What Katie Did

Keep to the left

When you leave Scotland to drive into England, as I did yesterday, there is a helpful sign in many languages to keep you to the correct side of the road.

But they drive on the left in Scotland, even though it is a whole nother country. So what were you doing before? What are those languages anyway?
One of my treats in the beautiful borders was a visit to The Border Tart, where I discovered a number of things - courgettes bigger than mine, two beautiful dogs, one of whom has her own blog? a very friendly welcome and a good old blether and that I am not very good on ladders.
I love sky and here is some of the stuff I saw one the way home

that's a rabbit surely (edited to add - comments suggest this is a reindeer - I think I tend to agree - so - rather crazy reindeer it is!)
and this is a telephone of course

and here are a couple of trees

Is anybody reading this?
Today, at the Garden Station I led a workshop about basic book making, which the lovely lasses who turned up grasped with nay bother and between them made 28 books of various sorts.

Jo getting serious with the drill here making our version of Japanese Stab Books

Twenty eight books! And lunch! a good day all round I think.

Which one is it?

Last week was Graduation Week! We went to Bristol for this, the climax of three years of study. But who was graduating?
Was it you?

No - I don't think so.....
Maybe it was you?

No - wrong again.
Where was she?

There she goes

my girl
 
If we did 'sensible' in our family there would be a lovely photograph of the graduand and her proud family, but we don't do sensible - ever - so this is as official as it gets.

we do 'proud' though and we were - all of us - very proud.
Well done Martha

The cute one at the back

There is never a dull moment in our neck of the woods, especially in the summer. Geoff, usually to be found with a pencil behind his ear in the workshop with a bit of wood, has branched out into a new career as a dancer. Yes - you couldn't make it up.
We have a dear friend who is a dancer, choreographer and thoroughly all round nice person. Tim. He has put together an amazing dance performance at the English Heritage site at Belsay. Rehearsals have been in full swing for months with several different groups coming together for three performances, the last of which is tonight.
There are professionals from Dance City

dancing in the amazing library room
A group of performing arts students from a local school in the dining room

wearing my kind of colours
Then, in the central pillar hall, columns and stone and cold,dark high walls lit up by a community group of dancers of all abilities - some with learning difficulties, partial sight and professional dancers - amazing piece this one. The audience view this piece from the balcony above. This is such a joy - to look down on the Hall as the dance unfolds, with amazing music to accompany all of these separate performances.

Then, of course, the children, little bits of fizzing energy buzzing around the place in vibrant silk!

They were wonderful. The weather has been crucial for this production and thankfully, the rain has held off for their outside performance. I have been stewarding at this event and have loved shepherding people round the complicated room changes and outside/inside nature of the way Tim has used the space.

Here are the kids in the Quarry Garden completely absorbed in the sequence of their dance. Parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers in the audience catching a glimpse of their own little treasure. Lovely!
Another dance sequence took place with the Hall as the backdrop

Last night, bursting with pride, I whispered to a member of the audience - 'guess which one I am married to?
'The cute one at the back?'
Yes.

Felt Making with a difference

Last Friday I was invited to take part in the Summer Festival at our local MENCAP college, a residential college for people with learning difficulties. I was the Felt Maker.

Here is my trusty 50p suitcase full of colourful fibre. I made a base of all the greens I had with me while the parade was getting underway and then when visitors and residents were arriving I invited them to make a heart shape to felt onto it.
 
This is Sharon - she really got the hang of the process . Other people made felt balls and I brought home the 'work in progress' to complete.

A few beads to add a bit of sparkle

and the odd sequin here and there

and now it is all ready to hang in the college!

I really enjoyed this project. Here is some of the students felt on sale

and this lovely clay lady who had to come home with me to sit in the shed

The sun shone, the felt was wonderful and I had a thoroughly wonderful day - disabled my foot!

Owen seen here beside my new rowan tree