workshop this week. The theme was ‘The Returning Light Of Spring’, playing with a sense of renewal. However, as we began experimenting with unfamiliar materials (my invitation to the group included working with ink and bleach), it quickly became much more about going with the flow - letting go of expectations.

Take a look at some of the amazing art that emerged from the session. Not everything ‘worked’ but we had time to try and try again and I think you’ll agree our persistence paid off.

Thanks to all our creative guests and our wonderful hosts at The Sun. We’re back again on March 18th, with a session blending some Chinese calligraphy with our own Chinese Zodiac animals. I’ve been asked to being the ink and bleach along again. Feel free to join us.

Ecocide on The River Wandle

Back in 2015 I sold the first piece of art on my Etsy shop. It was a quick sketch of a kingfisher, observed as a rare chance encounter on The River Wandle. In the ten years since I made that piece - my kingfisher sightings along the river have increased - and they are always joyful encounters - a positive sign of the interconnected nature systems in our neighbourhood.

The River Wandle, our precious, rare chalk stream is once again under attack from humans. This week it’s not the water companies discharging raw sewage, but a 4,000 litre diesel leak instead.

Like so many of us who enjoy much of what this fascinating river has to offer - I’m upset and angry - and experiencing a deep sadness too.

Right now, I can't bring myself to walk the riverbank with which I've become so familiar over the years. I dread to think how the many species of birds, plants, fish, animals, and invertebrates are coping with the disaster we’ve unleashed. The South East River Trust have a crowdfunder to help raise money to assess and try to right some of the damage - if you feel able to suport this important work - you can do so here.

Stylised kingfisher stencil on hardwood ply.

Decluttering

Carole has had the last week off work - and we decided to finally get stuck into Project Loft. We’ve been in our house since 2007 and much of the crap important stuff we stored up in the loft on our arrival - has remained untouched. In the meantime, the people who replaced our loft made a huge mess up there - everything has been covered in dust and debris which has made this huge task seem even more daunting.

After more hours than I care to mention - we’ve carefully removed much of the mess, and at the same time - gone through boxes unopened for almost 20 years, and sorted through everything. We’re keeping some stuff, selling some, donating some, and we’ve taken two full car loads to the recycling centre. It’s been filthy messy work - but we’ve made great progress and rediscovered some important things along the way. It was a particularly poignant moment when I reacquainted myself with my late great grandfather, who died fighting in WWI.

Week Note 25/03/02

Week Note 25/04/02

Week Note 25/02/02