Getting Closer

Four days to go to the big parade and things are starting to get done. Here's a bike-galleon which Jonny is making which we took on a test drive today and took a few photos.

Singing Goose

The Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade workshops are up and running and it's all very exciting. We've had a very healthy number of participants making birds, frogs and pirate/boats. Here's a movie of my bird teaching the parade end song.

For some reason, we've been largely attracting kids and with parents. I'm sensing that there's a bit of a cultural barrier which says that parades are for kids. I'm really hoping we'll have a few adults making things or at least showing up to help carry some of the bigger makes. We'll see. Any way, I think it's already a success. Mel and Jude said these are already the best art workshops HEADS has delivered.

Leave to Remain

As of today, I'm here to stay. Despite all the bureaucracy brought on by all the anti-immigration sentiment, it wasn't all that complicated for me. I suppose being married to Kathy, not getting arrested and not drawing from the dole these last two years (not including public assistance via Arts Council England), made me a fairly safe candidate. Maybe the folks in the Home Office thought they needed more puppeteers in the UK.

Notice it was issued on the 4th of July--when my former countrymen were having barbecues and setting off fireworks to celebrate their independence from the British, I'm all about about the Queen.

Yeshe's Dressing Room

For the first time in his eight years, Yeshe the Yak had his own dressing room today. What a great thing to have our own space to spread out and lock when we weren't there. We even had our own shower--unheard of luxuries in the world of walkabouts. We had a busy but very good day performing "The Mystery of the Sock Snatcher" and Yeshe walkabouts at the Lowry as part of their family festival. Sure beats trying to fit into a tent or hiding behind skips.

Also of note: today was the first day that Thingumajig Theatre has had two gigs in one day. While Kathy and I were at the Lowry, Jonny and Gil were walking Veronica in Mytholmroyd. Apparently they had to change in the corridor next to the toilets, poor things.

Parade Workshop Ready To Go!

The Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade workshop is pimped up and ready to roll! Workshops start Sunday and this space with it's sensible piles of materials and neat signs will hopefully soon be bursting at the seams with big sloppy art. More to come...

Glastonbury

We're back from Glastonbury, the Mac Daddy of summer festivals in the UK. It was thrilling and exhausting. I just wasn't prepared for the scale of it all. There are some 175,000 people there of which 35,000 are "working". As far as relative size, there were 25,000 at Burning Man the year I went and that was just far more art than I could handle. Mind you, the music gets most of the attention and is the main reason for the crowds but there was so many walkabout characters, circus and vaudeville acts not to mention gorgeous installations. My favourites were:


The banners at the top of the festival, near the stone circle; the beast-machines driving through the mud in Trash City; the Seagull and the Cavemen walkabouts;

and this ultra cool Garuda puppet made by Mike Pattison and Emergency Exit Arts. It's driven on a low car, it's legs are motor driven but the body going up and down and head side to side is by the puppeteer's legs and the head up and down and the beak closing is by the arms. Very clever and very effective.

And yes, of course there was the music. We saw Sinead O'Connor, Seth Lakeman, Buddy Guy, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Neil Diamond and a bit of Amy Winehouse. Buddy Guy put on the best show by far. But to be honest, standing in a field with thousands of people trying to get a glimpse of the tiny figure on the stage singing is not my idea of a good time.

Our gig was in the Kidz Field performing "The Mystery of the Sock Snatcher" once a day and doing some walkabout with Yeshe and Veronica. Kathy and I did Yeshe, Jonny and Gil did Veronica. I think it all went very well. The puppets looked great there and the puppets show was very well received, especially since it was so different from the other shows which were mostly glove puppet shows where the puppeteers shouted at the audience and the audience shouted back. I don't mean any disrespect--some of these shows were very well done. Really enjoyed having Jonny and Gil around as we knew Veronica was in very good and reliable hands.


But apropos to nothing, one of the best bits was trying out some bouncy stilts from another walkabout troupe. This was great fun--I gotta get me some!

Off to Glastonbury!

We're off to Glastonbury to perform "Sock Snatcher" and walkabout with our giants. I'm looking forward to some serious festival scene. I'm in a rush getting ready so can't write much....

Panchan Kim--Good Citizen Dog

On Thursday night, even after a serious foot injury from our last day on holiday (something involving chasing a rubber ring despite the rock in the path), Panchan completed his 10-week dog obedience class and passed his test giving him a Bronze Award from the Kennel Club's Good Citizen Dog Scheme. We are very, very proud of our little trooper. Here's a movie of him showing the evaluator how he can walk (hobble) to heel--bless him.

Cornwall

Kathy, Panchan and I just came back from a fabulous holiday in Cornwall. It was my first time there. We spent most of the time backpacking on the Southwest Coast Path, camping wild in some of the most dramatic scenery I've every seen in Britain. Here are a few pictures but a photo gallery of the whole trip can be found HERE.

Starting the walk in Mousehole (pronounced "mao-zole"). We parked the van in Penzance, took a bus into Mousehole, walked and camped wild for most of 5 days, 3 nights, then took the bus from St. Just back to Penzance. It was just over 19 miles--not overly long which was just right for us as we've been very busy and very tired and just needed lots of time to hang out. This was a bit of a contrast from doing the Dales Way last year where we did 80 miles in 6 days!

The small fishing village of Penberth--quiet and picturesque but closed to dogs as is most of the places one can drive to in that area due to overwhelming amounts of tourist shit.

A gorgeous beach which was only accessible via a very steep trail and turned out to be a clothing optional beach. A fun, sun time was had by all.

Giant Swimming Puppet--Movie

Here's the edited movie of the Jim Clarke puppet.