Songs of Flight

My brother, Owen, and I spent Easter Monday at the Roald Dahl Museum, working with families to write songs about the experience of flying. It was the first time we’d worked together and, well it worked out beautifully!  I haven’t often co-delivered, but it’s a great opportunity to play to different people’s strengths, and ultimately come up with something really good.  Naturally, there were things we’d like to try differently, but in generally, with only 45 minutes with each group, we achieved a lot. Owen brings an incredible talent in singing, guitar and improvisation, along with his irresistible charm and sense of how to pitch things at just the right level.  Combined with my background in interpreting museum themes for families and enabling our youngest audiences to become creators, we involved every visitor to the workshop in the writing of a new and original song.  

In planning, it was also wonderful to read Going Solo for the first time, and to feel Roald Dahl’s experience of flight, and of Africa, and how widely it influenced his later writing.

Brixton Windmill Live and Kicking!

It has been such a privilege to work with Brixton Windmill, and I'm really proud to be a part of their journey as they anticipate their new education facility, set to open later this year.

For now, the schools workshops are live on the website, the team are armed with amazing volunteers and freelancers ready to deliver, and the adventure continues!  Visit the website for a taste of the workshops.

We all remember Pooh-sticks

In the last possible moment, we finally made it to the gorgeous Winnie-the-Pooh exhibition at the V&A, with the help of our friend Steph.  My illustrator self desperately wanted to pause and drool over the gorgeous pictures but I had to give in to the demands of small children, so sadly this blog entry is more about the joys of child-inspiring exhibitions than the glory of E H Shepard.

Feets is currently ensconced in the magic of Winnie-the-Pooh which we regularly read before bed.  Bean is thrilled when let out of her buggy to practise her newfound walking skills.  Both were absolutely delighted by the exhibition, which offered a glorious physical visit into the world of Winnie-the-Pooh.  I hesitated in the first room, and thought our tour would be brief, as Feets is spoilt by interactive exhibitions and couldn't keep her attention on the displays, after counting how many Winnie-the-Poohs she could see.
But then the second room was a treasure trove of magic.  A door, which I would never fit through, a bell, a tent, a river across an interactive floor, which kept them occupied for house, trees with seats inside, and finally a table, where Feets sat with Steph for a good hour, concocting drawings of trees and Piglet and cups of tea.  Even ... a slide.  A slide!  Happy, happy people.  Thanks, Steph!  Thanks, V&A!