80% of the pots at Gill Banks were broken, on Friday evening , ten days ago.
Now it's time to see how many of the pieces are re-glueable !
Can this be done without showing lots of cracks?
Can the odd little piece that is missing be found?
There's a pile of small pieces to sort through. Fortunately, I love jigsaws. At least with broken pots you know whether you've found the right piece - it fits exactly !
Araldite can work wonders.
We'll see what the outcome looks like.
There are some favorites that may survive in some form. Pig and a couple of Dolphins may qualify! Several of the Russian Dolls should be OK. Horse requires some major surgery.
Time to make some more flowers.
The latest idea is to make moulds. The end product will then be destroyed gleefully - it will be chocolate and shortbreads of varius kinds - might even be Aluminium and Brass . . . . a little harder on the teeth.
9 comments:
Can you elaborate on how they came to be broken? Frost? Accidentally? Vandalism?
The evidence is that these were broken at the same time. Frost would have caused the surface to flake off - these were clean brakes.
None of the pots on railings further up the Gill or elsewhere in three other locations were affected.
One has to draw one's own conclusions. Nothing was observed or heard at the time - just the result next morning.
What a shame. Do you need any help putting the pots together again?
So it won't take a Sherlock to deduce that unless 80% broke accidentally, all at the same time, then vandalism is the inevitable conclusion.
This is very sad indeed. I oppose practically all your views Geoff but admire your efforts to brighten up the town in this way.
Putting up brightly coloured pots does no harm - so hopefully this regrettable incident will help ease you out of that rather fluffy world you inhabit in which all kids are wonderful, can do no wrong and really only need talking and listening to. My experience is that the majority are foul mouthed, ill educated, socially unaware oafs. You've been visited by tyhe Gill branch! I'd birch them THEN talk to them explaining that they'd been punished for offending against decent people.
Yes all help welcome!
Also in planting the 540 bulbs that have been given to the town which need putting in ASAP! Which is why they were given maybe.
Sad that you've got such a negative view of people and kids.
You conveniently forget that this pottery was relatively untouched for some five months.
No one is all bad as you imply. We've all got a mixture inside us.
The incident has had practically no effect on my view of the world. having taught for ten years in the rough end of London, where drugs and the BNP thrived, I also know what achievements these kids can make if given some positive encouragement and yes so discipline in the form of getting the kids to agree goals for themselves which are then rewarded when achieved.
To do this in everyday life requires communication - talking and better still doing as we did in Lightburn Park.
One incident by a couple of kids who've drunk too much, with no adults around sin't going to influence me unduly.
Putting the repaired pots back up is a form of communication (See the pig posting).Creating some new ones and encouraging participation is another.
Coming down to earth and dropping the "Judge Jeffries" mask would be another!
Having been a teacher myself, I totally agree with Geoff.
Another thing: did anyone see youngsters breaking the pots? It could just as easily have been someone jealous of the project's success.
Or if kids, then put up to it by a person who dislikes either Geoff or one of the pottery makers.
I recall a boy at school being caned. As soon as he entered my class, where he was normally well behaved, he started acting up. I took him aside and asked why he was ruining my lesson. He told me that the other kids were laughing because he had been caned. Then we got to the bottom of it.
'I don't mind being caned when I've done something wrong but I haven't, and it's not fair.'
Most children have a strong sense of justice.
Please don't blame anyone unless it can be proved. We were amazed the pots lasted that long. That in itself is a triumph - even if later the miscreant is discovered.
What day is best to come round for the repair work?
I don't know about bulbs though. A few problems doing that.
I'm working on the repairs daily - with considerable success thanks to some help spotting how the pieces all fit together.
I shall be at it tomorrow from 9 till 4 pm - amongst other things. Then again on Saturday from 9am till 5pm.
Then next week.
Give me a ring 480347!
We should have at least half of the broken ones back together with only the odd chip missing! All the Russian dolls and two of the large Dophins are done and much more.
Bulbs : 10:30am to 1:00 pm ish on Sunday in Mill Dam Playground - if it takes that long! Come along just to suggest where in the park you think they should go! We have Hyacinths, Iris, Allum and over 200 Tulip bulbs of different kinds.
130 Crocusses went in the Gill Banks Planters this morning.
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