What a month it has been for extraordinary weather.  We expect rain in April to “bring forth May flowers”, but sleet, hail stones, and snow do nothing for delicate seedlings.  We’ve had to delay planting out the vegetables that are propagating in our utility room otherwise they would have been destroyed.

Meanwhile there has been progress with the community arts project, mostly in the form of meetings to develop ideas and plan workshops.  We’ve been collecting inspiration on Pinterest where we have a board called Tall Ships Project: A Voyage Through Blyth, its People and Places.  Sometimes our problem is having more ideas than can be managed in the time available.  We’ve been sampling activities ranging from making paper boats to sewing portholes. This is my first attempt at a porthole –

    The idea of the porthole is that of a window onto the voyage of your life.  My images tell the story of how my parents met, my heritage in Irish linen, and my family.  I plan to sample a few more with different images and words, and possibly a map.