When the Christmas jumpers start you know that the big day can’t be far off.
Today we’ve done more decorations and we’ve been working for Shipshape Arts, a company describing themselves as an “artistic creation company”. They are based in a barn on the farm and do quite a bit for us – including helping us with the Education tent at Flintham Show and making the quoits we will using for the Christmas hoopla. In return we try to help them a bit, though “help” may be be putting it a bit strongly.
Today they gave people hats. You can see them being worn in the main picture. Of course, not everyone got a hat. For some reason I didn’t, despite the fact that my poor bald head needs some warmth. Just saying…
This is one of the statues that they put up for us recently – looked at from this angle it’s a bit more noticeable than it is when you stand on the back of the Ecocentre looking across the field. The stone that looks like it’s on the right comemorates the air crash in 1944 – it’s actually on the left but there’s a curve in the road.
This is one of “The Sweepers” that were originally shown at the Southbank Centre Festival of Neighbourhood. We also have “The Neighbours”, who were also at the Olympic Park before coming up here. Did you know there was a market in second-hand statues? I didn’t. It was quite a performance putting them up, with low-loaders, forklifts, power tools and lots of helpers.
This is “The Neighbours” taken from a deceptive angle, inreality they are several hundred yards from the kitchen.
We’re decorating the Christmas tree now. It’s a bit early for me (though I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas, to be fair) but it’s turkey tasting time this weekend and we are aiming for a Christmas Dinner feel to the centre.
Finally – I nearly got a picture of a bird feeding at the table. We’ve had great tits, blue tits, pigeons, chaffinches, robins, house sparrows, greenfinches, starlings and wood pigeons so far. It could be better but we’re hoping it will build up as time goes on. Meanwhile they are all quick to take flight and added to a cheap camera and poor light levels I haven’t much to show for my photographic efforts. Looks like I’m going to have to borrow my wife’s camera or wait until the butterflies come back in summer.
At least you can tell it’s a robin, most of the others have been unidentifiable blurs.
The statues look fabulous. On a bike ride (first time through Screveton) the ‘sweeper’ caught our attention when approaching from the A46 bridge. We had to stop, dismount and investigate. Photos taken, presumably the Labyrinth will be a maze in a few years? Going to look out for the development of this undoubted attraction. Can’t wait for the cafe to appear… you should get a steady income from visitors…providing you advertise.
Thanks Phil, we got some new pictures of the statues a few days ago with the kestrel perching on the shoulder of one of The Neighbours. We’re building a nest box to see if we can persuade the birds to nest.
I think the labyrinth will always remain a labyrinth because it isn’t planted densely enough to form a maze. But we do have a maze if you want a trip round one – originally built by Shipshape Arts for Wadham College, Oxford and currently assembled on the farm.
Regarding the cafe, we need it for school visits and similar activities so it would be difficult to extend the opening hours in any useful way.
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