Green Man Festival. Haiku. Felt.

I have had four days at the Green Man Festival in Glanusk Park in the beautiful Usk valley, helping my friend Emma in her marquee, selling her beautiful felt items, and also helping out with a manic programme of felt making workshops. Here she is, on day one, before nearly everything sold!

It was huge fun, with the extra dimension of contributing to Wales Arts Review's live online response to the Festival, with contributors responding to events, food and the festival experience. I wrote a series of haiku and emailed them during the days.

My experience was necessarily limited by my working, and not wandering around or seeing other events at all! I thought I would put them down here in order, to give you a flavour of my Green Man experience. I was also constrained by my iPhone, which wouldn't let me start the lines of the haiku with a lower case letter, so they do look very different to my usual style. However, it's all part of the experience! I will list the day, and then the haiku beneath, some of which have titles;

Thursday

Wisp of cloud drifting
Across watching mountain top -
Rain falling below

Friday

Discreet sunlight, breeze
Feet whispering through wet grass
Green Man squats, fierce-faced

Green Man Harvest
A convoy of bins -
Green-bobbed acolytes trudge with them,
Gathering garbage

And now, noise begins -
Swirling on the valley floor,
Mountain, sounding board.

Saturday

Knees
Ugly scowling things,
Stranded between shorts and boots -
Please cover them up!

Making felt
Bright strands, water, soap,
Metamorphosis of wool,
Capturing rainbows.

Selfies
On this spot, right here -
Stand with the mountain behind,
Smile for the camera

Sunday

Wet grass
Mud path will emerge,
Recording every footprint
Small destinations

Climbing
Soft skin and rough bark,
Oak trees stadning patiently,
Accepting hands, feet

Air freshens, colder,
Breeze whispers through the valley,
Nearly time to go

Written looking out of the marquee! I hope you like them! I made a piece of felt to go with the series.

Great fun.
www.walesartsreview.org
https://www.facebook.com/Ffolkyffelt?ref=ts&fref=ts

Morning mountains. Bright sun. Cold wind.

A big week getting ready for the Bath Artisan Market on Sunday 10th August. My first piece of displacement activity, in fact my default displacement activity in general - striding up Hay Bluff.

I can always justify walking up a mountain well, it's exercise! I found some wild thyme blooming on the slopes. Very Shakespearian, and a sure sign that fairies live here, although they would have to be hardy little folk to withstand the weather.

It was bright and sunny, but a very cold wind blew as I climbed. The light was amazing, everything so clear.

I feel so lucky to have this as my nearest place to ascend. I love the interplay of sunshine and shadow early in the morning.

 The only problem with walking up Hay Bluff at 6.30am is the ice cream van has not yet arrived in the car park when I arrive back there!
Now to begin the week.