The Arc

This is the first felt parrot body for The Arc project. I have the brightly coloured wings feathers cut out, but need time to fit them on. Then I`ll start on the other bugger.

Taking part in Her Story project with artists and writer Ellen Phethean at West End Library. We have made a book each, decorated with collage materials and answering questions about our lives and creative writing about objects which we brought with us. We were given a wooden mirror each to decorate and questions to answer written on fabric. I really love being involved in this. The display of finished work will be in the Grainger Market, Saturday 24th April.

I was interviewed on ne1fm last Friday and met some great people who are on the Elders Council doing good work in the community. Also recorded a grisly story for Westgate Past. A murder at Windy Nook Co-op in 1907. A fella was stealing from the butcher`s department, they set a trap by putting fresh sawdust down in the shop. Four of them lay in wait, grabbed him, hit him over the head with various sharp and blunt instruments. He still managed to kill one, wound another and escape. He was suspected and interviewed at his place of work and tried to explain all of his injuries away as having fallen, bumped into things etc, but they rounded him up and searched his flat. There were 114 pairs of shoes, Co-op butter, soap, fabric among lots more things, the meat he gave away to local people. I bet that was the only drama that Windy Nook Co-op ever saw in it`s whole lifetime.

Westerhope History Day will be held at the Old Miner`s Institute building on Hillhead Road between 10.45 and 12.45 on Wednesday 14th April. Anyone born, brought up there or lived there and has photos, they can bring them along to be scanned and added to the archive.

Called to Des`s house. He opened the door and when he saw me standing there he said "Good, I`ve got a problem." I went into his sitting room, a starling was looking down at me from the curtain pole. As I approached the window it flew to the back of the curtain. I tried to curl the fabric around the bird, but it came out at the bottom and scuttled along the floor to the other side of the room. I moved two chairs to block it in while looming over the top so it couldn`t fly out. There were a couple of cardboard boxes nearby, so I lay one on it`s side and coaxed the bird inside by buffeting a cushion in front of it. Des stood at the front door and was thrilled to see it fly away. He was 90 yesterday and I`m looking forward to his party this week. Only trouble is I`m invited to a 70th on the same day, so 7-9 then 9-11 will be the only way I can do it. Can`t miss either.