Fanfares Of Trumpets And Galloping Knights!

Our "Gawain" project moved into performance today! It was magnificent and I'll post more photos and comments over the next few days but just now I wanted to share some images of the site and words form the final performance....

Setting the scene:

After "Gawain and the Green Knight", came "Five Children"......

 Here are just a few extracts from the main poem...our heroes are Five Children, on a quest through the Perilous Forest to find their parents frozen by the Witch Victoria

Then, dripping mud,

Cold and wet and miserable

The children stood

On the edge of a stream

Where one long stone crossed the river

One long rock over

A waterfall like a mountain

Deep, dirty and dark

Dashing down into danger

out into the dark woods

Later, the adventurers arrive at the Palace of the Woodland Queen, Quire ( the willow tunnel and sculptures are by Jeff and Heather Allen)

Deep in the woods,

There is a wonderful palace.

A wild, woven willow hall

With windows looking out onto the world,

Decorated with jewels and gems,

Beside a swamp where

The tadpoles wriggle and spotted frogs jump.

There is a magical throne there

Where the King and Queen of the Forest sit.

After various adventures, they reach the Witch's home, hidden in the ruins

Carefully creeping, up precarious stairs,

Sneaking slowly past

Giant cobwebs and giant spiders,

And through

Smells of rotten eggs and old fish,

Blood and death

It is cold.

Cold as ice on an Arctic winter's day,

The children's breath steams in misty clouds

In the final showdown....

There are pots and pans and pennies,

Bottles for potions and lotions and poisons,

Skulls on shelves and bones in the biscuit tin,

A red pot for mixing blood drinks.

There is a copper kettle for carrot tea

And bowls of dead fish,

And pine cone toothbrushes,

And a stone bottle with stone water

There is a horn that blows silently and summons bats,

Ice diamonds, spelling crystals to freeze thieves,

A golden bracelet for trapping arms, squeezing tight, crushing bones.

Gathering anger,

Gathering spells,

Fingers flexing and filling with fierceness,

Victoria the Witch stands up,

Enchantments crackling and sparking

From hair and nose and fingertips.

But as to what happens in the very end - you'll have to wait and see"

(a beautiful Lady Toad who started the day for me)