Walkshop 2

A busy day, starting with a couple of hours at the Penfield NR Open Day, helping set up a tank containing a range of plants and animals that live in the three shallow, stonewort-filled ponds, and talking to members of the public about underwater life. Sadly we had to leave after a couple of hours as I had another commitment in the afternoon.

After lunch I drove to Stamford to co-lead the second of the Walkshops that KP and I have developed. These were aimed at the more deprived communities of the town, but the organisation we are working for had found it very difficult to connect with today's area, partly because the local school had not engaged.  Also the weather was threatening, and  many families already have other activities arranged for Saturday afternoons. So, we ended up doing our WALKshop for just three people, a Ukrainian mother and daughter, and someone else from outside the area. 

The first part of the WALKshop involves investigating a local open space closely, looking at the details of leaves, lichen, bark, flowers and seeds and learning a bit about what we find. The second part is an art activity in which participants use their observations creatively. It went well and they all enjoyed it, but after it was over we spent some time considering how best to target publicity for our last session, which will be held next weekend.

Ben joined us for dinner, as Sarah was away in Cardiff with her Uni friends. Before we ate, I cut his hair so that he looks smart for his upcoming holiday to Cyprus. This will be the first time that they've been abroad together, so I'm hoping it will all go smoothly. They were planning to catch a train to the airport, but unfortunately they need to travel on one of the rail strike days, so now they'll be driving. Nothing seems to be straightforward any more...