Big up the Dipper

One fantastic walk.

Sunday dawned clear and sunny once again. My three wonderful boys were visiting us for the weekend and so we decided to go for a walk. Choosing a route we had not been for a while and one that can be wet we set off. We shortly came across an old weir and evidence (like some lost civilisation) of 18th and 19th century industry. The river after the weir was shallower the water running quicker and then we saw them. A flash of dark brown, then a glimpse of white and we stood enchanted for a short while by two pairs of dippers feeding and foraging in the water. This rare and shy bird is not often seen but fascinating to watch when you do find them. They feed by running / swimming underwater to catch invertebrates hiding in the river bed. More well known bird watchers than ourselves have failed to see Dippers, indeed I seem to remember seeing a BBC clip recently where the presenter tried and only caught a glimpse of these shy birds. So here we were about 7 miles from the centre of Sheffield watching them. I think even my boys were impressed. And now the dilemma...do I tell you were we were?????????

Andrew Goldsworthy at YSP

Kids get art!
Its not often that Barnsley is linked with the great and the good of the art world but in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park we surely have one of the world's gems. (Despite what they say its closer to the centre of Barnsley than Wakefield) And other than the fact that the trees there are possibly the best thing, there are some truly wonderful exhibitions. The current one showing the varied work of Andrew Goldsworthy is a must see. It has everything you could want in art and you know its good by the response of the people. The comments book in the Long Gallery is a must read and should be published. We took my boys recently, tiring quicker than I did of art created by the dirty feet of sheep, they waited for me outside and meanwhile made their own Goldsworthy inspired art. So we have Ben's (8) pebble man and Sam's (11) bloody scab art work...rather good I think..and proof unassailably that even though some of the adult visitors there didn't get him the kids totally understood what Andrew was trying to do.

Teaching trial

I am thinking of using blogs in my lessons. This is a trial post to try something out.

This seems a more pucker blog site.

I have another blog somewhere else. But this seems more grown up like with real writers and a real community sort of feel like..... So I thought i would start one on here too.....or maybe replace the other one