Where the world looks like something out of a Tolkien film
And the weather moves in distinct lines across the sky.
Here it is sunny
But on the other side it’s not
Gotta love Caithness!
Prehistoric Festival
We miss the vikings so much.
So when I saw the advertisement for this Prehistoric Festival, despite having committed to helping out at another fayre, I knew we had to go!
That this was right up our street.
I wasn’t wrong. My little vikings were very happy.
First up was creating paints, like they would have, to decorate the poles for the Fiery Spectacular.
We saw the gatherings from the foraging, but I think we missed that. The results of some natural dyeing and demonstrations on, och what’s the word, wool making.
Then we found Willow!
Ooh Willow.
They had blank fish made up and showed us how to fill them in.
We settled in to work our skills.
Totally hooked!
Up top there is my rope, made from rushes!
Oh I Love learning new skills!!
On our way out we had a look at the kiln.
We missed the pottery workshops too. Which was a shame.
But the kiln looked impressive.
So, although we missed lots of things and I kind of wish we had been there for the whole time. I made a commitment to help out at the other fayre so nothing to be done to change that.
Having said that. I know we all loved the time we spent there and the children also love learning new things, which is lucky for me!
I think Caithness is great, that there are so many things to do up here that we are super lucky to have.
Do you remember your first crush?
Aw, J and his crushes.
His crush came in yesterday morning (I am taking her in to drama with B, their collects them) and J Dashed upstairs to get his beloved x-wing, to show her.
He was absolutely crestfallen when she showed zero interest in its amazingness.
‘It took me Four hours to make mummy!?’
He couldn’t understand why she would not understand that and be impressed.
Then he wracked his brains to try to think of something else he could show her that she Might be impressed by, before giving up and reading a book.
This morning, his feelings on the matter came to light when he told me about her being so unimpressed with the x-wing.
Saying, ‘That’s it, we’ll have to get the millennium falcon next. She will Have to be impressed with that! It’s the biggest Lego have ever built and has over 300 pieces!!’
He has since checked, it has 5191 pieces. What girl wouldn’t be impressed by that!?
Viking hair
No outfit coming from the Pixies Pocket HQ would be complete without hair embellishments 😁
Have you been watching Vikings?
Hubby and I are Loving it!
B’s hair was totally inspired by one of the leading ladies, Lagertha.
Ragnars wife and a powerful shield maiden.
The vikings have arrived!
The vikings have arrived!
J, B and I have been anticipating their arrival at Caithness Horizons for Months!
So much so that I spent this week creating outfits for them.
I couldn’t resist.
Because it was a last minute decision I nipped to charity shops to see if I could find something I could work with.
I could hardly believe my luck when, in one shop, I found red linen trousers (a tabard idea was born) and, in another, a large linen skirt (just enough for a tunic for J)
The neck ties, and waist for B’s dress, were made from the details on the front of the skirt.
I was clearly destined to find that skirt!
‘For surely the Gods were happy that day.’
What a marvellous day!
Too much for Facebook, we did so much today!
First up was a football tournament for J, he had a great time.
Next stop was an archery club open day! B and I are Sooo excited because we hope to attend classes as soon as they are set up for them.
We are Sooo excited for the classes to start!
We moved on from here to the glass workshop where we are taking part in a community project.
They are making a big tree, and everyone who wants to can make a leaf to be added.
I thought we wouldn’t be able to take them home, and that it would be a permanent display.
Who cares though, how fab is it to be able to be a part of something bigger!?
Turns out though, that we will get them after they have been on display for a few months!
Yay!!
We were finished here by 3.30 so I thought a wee visit to Whaligoe Steps might be interesting for the children.
These are a set of steps made in the side of a cliff that was used as a harbour for fishermen for years and years!
I’m not historian, and haven’t the best memory, but we met the caretaker of the steps, at the bottom and he told us that it cost £8 to have theses steps made and £54 to have the base built up.
Whoa huh!?
Makes it pretty damned old!
I found this image Here, it’s a great image of them!
The man we met at the bottom was cutting down the grass and took the time to tell us about this area.
Can you see the drop?
Well, they used to get their boats up onto that platform, to protect them, in the bad weather.
Using a pulley system into the face of the cliff!
Do you see that circle to the right of the building?
It was used to fill with water and, oh something else, anyway, they soaked their nets in it and then draped them from masts. You can see the dark crevice up the side of the steps? That held one mast, there are various holes around the edge of the platform that held further tall masts that held up the nest.
Then, can you see,again to the right of the building, the stone is darker?
That’s because, just above the circle, there is a grill, beneath that grill, they had a fire, above they would melt tar in a vast cauldron, I guess. Then they would paint the base of their boats to keep them water tight.
And my favourite fact.
Do you see all those steps!.
Ok, that’s only Half of them!
Do you know who carried up vast baskets of herring, and cod and various other fish!?
Women!
Then they walked the 6 miles to the nearest town to sell them!
There is one ledge part way up, that was designed especially for the women to rest their loads before continuing up the steps.
I walked up, with no load, and I can run 4+ miles so I’m not unfit, but I had to rest a good number of times and my heart rate was pretty high!
Kudos to the women!!
But here’s my little lady, enjoying a bit of terrifying her daddy adventure! (He wasn’t with us, but this would have had him in absolute pieces!)
I had a wonderful day out with my children!
Social Media Strategy, what’s that then! ?
So today I went on a course.
I did me some learnin’
About social media strategy.
How to make facebook, twitter, Instagram etc work for me and my burgeoning business.
I use these things but, to be honest, I don’t use them much, certainly I’ve never really made any head way with using it to help my Pixies Pocket.
This course has given me a few pointers about how best to use them, which ones to focus on and then how to find out of its working.
Thanks to TUMinds for hosting the course on behalf of the Highland and Islands Enterprise.
Let’s see how I get on with implementing these new ideas 🙂
Down with Bullies
I know this is my pottery blog by I am first and most importantly a momma and today my daughter has amazed me and I’d like to share.
Bully
It’s such a strong word and not really one to bandy around willy nilly, but today there was a child attempting to try out her skills at the playpark.
It began with a boy, and a lightsaber.
My daughters friend got himself in a spot of bother when wielding his he inadvertently hit a girl. He apologised and let her take the toy and she began to wield it rather more viciously.
So he hid.
This is the story I was told when I found them hiding under the climbing frame.
Well, actually, I was told the story when we began to leave the park and my daughter told me what was going on and asked could she return to support her friend who was afraid and now alone.
So off she went, where I then noticed that the girl had approached the boy and did indeed seem to be intimidating him.
I left it to pan out for a while to see what they would both do, with the intention of stepping in if need be.
I witnessed my daughter standing with her back as straight as a rod and I could tell from her back alone that she was taking no nonsense. In turn I could see that the girl was giving it.
At one point she imitated a monkey. I actually thought that it was perhaps calming down and that this was a game.
I was wrong. It was at this point that she had pointed at my daughters arm, saying that she was so hairy. The monkey imitation had been for my daughter!
That back remained strong.
Further words were shared and the girl moved on.
I moved then to the children, now ensconced back under the climbing frame.
I joined them and invited them both to return to our house and walk away heads held high.
What should you do in the face of a bully?
Clearly this has been talked about in school, but I do back this up at home.
Today this person tried 5 different ways to verbally bully my daughter each peppered with such language that my daughter was shocked!
‘Does your mum know you swear like that?’
- At least I have a decent mum!
- Your arms are hairy! You look like a gorilla (this followed by the gorilla dance)
My daughter calmly replied, ‘I like gorillas.’
- Your just looking after your boyfriend! Im surprised you have one with your personality!
‘Actually this isn’t my boyfriend, my boyfriend is at home just now.’
- You should get new glasses!
‘I’m actually getting new glasses next week, no wait Tuesday, no, Thursday! I’m getting new glasses on Thursday’
- Oh my god you can’t even tell what day it is!
‘Do you know, I’m a bit surprised. I thought you were a nice girl, but it’s a shame because you’re not.
Come on *insert friends name here* lets go to my house.’
I could Not be more proud.
That girl couldn’t get to my daughter despite trying different attacks and ended up walking away.
Maybe that isn’t bullying, it’s becoming one of those hard to pin down words but the episode was not pleasant for either of the children involved and between coming to me to explain the situation and tackling it head on on behalf of her friend, I can’t see that she could have handled it any the better.
I know this is a proud mum post but sometimes it’s ok to be proud.
Never too old!
Today I came across this quote on Ankati Heather Day’s Facebook page.
At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.
At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.
At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.
At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.
At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.
At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.
At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.
At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.
At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.
Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.
Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.
Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.
Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.
Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.
Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.
Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.
Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.
Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.
Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.
Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.
❤
(original post by Drew Forrester)
I’m not sure how it came to be on mine but, Goodness it’s fitting.
I’m currently rethinking my plan of action.
I love my fairy houses, my angels and, well, everything I’ve made to date but it’s time for a change, for a challenge.
Specifically I want to challenge Me.
I want to get bigger and bolder!
And, I want to throw.
But it takes time for change to happen.
But I’ve got plenty of that!
You never know, one day my name will well known in ceramic circles and I might feel like I have golden toes too!
A New Toy for my Workshop
Great excitement at Pixies Pocket HQ 
What can be inside! ?
Yoga with Miriam 