Tuesday, 9 July 2019
Friday, 31 May 2019
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Hay Festival, friends and The Lost Words Spell Songs
Well. It's been an exciting and emotional few days! This is a long post be warned !
It's Hay Festival week around here, so of course I've been to as many events as I can get to.
First on Sun, Compostman and I went to listen to Robert Macfarlane talk about his new book, Underland. Much awaited, so looked forward to and it doesn't disappoint. Fabulous book, fabulous content, fabulous author.
As as a bonus we got to hear a new song from The Bookshop Band based on Underland. Bookshop Band is Beth Newton and her partner, she is one of the Lost Words Spell Singers, of whom we will hear more, later.
Then later on Sun Compostman and I were treated to a hysterical, side splitting two hours of Bill Bailey. If you have never seen him live, do. It's wonderful, but be prepared to have sore sides from laughter and a brain thinking a slightly different way, after. ( and a German translation song, as an ear worm!)
A lovely friend came to stay on Tuesday, we first met via both being members of the Celestine and the Hare Tribe, of which I have blogged about in the past.
J is lovely and we've shared a cottage with other Tribe members in the past, but it was lovely to welcome her to Compost Mansions for a stay. We wandered round the wood and she admired Chancellor the Serama cockerel and listened to birdsong
On Wednesday J and I set off very early to Hay, for a walk and sketch by the Wye workshop with acclaimed Illustrator and author Jackie Morris. Sadly the weather gods were not OK with that idea, so we instead had a magical time in a yurt listening to Jackie talk as she ground ink, to utter incantations to bring an Otter into being on paper from 2Rivers Paper Mill. Magical.
J and I had lunch, a wander round the Hay Festival site, then went to listen to a talk from the producers of Our Planet, the Netflix series.
We had a few hours to spare so went to Hay and had tea and cakes and a wander round. Then back to the festival site (shuttle buses, very regular, it's really easy to get around) to meet up with two other friends A and C, for the main event, the Lost Words Spell Singers performance.
I'm not sure what to write to be honest. The book, The Lost Words is fabulous.
As you know from my past posts, I am am a huge fan of Jackie, of Robert and of every one of their books.
As a Forest School Leader and keeper of a woodland, living how we do, I fully support the Lost Words book and its wider message and it has made my heart sing to see how, like a pebble into water, the ripples from the original book have spread far and wide, into every primary school in so many counties, with crowd funders, into hospices, in walls in hospitals, cafes, so many places.
Everyone I've spoken to or discussed it on line, agree it has an amazing emotional effect.
And then there came the very cream of folk music collected together as The Lost Words Spell Singers.
I've blogged about going to hear them play (oh such inadequate words to describe what it was like!) at Birmingham back in February.
So, last night at Hay Festival, the Spell Singers gave us The Lost Words Spell Songs and it was unbelievably fabulous.
Spell binding spell songs from the Spell Singers and from the original Spell Writer Rob Macfarlane and Spell Illustrator Jackie Morris, who conjured a pair of otters live on stage from water, ink, brush and paper.
I'm blown away.
I feel I was part of an event, that was a much greater thing. Everyone today I've spoken to or discussed it on line, agree it has an amazing emotional effect, far more than just beautiful words, music and art. Spell binding spell songs from the Spell Singers and from the original Spell Writer Rob Macfarlane and Spell Illustrator Jackie Morris.
It's Hay Festival week around here, so of course I've been to as many events as I can get to.
First on Sun, Compostman and I went to listen to Robert Macfarlane talk about his new book, Underland. Much awaited, so looked forward to and it doesn't disappoint. Fabulous book, fabulous content, fabulous author.
As as a bonus we got to hear a new song from The Bookshop Band based on Underland. Bookshop Band is Beth Newton and her partner, she is one of the Lost Words Spell Singers, of whom we will hear more, later.
Then later on Sun Compostman and I were treated to a hysterical, side splitting two hours of Bill Bailey. If you have never seen him live, do. It's wonderful, but be prepared to have sore sides from laughter and a brain thinking a slightly different way, after. ( and a German translation song, as an ear worm!)
A lovely friend came to stay on Tuesday, we first met via both being members of the Celestine and the Hare Tribe, of which I have blogged about in the past.
J is lovely and we've shared a cottage with other Tribe members in the past, but it was lovely to welcome her to Compost Mansions for a stay. We wandered round the wood and she admired Chancellor the Serama cockerel and listened to birdsong
On Wednesday J and I set off very early to Hay, for a walk and sketch by the Wye workshop with acclaimed Illustrator and author Jackie Morris. Sadly the weather gods were not OK with that idea, so we instead had a magical time in a yurt listening to Jackie talk as she ground ink, to utter incantations to bring an Otter into being on paper from 2Rivers Paper Mill. Magical.
J and I had lunch, a wander round the Hay Festival site, then went to listen to a talk from the producers of Our Planet, the Netflix series.
We had a few hours to spare so went to Hay and had tea and cakes and a wander round. Then back to the festival site (shuttle buses, very regular, it's really easy to get around) to meet up with two other friends A and C, for the main event, the Lost Words Spell Singers performance.
I'm not sure what to write to be honest. The book, The Lost Words is fabulous.
As you know from my past posts, I am am a huge fan of Jackie, of Robert and of every one of their books.
As a Forest School Leader and keeper of a woodland, living how we do, I fully support the Lost Words book and its wider message and it has made my heart sing to see how, like a pebble into water, the ripples from the original book have spread far and wide, into every primary school in so many counties, with crowd funders, into hospices, in walls in hospitals, cafes, so many places.
Everyone I've spoken to or discussed it on line, agree it has an amazing emotional effect.
And then there came the very cream of folk music collected together as The Lost Words Spell Singers.
I've blogged about going to hear them play (oh such inadequate words to describe what it was like!) at Birmingham back in February.
So, last night at Hay Festival, the Spell Singers gave us The Lost Words Spell Songs and it was unbelievably fabulous.
Spell binding spell songs from the Spell Singers and from the original Spell Writer Rob Macfarlane and Spell Illustrator Jackie Morris, who conjured a pair of otters live on stage from water, ink, brush and paper.
I'm blown away.
I feel I was part of an event, that was a much greater thing. Everyone today I've spoken to or discussed it on line, agree it has an amazing emotional effect, far more than just beautiful words, music and art. Spell binding spell songs from the Spell Singers and from the original Spell Writer Rob Macfarlane and Spell Illustrator Jackie Morris.
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