Progress

Progress - what progress?

Well, the article about the Stations of the Cross was posted today, so hopefully that is done and dusted, provided the client likes the product. Writing the catalogue notes is almost finished, following which it's the long winded polishing and double checking, plus a bio of FB and a brief history of stained glass. So, as a result of back to back 9-9's, almost on the new course as predicted at the start of this year.

A minor hiccup occurred when Gareth announced that his health was suffering following an operation last autumn. However, he's sticking with the project, albeit with an extended deadline, so we are now looking towards the end of the year (literally) and loads of extra visits to Wales to record progress, before the DVD will be published.
More exercise, more water, continuing to cook up storms and enjoying myself also on course, and next week Charles and I embark on the Fantabuloso February Flying Foray taking in Ditchling, Lewes, London, Bucklebury and a Waitrose near you, after which the filming (apart from Gareth) is complete.

the good, the bad and the ugly

The good news is that the book we wrote for the Brangwyn exhibition last year, Frank Brangwyn 1867-1956, has been nominated for the William M B Berger Prize forArt History 2007. So, 2nd year in a row for Brangwyn!

The bad and the ugly is that the news in the paper today is that small schools may be threatened with closure.

I just hope that this does not include Elveden School, which Ofsted listed as outstanding last year within the 'personal development and well being' judgement and 'spiritual, moral, social and cultural development' criteria. It also gained the International School Award from the British Council.

Bright and Beautiful

When Gillian Turner mentioned the hymn All things bright and beautiful on 16 May last year (see blog entry), little did she know what she was letting herself in for! But, being Gillian, she set the whole thing up, and the next thing I know we are off to Elveden, to record the children at Elveden CEVA Primary School - an old fashioned village school with 3 classrooms and a hall and a wonderful ethos and friendly atmosphere.

All 52 pupils assembled in the hall and sung their hearts out for us, for which we are hugely grateful. Afterwards Charles and I fielded questions from the older class, and very intelligent and insightful questions they were. Some budding filmmakers there. And for the young man who asked how many windows Brangwyn designed - the almost definitive answer is: 28 panels were designed of which about 22 were produced.

Following the recording C&I fell back on a reinvigorating cup of tea at the Elveden Estate shop and then fell foul of retail therapy in the form of wonderful cheeses and oils etc etc. Plus a visit to the Paper Mill Shop at Spalding where Charles did his 'kid in a sweet shop act' and gaily amassed coloured paper.

Eureka moment!

It suddenly struck me to check all the birds and animals FB had managed to squeeze into the British Empire panels, and there's a superb little booklet produced by Swansea Museums Service in 1987 which names just about everything - and hey presto, I've found my crested white bird - it's a white peacock and appears in Panel 10. Yippee!
There's still the 4 petalled flower to sort out and some pretty pink and blue love birds which Swansea say are leadbeaters but I can't find them on the net or even in the RSPB. Never say never. Tomorrow is another day the last I heard.

Crackers

Well, what a cracking start to the year. Read four books, including the rather wonderful and very illuminating one by Martin Eidelberg et al about Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany girls - turns out they produced many of the designs Tiffany took credit for! Re-read lots of articles, finished Tiffany and Manaton notes apart from fine tuning and polishing, spent some time in Photoshop tweaking images for the catalogue, visited Hurstmonceaux to look at a Brangwyn, the RA to check on sketchbook images, saw Tim Wilcox when working at the V&A Library (another contributor to the Brangwyn book 2006) - he's putting together what sounds to be a super exhibition about Laura Knight at the Lowry and Nottingham Castle - the circus and all the fun of the fair.

Thinking about books did you see the article in the Grodian Thursday - apparently 1/4 people in the UK haven't read a single book in the past year. I just cannot credit the fact - what are they doing instead? Wallowing in soaps? Sounds like intellectual poverty.

Anyway, back to work after that quick aside - examining the Manaton window in detail and describing the wildlife and vegetation involved much work with the Observer's books saved from my childhood days plus other references, but I cannot decide what this red four petalled flower is, nor the white bird with blue crest. One of the problems is that FB's nature and animals frequently became generic and the bright orange fruit in the window are actually apples (I have a letter from FB himself to prove it) so one cannot necessarily go by colour either!

Any sensible suggestions as to identification gratefully accepted.

2008

God bless her and all who sail in her.

Christmas is past (although the decorations are still up, see above) - feeding between 5 and 15 for 6 days is no joke and even the 6 bedroom house was pushed to the limits, but I got the sofa by the log fire so was a happy bunny - and needless to say FBSG work was halted for the duration.

What will the new year herald? Last year's plans got somewhat delayed, didn't finish Christ's Hospital monograph, didn't finish FBSG, BUT did achieve many things I had no intention of doing in the first place. And I'm not even Irish.

So here goes. In 2008 I am determined to finish FBSG (we've already got some interviews fixed for February) and Christ's Hospital - although now I have another project to complete by the end of this month about the Stations of the Cross, and, rather excitingly, have been pulled on board for a Japanese exhibition about FB. Don't get sidetracked Libby - I hope to finish the academic writing by the end of this month, the design work by the end of February, review the rushes and plan the editing and script Libby verbiage in March and perhaps get Charles started on the editing April. We've still got Gareth to film May(ish), so possibly get everything completed end of July? Writing this down makes it seem more possible or at least gives me something definite to aim for (ah, the wonderful sound of deadlines swooshing past). I also want to find sponsorship for the Reyntiens project (see 17 November, Glory of Glass), and get my SGFA and William Morris papers published. And I'm going to return to taking more exercise and doing more art work, drinking more water, drinking less wine. And listening to more music, and continuing to cook up storms. And continuing to enjoy life to the full. How's that?

Rhetorical dear boy, rhetorical.

MEMO: Never start a sentence with AND or BUT! :-)