Twenty Nine
“Walking down to the sea, with the hills behind me, with the miles inside me, what lies before me is immense, a glittering and shining expanse, both limit and release” Thomas A Clark 
It has been a particularly ‘fishy’ week, for several reasons. On bank holiday Monday I decided it really was all right to have a day out, in fact, I allowed myself a rare day off, it was a ‘national’ holiday after all. Andy was visiting for the week and one of the places he wished to visit was the spectacular Northumberland coast. The Norwegian weather website that I daily check, recommended that Monday would be the best day. We set off with glorious sunshine as our companion, and a cold bitter wind as an extra sidekick. Craster was our destination and the notorious Craster smoke kippers were our mission. They are indeed the most delicious kippers known to mankind; they were mentioned on the BBC ‘Coast’ program, and it seems, much to the chagrin of the purveyor of these scrumptious smoked fish, if you mention the wrong program or ask how is business, it is bait for his grumpiness. His kippers may be excellent but his customer service skills and mood were a little to be desired. Somebody’s ‘fishy’ mood however was not going to stop our adventure. We were at the seaside and there were places to explore. 
The wind all week has been bitterly cold, and standing at the seas edge it seem doubly so. In the perfect nooks and crannies of some splendid rocks we managed to find the only sheltered place, it was a sun worshippers paradise. As the warmth soaked through our many layers it was even possible for a ‘Scooby snooze’. We watched the other visitors battling with the wind as they walked towards Dunstanburgh Castle. Instead of walking the mile windswept route towards the ruins, we decided to explore other parts of the coastline, the photograph of the castle on the information board previewing the delights ahead, were enough for Andy, he took a photograph of that instead! “Looking is an acknowledgement before any recognition” Thomas A Clark 
I have never been a photographer, so this residency has been a real revelation to me that I actually can take the odd good photograph. I now cannot leave the house without my camera at my side; I hope this continues when I leave Northumberland. 
We have had a great week taking photographs together; we have had fun jostling for positions and the odd competitive nudge whilst the other was taking a shot. 
With a remote control system attached to his camera, Andy got some fabulous shots of the local residents to my birdfeeder. It seems my methodology of nature photography takes a different course though…. I had to rescue a Great Tit that got trapped in my studio; it repeatedly kept smashing into the window with its desperate attempts to escape. On the fifth crash it finally settled on the shelf in a complete daze. 
It seemed so small and fragile, my hands seemed so large in comparison that I didn’t really know how to pick it up. Carefully armed with blue scarf I scooped up this little ball of precious feathers and took it outside. Having absolutely no idea on how to treat a concussed bird, and having eliminated mentally the idea of mouth to beak resuscitation, I decided that photography was the best way forward! I merrily clicked away whilst its scrambled brain cells reordered themselves until it could fly away. My other recent ‘nature’ subject also posed rather still for me, basically on the grounds that it was…well….errrrr…dead.
It was rather upsetting though as it was a baby badger, my experience of them is pretty non-existent; so far, I’ve seen only the backside of a badger running away in the distance and this wee dead cub. I am trying not to get a complex that my ‘nature’ subjects have to be either concussed or have been visited by the grim reaper. 
I have learnt many things about myself on this residency, which when the time comes, I may list on my last blog entry. However, one of the conclusions I have come to, is I am a pretty appalling cook, not always I hasten to add, but every now and again, even I’m shocked how dreadful my dinners are. Therefore it has been a real treat to have all my dinners cooked by a superb chef whilst I busied away in the studio, and what gastronomic delights they all have been. I got to eat the tastiest fish pie I’ve ever had the pleasure to consume, and the most perfect kippers amongst other splendid dishes. 
Went to the most exciting shop I’ve ever been into, even though I had no idea what half of the products were, it still was a complete treasure trove. An agriculture merchant tucked away in nearby remote hills called ‘Robson and Cowan’, a place I wished I gone to many months ago. Lit by rather subdue lighting, quite frankly hardly any lighting at all, were shelves jammed packed with a variety of delights. I now know where one can purchase ‘udder cream, pig oil and lamb revival kits’. An artists dream come true!
Every spare millimetre was crammed with such items. We managed to find to some real gems to help with some of my projects. However I was slightly offended when enquiring about purchasing sheep tags, that the assistant seemed to imply that I didn’t own any sheep. With my bright pink wellies on my feet, my brown ‘Diesel’ beanie hat on my head and a smile on my face, I asked him, “Are you saying I don’t look like I have any sheep”…as he looked me up and down, and with a smile on his face, his answer was a straightforward…”Yes”. After explaining it was all in the name of art and that I indeed resided locally, discussions and negotiations resumed. I’m rather excited, if they work…about sheep tags! 
Another great week, thanks to Andy for all his support and help in researching items I need, all the cooking, and being a shaman on the fells with his new found stick. Week twenty nine….done!