Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 2

TTK has been put to good use already this autumn. I bought a vintage trailer to renovate - painting and tidying up the wood- and metalwork. This was a fun little project and it inspired me to make a wooden base for the back of the Land Rover too! 

Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 1

As we got married in July, we decided to buy ourselves a Series Land Rover. We loved the idea of travelling to our wedding events in style and the vintage feel and look suited us completely. We found the right one in the Forest of Dean and collected it only a few weeks before our big day. It is a SWB (88") Land Rover Series III hard top from 1972. Though some work will need to be put into the Land Rover, 'TTK' did well on the day of the wedding!

Outdoor Curriculum - a Visual Chart

As part of the recent teacher training course I attended, I explored how the Outdoor Curriculum plays a vital role in education. This was also at the core of my final project for the course: 'The Outdoor Curriculum in Steiner Education'. Below is a visual chart on various aspects of outdoor learning with links to the four elements (Air, Water, Earth and Fire) and the four kingdoms of nature (Minerals, Plants, Animals, Humans). Strands of learning within this are: Bushcraft, Animal Care, Cooking and Gardening as well as the more Traditional Crafts such as Woodwork, Pottery, Handwork, Metalwork. These in turn have links to other areas of learning, i.e. Social Sciences, Science, Natural History, etc. and human qualities and skills such as Caring, Nourishing, Exploring and Making. Enjoy!

Mosses and lichen study

Loving the colours, textures and intricacies of these mosses and lichens...

Outdoor Classroom

The WESTT course I am attending at the moment covered the 'outdoor classroom' this weekend. This was brought by Bernard Graves (from Pyrites - Living and Learning with Nature) and Sam Makumba. I attended the PSTDC training with Bernard a couple of years ago, so it was a bit of a repeat. Nevertheless, it was still very inspiring, not only as I was able to revisit the blacksmith and pottery paper slip kiln firing again (I will probably never get enough of it!!), but also to be able to further my skills and look at it even more from a child's learning opportunity perspective! Very inspiring and encouraging.
Below are some of the results: I made a smaller knife to go with the first knife I forged which I am planning to finish this over the next few weeks... I also hope to post some more photos of how all the craft workshops from PSTDC are run. Watch this space...

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014

I managed to visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 exhibition at Bristol Museum on the penultimate day still! This event is now in its 50th year and I have been to the exhibition in Bristol for quite a few winters. As always, some amazing photography, but more importantly, as well as capturing some beautiful fauna and flora, a number of the images also highlight some complex issues! It is always worth going!

Pen Y Fan, Brecon Beacons National Park

We walked up the Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales today. The Pen Y Fan is managed by the National Trust. It is the highest peak of the Beacons at 886 m and is also the highest peak in England and Wales south of Snowdonia National Park (Snowdon 1085 m). Its sister peak is Corn Du at 873 m on which we briefly stopped too.
Due to the low cloud we were unfortunate not to be able to enjoy the views, but we were able to have some fun in the snow despite the strong winds and cold temperatures. We used the very popular and easier south west ascent from the Storey Arms. Next time, I'd like to try the south east ascent from the Upper Neuadd Reservoir, so we'll be back...