Pirate Ship in the Garden

Yes I know, I'm a big kid! I blame the beauty of Cornwall and its rich history of ships and the sea. Anyway, while I was on holiday (in Cornwall) I bought a pirate ship in a toy shop.

It was surprisingly detailed, loaded with accessories, and ridiculously cheap - only £4.99!

Here it is in situ in amongst a cluster of plants in a raised pot.

As it is all plastic, it suffers no damage when the plants are watered and has little holes through the deck and base so water drains away.

The planting is meant to resemble huge waves through which the ship is cutting a swathe.
And these are all the left over accessories I haven't even used yet!

When I get round to using them, I'll let you know!

(Actually it also had a pirate zombie captain and mate and a golden shark but I couldn't see myself making good use of them so gave them to the mum of a  five year old in the caravan next door as they arrived at the caravan park and we left on the same day. sometimes you have to let the kids have the toys!)

Summer Helter Skelter

This picturesque Helter Skelter was on the riverbank near the Cutty Sark in London this summer.

The flowers were fabulous

and Prisma enjoyed the pictures... choose your favourite, cos I can't!

Pirate Treasure Box

In the local charity shop, which goes from clothes to furniture with all stops in between, there was a wooden box going cheap as it has broken bits on and in it.

Once it was polished and a few repairs done inside to stop the tray within tipping up and a couple of pieces of cloth to cover a hole or two, it became very treasure box-y.

So I filled it with lots of stuff from around the house that had been waiting for just such an opportunity to nestle in a box rather than gather dust on a shelf or be forgotten in the broken chain and jewellery drawer.

The Pirates of the Caribbean necklace in the top corner was a present from Disneyland Paris years a ago but suits its new home. 
The pirate coins shining out in the centre were from Cornwall where local craftsmen make replica coins from moulds of genuine 18th century pirate coins recovered.

Altogether, it felt rather like making something for a film set, and the ink stains on the wood just added to the effect.

And of course Prisma enjoyed it.

A Shed at Sea

We rescued a derelict shed from the end of our garden: no roof, no floor, broken front window and a sinking door.

With the talents of a clever friend, some hard work and a few extra bits of wood, fabric and plastic, it now looks like this...

Three walls were great, so they were re-used with fence posts to help stabilise. The roof was remade with a wooden frame and corrugated plastic. the floor was decking boards upside down so there were no ridges under bare feet. There's sailcloth tied to hooks on the ceiling to stop the sun making it too hot from above.

At the moment there's a writing desk although, as winter dampness encroaches, it will probably move indoors.

This is the view down the garden while writing.

Various ship/ piratey stuff helps make it feel like a cross between a stage, a raft and a cabin. Perfect.

The outside is painted pale blue, as you have seen on a previous blog (http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/revolution-in-garden.html), and see through plastic tablecloth roll winds up and down at the front to keep it cool/ warm as needed but still lets you see the garden an feel outdoors, even in the rain. Velcro keeps the cats out.
And in the dark, the back of it looks like this...

Here's what Prisma says about it

It could definitely float away, like the stage in the Moomin book, Moominsummer madness.
                             
                                       

Weird Little Models in the Shop Window

These were in the window of a picture framing shop in Wareham in Dorset.

They must have taken so long to make as they are very detailed. Each one is doing part of the framing process. I wonder if they bear any resemblance to the people working in the shop?

The Creepiest Doll in the World?

I like china dolls but I know there are a lot of people out there who find them creepy (including my husband). 

I don't know if its just an intrinsic thing (like fear of spiders) or brought about by watching horror films as a teenager where they come and attack people, but their faces and clothing creep some people out.

So for those of you who don't like them... don't look!

She is at Pollock's Toy Theatre Museum in London: an odd place I have loved since childhood but not visited for years, until this summer. The museum is small, cramped, the flooring topsy turvey and staircases thin, but it is jam-packed with old toys from hundreds of years ago up to He-Man of the 1980s.

The building interiors look like something out of a film set and often there is no one else in the place, but if you like old toy theatres like this

or dolls houses like these

or toy forts like this

like to see exotic toys from other cultures or (like my friend and I in our 50's) enjoy saying "Oh I used to have one of those!" , then this is the place for you.

If you prefer your museums big, shiny, interactive or free - its not your kind of place.

But if you like the small, curious, left behind and weird in London... pay them a visit!

And did I Prisma her? You bet I did!

Tiny Planets/ Circular and the Eden Project

Yes I'm a bit obsessed with the Prisma App but that doesn't mean I haven't been feeding my photos through my other two favourites: Tiny Planets and Circular, to see what worlds could be created.

Eden as a planet... and a stretched landscape.

The ceiling and nutcracker machine in the exploration zone.

Mediterranean zone

Banana tree planet

The metal butterfly sculpture, transformed into a giant bee with the Eden project like a living jewel on its back.

The roof of the rain forest bio dome

And the dinosaurs

Lovely photo-twirling fun!
Finished Eden now... time to move on.

Prisma and the Eden Project

You may recognise some of the pictures from the un-prisma-ed versions in the previous Eden blog pages.

Spiky plant one and two (stained glass and urban)

Pterodactyls

Three  versions of the lazer cut paper cell from the weird science zone.

And the roof of the bio domes.

Soon to come... tiny planets/ circular versions of other photos from Eden  :)