Coleridge Cottage - no stuffed Albatross

 

Great day with a special behind the scenes guided tour of Coleridge Cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset today. The National Trust have just invested quite a lot time and money in to renovations of the building and have created a fabulous place to visit. (Opens again in March 2012.) Lots of touchy feely and interactive elements but done circa 1800's style, so you can make bread (ish), write poetry with a quill, and sit on the furniture (except the bed!)

There was a whole board of poetry from visitors inspired by the works, but this one stood out, as well as the Ode to the Goldfish, but you'll have to visit to see that one!

The premise of the visit was to become inspired for the Coleridge Way which runs for 36 miles from Nether Stowey to Porlock, meandering over the Quantocks and Exmoor National park on the way. The idea is to create some Storywalks or like based around these parts, and all in all it was a great day.

So lets hope the funding streams start to flow and we can get some truly diverse and dynamic GPS triggered art activity going.

A lot of the exhibits were getting the turn down treatment for the winter, along with these acid free paper hats for the paintings. I love these subtle wrappings, tucked up in bed for the winter!

Ralph Hoyte and Tracey Robers were in the party as well, (Tracey from Artlife organised this so should be great stuff ahead, and Ralph creates geo sound scapes, so similar works but very different too!)

So many thanks to the curator Caroline who gave us the tour and opened the doors on a winters day.

I do have a few ideas up my sleeve as to works to create but I shall not be giving the game away just yet. There is a lot of work to do before this one goes live and some projects never do! So fingers crossed that this one will bear fruit.

Up in to the canopy and beyond

 

Up into the forest I ran with Fable hugging the path close by, above the river and away from the white noise of winter water. Higher the path rises in through the canopy and beyond, if I could only run any faster I might fly straight up and never stop.

 I find myself walking in the woods lots and lots which is great, searching for paths which are enchanting, often a hidden cut through that has been lost through lack of love, or odd deviations from the main thorough fair. Single tracks that drop away steeply or rise in a confusion of twists, tracks with more cloven hoof and paw than boot or bike.

Recently we have a new addition to the Jelley Foundation household (Fable - Lab-Colly cross, with a heart of gold and stomach ready for anything, and everything!) I have more excuses than ever to get out into the wild and run.

So up into Burridge woods I went and hid the secret log book for the walkers on The Watching Way, my most recently published storywalk. I doubt there will be much action until spring on the route, but the winter is all about planning and I am rather excited about the new works on the horizon. Will keep you posted!

New visitor to The Winding Charm Dunster

 Thought I should share the recent comments about Dunster storywalk, The Winding Charm which was completed by a family group titled 'Just The Driver'. As I live in Dunster I am always looking out for everyone with any sort of mobile device and wonder if they are doing my walk! I have seen a family once very early on, who were obviously on the quest but none since. Shall keep my eyes peeled, but I am unlikely to say hello as the walks are personal journeys which are different for each group. I have walked and read these lots with different groups, and find the tales change every time. I think this is the strength with every story, and the real task of the author to make them travel through varied tellings. I hope I managed it, anyway here are some words from the latest travellers. 

Found today, with Ornamental Daughter with Prospective Son-in-Law, and Scholar Son. Scholarly Son did faeries at Uni (no, really, he did). He searched his Kindle with 800 pre-1500 text books on it, and didn't find the name of the faerie referred to, so he didn't believe it. Of course, you can't believe everything that you read on a Kindle. We thoroughly enjoyed the cache. What I want to know is, what is it about doves that warrants building walls 4' thick... were they bigger birds in those days? Respect due to the birds!