Flowers and firearms

Our week has been a little wobbly. Tiredness and the realisation for Monty that he is is really away from me when he goes to Kindergarten has left us more emotional than usual. We're trying to be gentle with ourselves, but it isn't easy with two boys who find it hard to be anything other than maximum strength. 

Despite our disarray we did manage to visit a little local museum this week. I'd spotted in a flyer that Bankfield museum in Halifax was holding an exhibition of textiles on the theme of gardens which I was keen to see. I imagined conversations with Eli about the artist's processes; materials and techniques used. I thought we might marvel together at the stitches used liked brush strokes and hoped it  would inspire us to run home and start our own creative project...

I pointed out the journey from photographs, to sketches and finally stitches. We looked at how some of the pieces were layered with sewn fabrics behind screen printed transparent cloth. I enthused over the botanical motifs and impressionistic effects...

Meanwhile, Eli was tugging on my arm, desperately trying to stay patient...because what he was interested in,  what he really wanted to look at...was the Duke of Wellington's regiment museum.

Dutifully, and with little enthusiasm I allowed myself to be lead to look at cases filled with uniforms and weaponry. Along with my discomfort at us being surrounded by the apparel and apparatus of war, I realised my knowledge of battle history was severely lacking. Now I was on shaky ground. I didn't have answers to the questions being asked of me. Waterloo? What was all that about again? American wars? Erm...let me see...

I did manage some vague mutterings about the trenches and we both enjoyed looking at various soldier's personal effects - what they ate from, the bags they carried - the everyday objects that remind us of their humanity rather than the violence they were embroiled in.

Learning together may not always be what I expect it to be. Although I set the agenda for our museum visit, and had my own expectations about what we might explore together, Eli had his own ideas. Those ideas meant that I looked at things I wouldn't otherwise have looked at. I found I was interested in some of those things and I found that when it comes to history I am pretty much clueless.

Time for a trip to the library I think...

Tuesday Tune

It's a bit of wet autumn morning, so here's a rather wistful song and video to match the mood, by the wonderful King Creosote and Jon Hopkins:

Just lovely...

Sylvan wanderings

On last week's walk to and from Kindergarten we noticed an Autumnal nip in the air, enough for Monty to put on his hat. A few fallen birch leaves on the pavement inspired some early season kicking and scrunching. The sun cast its light in the spaces between shadows and the boys ran eagerly into the morning. Instead of taking our usual path across the field and alongside the river Monty asked if we could go on an adventure through the beech wood. The trees on this hillside are tall and bewitching, I am hushed each time I wander beneath their dark boughs.

On this day I noticed nature's details: the colours of decay amongst the green, criss-crossed threads of a spider's silky den and diaphanous canopies high above

After dropping off a confident and happy youngest son, Eli and I carried on our quiet way, stopping off at deserted tennis courts once part of the Cragg Hall estate, their overgrown and crumbling grandeur at odds with the little clubhouse kitchen.

We meandered down to the river where Eli climbed across branchess that hung over the river while I sat with the late summer sun on my eyelids and wondered at this tiny window of harmony we had stumbled upon.

Summer is heaving her last sigh, may we all hold on tightly to these final golden days.

Healing stitches

Moved to tackle my mending pile by Zero Waste week, I've been reminded of how good it feels to take something broken and make it whole again. Where once there were holes there is now wonky darning or patches, rips and tears have been tended to with healing stitches. This was the work our great grandmothers would have taken for granted but in this age of disposable fashion we are losing the skills we need to exist frugally.

These slippers belonged to Eli until his toes poked holes through the crochet, now with a little attention they are providing warmth and comfort for Monty whilst he is away from me at Kindergarten.


As a society we're being seduced by newness. We're constantly encouraged to spend and fill our lives with luxuries. If I can take care of our possessions and extend their life where possible I can free us a little from these temptations. We can't afford it and neither can our planet.

First days and compost bins

Yesterday was a strange sort of a day for me, my youngest went off to be away from for the first time ever, at the local Steiner kindergarten, and my eldest stayed home. Monty was really excited and very ready to go off on a new adventure but I hadn't expected to feel so emotional. I had a very real ache in my chest as I said goodbye that didn't go until I had him back in my arms at the end of his big first day.

I decided that as the weather was perfect for a spot of sawing and hammering, Eli and I should get cracking with the planned compost bin.

Recycling facilities in Calderdale are pretty good I think, with collections for glass, paper, plastic and food waste it doesn't leave too much recyclable material left over. As a household however we still don't manage to deal with all of our compostable waste. I've had intentions to build a compost bin for some time without actually just getting on with it so Zero Waste Week has already been a great motivator!

Eli and I used bits of wood that had been lying around for ages; the remnants of an old Ikea child's table and some old skirting board that I'd been hoarding. We also had some really thick planks that we split down the middle to make two of the uprights. Now, I'm fully aware that this construction of ours is not going to win any prizes for looks, but as it will mostly be full of decaying matter I don't think that's too important.

We've just put it together with nails for now - hammering in nails is much more fun than screwing for a five year old - and we'll get some screws in it before we put it to work.

I think Eli was fairly proud of his first joinery efforts (as you can see from the cheesy expression) and I'm hoping he continues to be interested in the whole business of filling up the bin and watching the decomposition process. I'm also fairly proud that I finally did something I've been talking about doing for at least a couple of years!

There are so many things like this, that as individuals and families we know we be should be doing. Life is busy and time is short, but I'm already feeling better for doing my 'one more thing'. Thanks Rachelle for giving us the push we needed.

Beautifully bizarre

Yes, this is a Two Post Day! As well as stating my intentions for being a little more environmentally responsible this coming week I also wanted to share two of our favourite events of the Calderdale calendar that happened this past weeken - the Norland Scarecrow festival and the Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing. We've attended both of these quirky local practices over the last three years and I'm hooked on the sense of place and community I get when in the midst of them.

The Norland Scarecrow festival has been running every year for 13 years and the people of the village are showing no signs of letting their scarecrow standards drop. This year's theme was celebrations and people's interpretations of this ranged from the Olympics to the anniversary of the Beatles first single. We really needed the whole day to walk the full route and discover all the scarecrows but in our few hours there the boys managed to still spot plenty of curious creations in fields, on driveways or cunningly attached to houses.

We managed to squeeze in a couple of rides...

...before driving down one hill and up another to catch up with the Rushbearing procession. The boys and I jumped out of the car to run behind the procession, getting giddy with drumming and morris people. We managed to pass the procession as it stopped at St Mary's church in Cottonstones and hurried on to wait for the cart at the next stop, the Alma Inn.

From the Alma Inn we witnessed the stirring sight of the rushbearers pulling the rush-cart over the bridge and up the hill - the sound of 120 clogs striking the ground in time making my pulse quicken.

I so enjoy the atmosphere of this day - it's a little off-beat but feels so solidly English with its associated mummers, morris dancers and beer. This version of the rushbearing was revived in 1977 but its roots go back much further to 1685 or perhaps even earlier. It's believed that when the rushes on the floor of the area's churches were changed at the end of the summer a local tradition grew up around the practice. A fair maiden now bravely sits atop the rush-cart and all the bearers are kept well topped up at each stop with sustaining tankards of ale.

Whilst the cart is stopped the crowd is entertained by an assortment of folk dancers, musicians and a few crazy blokes with blacked up faces who perform an entertaining if somewhat baffling piece of historic pantomine.

Finishing off the Alma Inn leg of the journey were the splendid 400 Roses - they belly dance to morris music! These wonderfully decorative women do for folk dancing what Hasselhoff did for lifeguards... Their dress is ornate and unapologetic; age nor shape seem to be any impediment to moving their hips in a most marvellous manner. The amount of effort that had gone into those costumes and carefully choreographed dance was quite lovely to see.

Yorkshire. In't it grand?

Zero Waste Week

This week, I'd like to attempt to join in a little with Rachelle Strauss's big National Zero Waste week. Rachelle has an invaluable website dedicated to providing the information and motivation we all need to get us reducing our waste. The theme of this year's zero waste week is 'one more thing' - aiming to encourage us to look at one more thing we could each be doing to reduce our landfill contributions.

For many of us, this is a big week for other reasons. It's 'back to school' week for families across the land, but for us it's 'starting Kindergarten' and 'back to home' week so my emotions and anxiety levels are running a little high. Joining in with Rachelle's mission may provide us with just the focus we need.

If all goes according to plan, and it rarely does, I'll be talking mending, thrifting, compost bin making and some other related bits thrown in throughout the week. In the mean-time, have a look at the place where it's all happening: