wool craft log week ending 22nd August + more fun in the woods!

On Wednesday Laryna and Sarah-Jane practised the Gaelic spinning song this week, especially in preparation for our day out and for the Bridges Programmes AGM next week.

Flora and Anneruth had a very small group of 2 only at the Plantations Productions. The decision was made today to go ahead with the Round Portal Felt-piece imitating natural stones, and we made a beginnng by felting the sheets which will be cut to provide the stone slabs for the Portal. See first piece below:

At Galgael, the 3 German girls, Katty, Melanie and Patricia, who are part of an exchange project Berlin-Galgael, got very enthused at the many woolcraft projects sights in the Bothy and are keen to try their hands on woolcraft anytime during their stay the next couple of weeks.

So they can be seen (above) making a flat sheet felt piece for the round Portal felt, a piece of felt which is to imitate the stones for the inner arch.
The girls learned fast and did a second one by themselves more or less... with Lynsey keeping an eye on it all too.

On Friday, after a wee gathering in the bothy, admiring the 2 cones of wool Helen got for us and discussing what we could do with it (see above), it was our big day out: the Nurturing day in Pollok Freestate. Gehan, Issy and Heather were - naturally - part of the party. There was bring and share herbs - which is a vey old tradition: women would gather in the month of August and early September to collect herbs and share herbal lore for the benefit of the whole community.
We had lots of homemade good food and fun to share, such making a fire and singing - and practising singing Gaelic in that.

It was so good to hear Gehan share of how Colin started here in 1997, as a local man, concerned about the local woods and lands, given over to the motorway; and how the protest camp developed into a true community, where the roots of the Galgael lie, including the cradle and playground of the kids, such as Heather's Arran (can you see her above, all shy :-) and Gehan's threesome who were in school though, this sunny afternoon. Shame - Oran would just have loved to make a fire again! It took us a wee while, but we managed, and went home all wonderfully smelling of wood smoke.