The second big freeze of 2021 is here, although more of a frost at dawn and sprinkle of snow in spring affair than a complete white out. Still, it’s not exactly what the doctor ordered. Bring back the warm sun!
Still, despite the Arctic temps, I managed to get two very excited boys to tennis on their bikes. Lovely to have a family bike ride at the same time and reunite with West Ham Park. Another lovely and historic green space that is so close to our home although we tend to head north to the flats these days.
The tennis courts are by the bandstand where I installed a botanical homage to Dr John Fothergill in 2015 as part of the first Forest Gate Arts Trail, so cycling back always brings back warm memories. Pressing flowers in the new wildflower meadow, creating a bandolier (a chandelier of air vintage glass, pressed clay and dried flowers) to hang from the bandstand ceiling, researching the history of Dr Fothergill in the Newham Archives and displaying pressed specimens from the ornamental garden.
There were even flowers sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard and hidden under the carpet that I placed on the bandstand floor, pressed by every visitor who came to be part of the experience. Some of my favourite pressed botanical artworks are from this exhibitions including Corn Poppy and Californian Poppy.
After tennis, and after I’d draft designed the whole of my new book so I can write into it and imagine the visuals too (my best way of working) we had the exciting moment of meeting up with my sister and her family in our garden. Too cold to meet in the park as planned so they headed over here and we fired up the bbq and the fire pit and toasted the reunion and their new house move with champagne and charcoaled sausages. So lovely to see the kids with their cousins again, playing like only cousins do. So lovely to be with family again when the rest of our tribe are still so far away in distance and time. Can’t wait until May bank holiday when we will all be together again.