House

For Agatha

Morning walk we wish you were here too!!! Connor is in 4th place after first day, hurrah. 2 2nd and a 3rd........

Family Bible

John has just inherited the Bainbridge(nee Taylor) family bible, as we looked at it today it felt like something from "Who Do you think you are?"

Scotland

I have five days to write and complete my context presentation so hoping the view from the office window will act as a catalyst for completion.

Tis quite chilly though.

Packaging

Working with leather with my class today, when another member of staff had a roll of kid skins donated to her mum's charity which is to build schools in Gambia which she had brought in to raise money. Serendipity! Realising that maybe I am odd the packaging of the skins was as beautiful as the skins inside.....

Museum Day

HNC year 1 had a drawing morning at Leeds City museum, Heroes & Heroines exhibition, which was a great opportunity to explore the collection again, to look more closely at the pieces, realising how often you need to look at objects and their surroundings to pick what is key to you. Though I had really looked and photographed the House of Elliot pieces, it wasn't until I started to draw them that I really took in the form and stitch use (cornelli chain stitch), new approach for me as I am often really wary of drawing.  So a lesson to learn and follow that I need to record far more with line than I do at the moment.

Weymouth, kittens and taxidermy

Another weekend, another trip to the South coast, Weymouth for the National Rankers, Connor racing, Kai GCSE course work, me trying to read voraciously on objects, identity and taxidermy and beginning to panic. Connor came 2nd to the Olympic medalist; Kai did his coursework, I had nightmares about saying the wrong words and losing images!
The Guardian mentioned the new exhibition by the Museum of Everything on taxidermy and the work of Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter, so another trip to London needed.

kittens go camping

My eldest was competing in Weymouth so kittens had to come too, they had a great weekend in the van, as did their owners. Connor came first; Kai did his homework and I read my work for the MA,  Simba and Angus chilled.

On the MA front I am examining what identities we create for objects and how we read these I think that I may need to make the subject area narrower. I am looking at taxidermy, one of my fellow students has a sparrowhawk in her freezer for me, it flew into her window last week. This creates all sorts of thoughts and concerns as to me the vegetarian and hopeless wimp managing a beautiful dead creature. I need to hunt out a taxidermist.