So we trundle the pieces of puppet out of the garage, and assemble them once again on the road...This time we make things unnecessarily complicated by raising the main spine of the beast to it's actual height, before adding the shoulders and ribcage...so now we have the interesting phenomenon of working at height. Hmm.
At this stage some elderly neighbours, on their daily constitutional, walk by, stop, and ask what on earth we are making. Very kindly they offer any help, saying we need only ask 'you know where we are.'. I am speechless, because I seriously doubt they could do anything of practical help, but I am touched by the offer all the same.
Once again it's a day of feeling mostly like little progress is being made. I think this is largely because with gaps between actual workdays, you have to reacquaint yourself with the job, and find yourself doubting things you have done, and rethinking, only to arrive back at the same place again.
The street is partciularly busy today, and a group of young men in a car gawp, and pull up to ask what we are making; they seem impressed. This is great news since I can only see a load of bamboo, and a huge amount of work before it looks remotely like the thing I have designed. And to be honest I am beginning to doubt it ever will look like the thing I designed....It is that stage in the process, and it is very cold.
But with a bit more effort, and a few more neighbourly exchanges, the day resolves quite nicely at around 3pm. We have a working head, with one ear. Db. and I try the puppet out to see how the operation of the head works. Apart from the fact that the bamboo I am operating the head with is too thin, and bends, making me lose control of it, (it swings down and plants itself in Db's groin)...this goes better than expected.
To our delight more neighbours appear at this point to see the puppet in action; they can actually see what it is, and congratulate us...'it's really coming on,' they smile.
The little boy opposite has a friend to visit, and the friend asks us what it is...the neighbours boy answers for us, 'it's an elephant'. He says this in a matter of fact way, and his friend looks on in awe, 'that's ace' he says (or perhaps he says something more contemporary?). I am astonished, for we are dismantling the beast, and it has no head at this stage, and to me it looks like an ugly bamboo frame.
Nothing a hot bath can't cure.
The little boy opposite has a friend to visit, and the friend asks us what it is...the neighbours boy answers for us, 'it's an elephant'. He says this in a matter of fact way, and his friend looks on in awe, 'that's ace' he says (or perhaps he says something more contemporary?). I am astonished, for we are dismantling the beast, and it has no head at this stage, and to me it looks like an ugly bamboo frame.
Nothing a hot bath can't cure.
I am slightly sad that the neighbours won't see the finished item, since next weekend we move it to the WOW to dress, paint and rehearse with it.
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