Arts Festival (and weekend away at last)

What a busy few weeks we've had.

The Arts Celebration took up a lot of time, both work and personal. It was a great success considering the time we had to put it together. The most popular workshop was, without a doubt, the wet felting being taught by Susan, who is one of the "Gang of Four" crafters who meet once a month at work. Every one of her workshop slots was full, and people were disappointed.. :-(

Here are some photographs:

Racing up the Climbing Wall; Jay was delighted to have beaten Jane! lol

Perspex Mobiles Workshop

Another popular workshop

Watching Archive Canal and Chesterfield films, on the John Varley boat

Trying out canoeing

Our Consultation on what visitors would like to see on our events area. Answers ranged from building a new visitor centre, a BMX track to leaving it as it is and holding these sort of events more often. (The last idea being our choice if we're honest, and luckily the most popular idea.)

One of our volunteers also does Pole Lathing at Woodland Festivals and Shows. We have two of his walking sticks at home. 

Here the visitors were colouring and cutting a paper version of Chesterfield. We ended up with 4 Crooked Spire Churches but it was great to see it building up over the weekend.

Jewellery makers inside the marquee

Just one of several groups who performed. Such a shame there weren't more people because they were really good. 

The Canal Poet Laureate, Jo Bell. She was brilliant.... Not usually into poetry, but I really enjoyed listening to Jo, on both days! :-) The Art you can see in the background was done by children in 2 or 3 schools in the area. This was all around the marquee and coordinated by Junction Arts who helped us organise the event. The children used templates for the shapes and then used sticky coloured paper on white paper carrier bags. As you can see, the result is absolutey gorgeous; so effective! :-)

The Chesterfield Canal Trust Promotion trailer - the James Brindley - also joined us on Sunday to promote the canal and talk to visitors about the possible impact of HS2!

And the Felting Workshops:

Susan showing how to work the wool.

Just a few of the completed works. 

One of Susans previous works of Art.... isn't this gorgeous? She made this while on holiday in Scotland, of the view from the cottage they were staying in... from stuff she collected while they were there......

And the "Gang of Four" made a Fairy Dell in the weeks leading up to the Art Celebration..........

What are these doing here? Lets follow the trail.....

Look! There's some more......

And more.......

.... and a little mouse.......

And there's the Fairy in her Dell........ :-)

The following weekend I thought I deserved to go away for a few days, so got out the Sites Big Book and found a little site only 15 miles from home, and booked a couple of nights for us. Adventure before we'd even pulled the caravan off the storage site.... As I tried to pull away I asked hubby if he'd released the brake because it was pulling.... He had. The motor mover had locked on!!! (Yeah! I know, but we're getting too old now to be pulling caravans around; and why do it when there's a solution? LOL :-D ) Anyway... it took us hubby over 2 hours to release it. It now needs fixing properly, but I think it may still be under guarantee if only he can find the paperwork... lol

We arrived. It was a perfect weekend. Really quiet site, in the middle of nowhere, perfect weather. Half way between Mansfield and Newark, we went into Newark on the Saturday morning to get something for tea and decided to get lunch and sit in the park by the Castle.

We sat on a seat to the right of this photo and ate lunch.

Newark Castle. Next time we go (and we will use the site again) I'm going to get him on that boat, and take a trip on the river.......... mwhahahaha (Hubby gets really motion sick on water of any description... which makes me laugh as he is "Santa" on the Canal Trust Santa trips..... :-) )

"This caravanning lark is such hard work.........."

Those kids aren't gonna come and get you, cos I'll scare them off first, Dad.

"Why you make me wear this, Dad?"

Poor Alphie... still not sure if he likes that T-Shirt or not... R reckons he's cold, I reckon he has a fur coat already.... :-D

And then finally..... R was repairing his motorbike and Alphie wanted to make sure he was doing it properly.... LOL

Well that's it for now. Have been doing various bits of crafting, but no photo's yet..... Been making Felted Christmas baubles, which are going to be one of the Raffle Prizes for the Boat Raffle over Christmas. Now we start the Christmas rush at work. The Canal TRust are "launching" their Santa trips today, at work, so I'm off down there to help out my colleague who is on her own today (another of the "Gang of Four") and is going to be besieged by local politicians with their children - free Santa Trip anyone? :p

Back soon I hope. Have a good weekend. 

Jude.xx