Shedworld

Shedbury 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:24:00 +0000

A truly star-studded and brilliant Ledbury Poetry Festival coinciding with National Shed Week.

In the midst of some of Britain's best countryside and cider, Ledbury hosted a festival representing every poetic tradition and taste, with performances and readings by Benjamin Zephaniah, Alice Oswald, Ben Okri, John Hartley Williams, Patience Agbabi, Ian Sinclair, Ros Barber, Fred D'Aguiar, Daljit Nagra and August Kleinzahler.

For the second year running, Shedman was delighted to be in Ledbury outside the Burgage Hall for most of the festival, starting all kinds of conversations with the question 'What's the first shed you ever remember?'

August Kleinzahler declared 'We don't have sheds in Brooklyn', but most answers led down a fascinating path of stories, reminiscences and cross-connections. And there were plenty of shed poems by famous and not so famous poets.

As usual various themes emerged from the shed conversations. Last year it was the river, flows, fluid dynamics and the periphery. This year it was the sea, thoughts of transgender ('the boyhood of girls' - check out the Bisley legend and poems by Angela France and Gregory Award Winner Liz Berry) and fire.

Visitors included actress Linda Thorson (The Avengers, Emmerdale), Dame Joan Bakewell (who remembers her Grandfather's fire hazard of a shed at the back of a Manchester terrace) and Roger McGough, who described how his friend with an allotment shed had tried to encourage him in the ways of the soil, but to no avail.

Highlights included the man who came into Shedman's shed and said 'I set fire to my mother', the Engaged Buddhist band The Boddhivistas who sang Shed California to the Eagles tune and Merys, the lovely lady pictured who brought Shedman a miniature homemade shed with a poem inside it. Although very reliant on her sticks she had made the journey from Malvern to Ledbury on her own as she hadn't managed to meet up with Shedman last year.

Shedman helped to round off the festival with an hour long Breakfast Shed Show in Ledbury's famous Market Hall, which looks a bit like a half timbered elephant shed.

Many of the stories will be posted by Shedman on his website and blogs very soon, but he's very busy on another project - Our Storeys - at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield till the end of July.

You can meet Shedman outside the Spice of Life Restaurant at the North Middlesex University Hospital on Monday 27th, Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th July from 10am-4pm and in Emsworth at Havant Literary Festival from 2nd-4th October.

Shedman's shed at North Middlesex University Hospital Photos by Ned McConnell

What shall we do without timber?

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:51:00 +0000

The Beech Cathedral at Blaise Castle Estate Bristol. Photo ©Shedman

Something Understood: Dark Sanctuary
Great programme by Fergal Keane on BBC Radio 4, exploring the physical and fairytale world created by the forest. He ends with 'Lights Out' by Edward Thomas - one of those Dymock poets:

Lights Out

I have come to the borders of sleep,
The unfathomable deep
Forest where all must lose
Their way, however straight,
Or winding, soon or late;
They cannot choose.

Many a road and track
That, since the dawn's first crack,
Up to the forest brink,
Deceived the travellers,
Suddenly now blurs,
And in they sink.

Here love ends,
Despair, ambition ends,
All pleasure and all trouble,
Although most sweet or bitter,
Here ends in sleep that is sweeter
Than tasks most noble.

There is not any book
Or face of dearest look
That I would not turn from now
To go into the unknown
I must enter and leave alone
I know not how.

The tall forest towers;
Its cloudy foliage lowers
Ahead, shelf above shelf;
Its silence I hear and obey
That I may lose my way
And myself.

(Also check out Analysis: Thought Experiments - Janet Radcliffe Richards looks at a fascinating range of new experiments shedding light on how humans make moral choices.)

Ledbury, Poetry and Sheds

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:16:00 +0000

And as a prelude to Ledbury Poetry Festival, Shedman is closely reading The Dymock Poets, a fascinating study of the group of Georgian Poets who gathered in Dymock near Ledbury just before the First World War. The group included Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke and the American poet Robert Frost, as well as visitors such as Ivor Gurney and W.H. Davies.

Brian Patten recently featured W.H.Davies in a fascinating programme in the Radio 4, Lost Voices. Davies is famous for the lines:
'What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?'

Contrary to popular belief, Shedman (John Davies) isn't related to W.H.D., but their philosophy is pretty much the same.

Ledbury's poetry connections run much deeper though. It's been home to three famous poets William Langland, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Masefield. Masefield was born here, and W.H.Auden was married here. An interesting question is whether Wystan Hugh used his initials in emulation of W.H. (William Henry) Davies?

Shedman will be at Ledbury Poetry Festival over National Shed Week. His beautiful 8' x 6' shed, provided by NFP Ledbury, will be outside Ledbury's ancient Burgage Hall from Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 12th. The shed, worth £400, will be raffled to raise money for charity.

Shedworld recommends...

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Some shed books to inspire , intrigue and inform. Thanks to Alistair for recommending Heidegger's Hut.

New Mexico Toilet

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Samuel Hicks is a young photographer whose work has already appeared in Intersection, Wallpaper and The Sunday Times Magazine and has been selected for several awards notably The London Photographic Awards, Association of Photographers Awards and Creative Review Photography Annual. He has recently been selected by Archive Magazine as one of the Best 200 Advertising Photographers Worldwide, 2008.

On the Way, at the Crane Kalman Gallery in Brighton, is his first solo exhibition. The images 'are from three trips to the States over eighteen months, driving through Texas, New Mexico, California and Nevada. These trips were essentially quite loose; sometimes we knew we had to be at a specific place in a week's time, but how we got there and where we stopped was decided along the way, sometimes by looking at the map, or often asking someone what it was like there. I wanted to have a look around, see for myself...' Samuel Hicks, 2008

These words reminded Shedman of a passage in A Hut of One's Own by Ann Cline:
'The highway to Wim Wender's haunting, yet ever-so-familiar Paris, Texas is the road of modern longing: to be on some roads, but not on all roads. The pain we feel comes less from the choices we make than from those we cannot consummate, those we leave behind. Longing knows no privilege.' (Discuss!)

Samuel Hicks: On The Way runs from 4th June to 19th July 2009 at Crane Kalman Brighton, 38 Kensington Gardens, North Laine, Brighton BN1 4AL. For further information, please call 01273 697096 or visit www.cranekalmanbrighton.com.

He Mail: Send him a message

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:30:00 +0000

He’s in the shed
It’s just you and him.
What would you really like to say to him, one to one?

Following last years' very successful Best Mates workshop at Brighton Jubilee Library for Fathers' Day (Father's Day?), Shedman was asked back to run another this year.

People were invited to send a message to 'that man'. A text or a tweet ('140 characters in search of a dad'), a letter or a poem.

This year quite a few of the participants wrote a secret message to their special male parent and they're not available to share. But here are some that Shedman can share together with some from last year. If you're looking for some wonderful ways to write to 'that man' for Father's Day, look no further. But please credit the participants.

Many thanks to Blaise, Nina, Eve, Eilieh, Freya, Ana, Liam, Pippa, Piper, Lola, Paul, Celeste, Phoebe, Andrew and Daniel and all who attended and had fun with words - and to the library staff (especially Norah and Paola). Thanks to Brighton and Hove Council for the 'Men Behaving Dadly' bag and to Mrs Shedman for lunch and so much more.

Daddy, you're amazing,
Daddy you're the best!

Daddy I love you dearly,
Daddy you beat the rest!

Daddy your are fantastic,
So full of life and fun!

Daddy I love you greatly,
Daddy you are my... SUN!

By Lola

* * * * * * * * * *

Daddy is a star
He likes to dive in the sea
Oh, Father's Day
Oh, Father's Day
What will you give to him and me?
Oh, Daddy I love you so
You're a star in my heart
the wind in my soul
You're the colour in my cheeks
and the curls in my hair
Oh, Daddy I love you so.
Love you, love you, love you...

By Pippa

* * * * * * * * * *

Hello Dobs,
I love you very much!
You make me laugh with your bad jokes.
You always try to be cool
saying all the slang words
but it just makes us laugh.
Today we won't tease you
about all the silly things
because it's your day
when you can do whatever you like!
I like going out with you
as you buy me loads of things
and we have special times.

Love you.
Lots of love (especially on Father's Day) from the best daughter EVER!

Roses are red
violets are blue.
I love my daddy
he is cool.

By Celeste

* * * * * * * * * *

Dear Dad
I am so glad you are still
here. It has been a strange development
in our relationship when you were so ill
back in the winter but although it
was stressful I think we connected in
a way we have never done.

My father is alive and well
My father is dead
My father is alive
Inside my head

It doesn't matter now,
all those distances are irrelevant now
and what is left is all there is
and that's fine

Hope you continue to stay well and enjoy
the remaining years. See you soon.

PW.

(PW who is now a Dad himself said he wrote the middle four lines when he was a teenager and going through a very tough time with his dad.)

* * * * * * * * * *

Best Mates 2008
The theme last year was 'What's he like...?' and workshop participants answered a questionnaire that they then turned into a poem...

He’s as blue as the ocean,
He’s as tall as a fir tree,
He’s as sweet as a lavender,
He’s as funny as a daddy long legs,
He’s as cuddly as a bear
He swoops so high as a Pterodactyl in the sky
He speeds as fast as a Jaguar
He’s as gentle as a Labrador
He’s as tall as the mountains in Switzerland.

* * * * * * * * * *

My dad is a warm yellow, as bright as the sun,
If he were a tree he would be a soft willow hidden in an enchanted forest,
As a flower he would be a deep red rose with the softest petals ever,
He’s a stick insect, plain but lovely,
He’s an elephant, calm and beautiful,
He’s an albatross ready to spread his wings,
He’s a vintage mini, cranky but kind,
He’s a cuddly little scottie dog, happy and charming,
He’s India, full of cultures and different civilisations,
Everything that he’s ever done has been the BEST!
Frank.

Kate Flood

* * * * * * * * * *

His snot must have been green - but
He was sweet as an edible chestnut
And when he danced he was gazelle-like
Toiling like a worker bee on his bike
Soaring high like an osprey
Roaring down hills like an E type Jag
On his skateboard dodging lurchers and fangs
Thinking of hols in the Isle of Scilly
And muhery breakfast in bed with aprons that were frilly.

Oscar B

* * * * * * * * * *

My dad twists like a green gnarled oak
Rooted at the centre of a dark wood.
Briar roses twist around his trunk,
Black beetles gleam on his bark.
A hood-eyed old owl sits in his shade,
Dreaming of past lives spent sleeping
In slothful baryons. In the distance
A wolfhound barks, an old car
sits half timbered at the edge
Of a country lane. He is an Ireland
Of deep red autumns. Now we wade
For hours through his crisp curled leaves.

Joe

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as blue as ice
As red as a red, red rose
As wide as a hedge
As thorny as a red, red rose
As horny as a stag beetle
As grumpy as a pig
Pompous as a pigeon
As fast as a Ford Zodiac
Friendly as a St Bernard
As independent as Switzerland
Thank heavens he married my mum!

John

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as blue as the sky,
As tall as a pine tree,
As sweet as an elderflower,
As strange as a daddy long legs,
As mad as an ostrich
As cool as an eagle
As sporty as a merc,
As jolly as a husky,
As grey as Russia,
It was funny when we were skiing in Italy
and you fell on top of that small child.
LOL.

Loius

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as blue as the sky
As sweet as an apple
As neat as a Primrose
As happy as a cricket
As growly as a tiger
As good as gold as a golden eagle
As white as Herbie
As hairy as a shaggy dog
As sandy as Egypt
And he took me to the pier!

Rich

* * * * * * * * * *

As tall as a climbing vine.
He’s always funny,
And always kind.
His jokes are as annoying as a biting flea...
But make me laugh,
And entertain me.
He’s as bold as an ogre in the jungle,
But soft inside like a cork-tree’s bark,
If you put the cheese in between toes...
In a pot it would damage your nose,
His brain works as slow as a sloth
But he makes me feel better when I have a cold
It’s Louis Borening
My Dad

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s the greenest fella that I know
A big strong oak, that’s how he grows
A rose that’s always very sweet
And smells as nice (apart from his feet)
A moth that flutters on the air
We love his laugh and badger hair
An elegant peacock
As fast as a Porsche
And he’s cuddly like the Dulux dog, of course
He’d be Australia, Loves the beach quite a lot
And smiles likes the weather, sunny and hot
But best of all, I just love the way
He’s the first to ask in the house
If I’ve had a nice day!

Ross

* * * * * * * * * *

As blue as the sky above,
As sweet as a blue bell,
As still as a stick insect,
As bouncy as a kangaroo,
As sporty as a flashy MG.
As Big as barking German Shepherd.
And as far away as Germany
But the best thing of all...
He’s the best dad ever

Asha

* * * * * * * * * *

His foot is as purple as a bruise,
His head is like an oak tree,
In the morning his hair is like a daisy!
He runs up the stairs like a scorpion,
When he’s angry he’s like a terrifying bear.
He wears black clothes like a black bird!
He’s kind of like a B.M.W,
He’s a scary pit bull,
He likes England too!
It was funny when he fell over on a flower press and it hurt so much he fell on my bed!

Will Scott

* * * * * * * * * *

His ruby red glow as he sits by the fire
He reminds me of a sycamore in deep scarlet sky
Tall and proud like a poppy in a field,
But he’s armoured and pincered, a beastly stag beetle
A charging roar, the rhinoceros lumbers.
He’s noble and proud, but he’s still a bald eagle
Reliable, useful, back bone of industry, he’s the
Angry white van man, the Ford Transit man.
White hair that’s still there, an existable
Jolly wild English shepherd.
Like the wild Welsh countryside, he’s craggy, majestic and glorious.

Tony

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as fit as West Ham
As strong as an oak tree
As bright as a Daffodil
As small as an ant
As hairy as a monkey
You’re as old as a dodo
As slick as a Bugati
As annoying as a Chihuahua
As good as the Czech Republic
And the best thing you’ve ever done is make me!

Jack

* * * * * * * * * *

My dad’s like the night,
Scary and full of might.
I’d say he was black, and definitely not
Yellow, thats on account of him not being mellow.
Like an eagle he soars,
but he’s still a bit of a bore
My Dad’s the greatest
Number 1 and the king,
Let’s just hope he doesn’t break out and sing.

Tacita

* * * * * * * * * *

He is as blue as well worn denim,
As ancient as an oak
With the sparkle of a marigold in the evening light
As small as a ladybird
With the mischief of a squirrel
He sings like a blackbird in the
Highest tree.
He is as comfortable and safe like the
Sturdy Volvo, but with the bounce
Of a spaniel with an urge to play
As warm as Italy with memories
Of days past and places revisited
He is my Dad and I love him

* * * * * * * * * *

He is as blue as the sea,
He is like a palm in
A beach and beautiful
Like an orchid.
He is quick like a fly
And patient like an elephant.
He would be a “perdui” or
A bird and Mercedes as a car.
He is lovely like a dalmata
And wonderful and extraordinary
Like like Catalunya, our home land.
He did a wonderful thing he made me.

Mountec

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as green as a MAN can get
He’s as nice and strong as an OAK
He’s definitely not a flower
He’s as community minded as an ANT
He’s as stubborn as a BISON
He’s as swift as an EAGLE
He doesn’t drive, it’s not very GREEN
IF he were a dog, he would be a Labrador
Because he’s really friendly
His idea of hell would be to live in Finland
Coz there would be hundreds of me’s to play with

Finn

* * * * * * * * * *

He dreams of flying high.
And touching the blue sky
As wide as hedge
Afraid of the cage
He is as red as a rose
Brave behind the shows
Likes the shape of triangles
His voice the same as a nightingale
Sings on the tallest tree
Thinks he is free
He’s as stylish as a Honda
Loves every drop of Coca-Cola
He is as cute as a rabbit
Always loves doing his habit.
He is as warm as Italy with memories
Of past and present revisited.
Standing side by side with me.
Even if the wave came and took me with the sea
I love my dad and that will never change.

Sujon

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as obvious as pink
He’s as smooth as silver birch
He’s as stubborn as a chameleon
He’s as stocky as a beetle
He’s as graceful as a seal
He’s as loud as a rooster
He’s as average as a Saab
He’s as short as a bulldog
He’s as proud as Britain
Despite his flaws he made me

James

* * * * * * * * * *

His eyes were as blue as lake Donegal
I played in the apple trees,
Where he used to play
Every time I see a four leafed clover
It’s him I recall
His animal was a dog all bark,
And sometimes bite
At other times especially later
He retired shyly, as a bird
One of my earliest memories;
His Vauxhall Cavalier
Thank the universe he wasn’t a dog,
He’d of missed his pint
His Country, most passionately
Was the Eire he grew up.

Linda

* * * * * * * * * *

He’s as bright as white
He’s as beautiful as as blossom
He’s as shiny as a daisy
He’s as colourful as a butterfly
He’s as brave as a lion
He’s as strong as an eagle
He does not drive a car
Because we haven’t got a car
He’s as cuddly as a Labrador
He grew up in Shooters Hill
The best thing about my DAD
Is he always makes me LAUGH!

Ava

RHSheds - Chelsea Flower Show 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Shedman visited Chelsea Flower Show on Friday 22nd May - a lovely sunny day in the capital. Sheds and shed-like structures were well in evidence and Shedman shares a few of them with you here.

Links lead to sponsors, designers and/or constructors as well as to the RHS website with its 360° virtual tours of the gardens. Descriptions of gardens and stands are quoted from the show catalogue, with acknowledgments to the RHS and contributors. Special thanks to Holly McConnell for a lovely day out.

Courtyard Gardens

Pottering in North Cumbria from the University of Cumbria.

The Fenland Alchemist Garden from Giles Landscapes
Winner of Best Courtyard Garden

Shedman loved this...

Beautifully realised, this garden took ' a light-hearted look at the life of a traditional Fen Tiger who practices the ancient art of alchemy... A winding path of reclaimed York stone takes the visitor to Fen Ben's hovel - a tradional Fenland shed made from reclaimed materials. Next to the shed is a lean-to with a brick furnace where Fen Ben carries out his alchemy.'

See the BBC website coverage of Chelsea.
Of Fen Tigers...

Time to Think - Space to Breathe from Warwickshire College.

Shedman loved this too...

'The garden features a Scandinavian lakeside retreat and sauna lodge, a place of quiet contemplation providing time to think - somewhere with clear mountain air giving space to breathe. It is situated in a peaceful and tranquil opening where dappled woodland meets a serene lake. Boundaries are simple and unobtrusive to define but not confine.

'A green roof helps reduce problems caused by rapid run-off of rainwater. It also provides another environment to increase biodviersity as well as insulating the lodge.'

Urban Gardens

The Children's Society Garden

The designer, Mark Gregory, 'tried to remain true to the spirit of 'A Good Childhood', the landmark report of The Good Childhood Inquiry commissioned by The Children's Society... The report called for families to spend more time doing things together, for adults to pass on their learning and values to children, for children to contribute to the needs of others and for them to eat a healthy diet.'

Small houses were well represented with examples from The Small House and Building Co Ltd, based in West Sussex and Flights of Fantasy from Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

Christopher Lisney opted for the Shepherd's Hut look...

While Scotts of Thrapston were showing off their National Trust range of summerhouses.

You can see them here at the http://www.nationaltrustsummerhouses.co.uk which has to be one of the longest domain names Shedman has ever had the pleasure to link to!

Scotts of Thrapston

Not this Scott (of Norwich)

Crane Sheds and MPB Garden Buildings were there as well.

For Pennard Plants of Somerset an old shed was the focal point of their stand.

Which brings Shedman back to Somerset where he's recently been working with the fantastic teachers and students at Worle Community School, Weston Super Mare. More soon...

Shedman's specially commissioned poem in The Guardian

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:46:00 +0000

There's a specially commissioned new poem by Shedman in the Work section of The Guardian today (Saturday April 25th) in honour of all you Shedworkers.

A Doddle

Alan’s in his shed, working away,
away from the children and the washing machine.
His aim, to start a business making Allan keys,
then move to a new factory in Milton Keynes.

Two doors down, in this gentrified terrace
of temporary structures some call shed,
Terence (Terry to his mates) Ferris
dreads the working days, the lonely hours,

spent, like Shami, in the caravan next door,
head inside a screen connected to a world
that’s rarely seen. The benefits of broadband
like Guantanamo without the waterboarding.

Jill, across the road, takes a different tack.
Her online business, run from a log cabin
the size of Slough, hawks holidays in
Moroccan riads and visits every one.

Terence, like his Latin namesake,
watches the newts gambol and
the lark of tits through the window
of the converted garage he did himself

and thinks, ‘You're a wise person
if you can easily direct your attention
to whatever needs it.’ He’s halfway through
the architectural drawing for his client

when the kids get home. Shedworkers rise
as one and insert pittas in the toaster,
praise their children, search for Marmite
in the wrong drawer, then return to work.

©Copyright Shedman 2009 All rights reserved.

If you would like to commission Shedman to write a poem for you or you would like to invite him to take part in your festival or event , get in touch with shedman at shedman.net. Serious shedworkers are also advised to check out Shedworking.

Shedworking children in St Albans

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Breakfast and after-school facilities are to be offered in a cabin-style building.

Well, who could be promoting shedworking for children in St Albans of all places? We all know who's to blame for that then, Alex!

Whatever next? Under 8s in shed classrooms. Mind you, if Shedman remembers rightly that's exactly what the annexe at Cherry Orchard School in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham provided in 1956. Google Street View shows you where the old shed classrooms used to stand - slightly to the left.)

View Larger Map ("4 Romulus Close, Birmingham, England. Address is approximate." It says. Those pigeons had better get out of the way.) Shedman remembers collecting spiders' webs in bent loops of privet from those railings the day Russia invaded Hungary and ever after he played anti-totalitarian guerilla games in the playground. And boy, how important it seemed being Milk Monitor, while in Mrs Dawson's and Miss Selwood's classroom (she had a goitre the size of Brazil) the coke stoves glowed and emitted noxious fumes while wee people (in more ways than one) were both comforted and estranged by the dark, creosoted wood that surrounded them.

(Shedman is the proud owner of a Night Mail poster)

Take a look at the Cherry Orchard School website. Shedman has always loved Auden's Night Mail and the pupils at Cherry Orchard have come up with a thoroughly modern rendition. Where Shedman used to be the 'obby horse in Morris dancing or a performer in Miss Lister's fantastical school plays, they're now making vijos!

Night Mail
Night Mail on IMDB

Take Part in Shed of the Year 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:31:00 +0000

"Do you have a garden shed that is unique?" asks Uncle Wilco head sheddie of readersheds.co.uk. "Maybe it's your own little bolthole away from the trials of life. Maybe you have converted your humble garden building into a pub, or are a treehugger at heart and are building an eco shed, or maybe it's just a normal wooden building that's special to you."

If you as a sheddie are proud of your shed then now's the time to enter this year's 'Shed of the Year' competition, which takes place during the third National Shed Week commencing July 6th 2009.

Entries are already flooding in for Shed of the Year 2009 and to add your shed online click on this link

This year's celebrity judges are Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, shed fancier and property guru Sarah Beeny (grrr) and shed-based inventor of the windup radio, Trevor Baylis (double grrr).

They will be joined by shedworking expert Alex Johnson from shedworking.co.uk, eco architect Lloyd Alter, and Uncle Wilco, head sheddie from readersheds.co.uk and organiser of National Shed Week.

Together they will be deciding if your shed will make the grade and take the top shed crown.

Following a public vote starting June 2009 which will produce a shortlist of winners, the judges will pick their "Shed of the Year 2009" during National Shed Week itself.

Wow! A 3-D shed!

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:18:00 +0000

I think this is really good.

Group seeks God in 'The Shack'

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Controversial best-seller sparks a teaching series at Broken Arrow church

'Had to happen,' says Shedman. 'Look out for more Shack related activities, but you have been warned.

' The shack serves as a backdrop for a 12-week teaching series on a best-selling novel that is being praised and criticized in publications, on Web sites, by Bible study groups and during Starbucks' conversations across the nation.

The Rev. Chris Buskirk, founder and pastor of Abiding Harvest, said he decided to teach the series on "The Shack" after realizing it could help people "turn the page on the pain of broken relationships and tragedies in their lives."

"After reading the book, I felt closer to the Lord, more in conversation with God, than at any other time of my life," said Buskirk, who went through the pain of a divorce 15 years ago.

"It was so refreshing to feel that I could relate to God," he said.

The church bought 500 copies of the book for $10 each, and asked their members to give them away to friends. Forty visitors were at the church Sunday for the start of the series.

"The Shack" is an allegory about Mack, a man plunged into despair when a serial killer abducts and murders his young daughter Missy on a family vacation.

Over the course of their weekend conversations, Mack's life is healed as he comes to terms with his daughter's murder and begins to understand why God allows evil.

"The Shack" is an unlikely book to be No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list for 32 straight weeks, with more than 5 million copies in print.

It was written by William P. Young, an Oregon salesman, to tell his children how he overcame the pain of being sexually abused as a child, and the shame and guilt of adultery as an adult.'

Talking of Worcestershire...

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:36:00 +0000

Shed heaven for enthusiast Tony

From the Express & Star - one of Britain's great regional newspapers...

' An Englishman’s home may be his castle, but a man’s garden shed can be an even bigger source of pride.

Wolverhampton electrician Tony Levy has decorated his with more than 150 machine makers’ plates salvaged from derelict factories, foundries, mills and furnaces that once churned out the products that made the region famous.

His impressive collection, which adorns the shed at the bottom of his Wednesfield garden, includes name-plates from firms long gone and are a reminder of the Black Country’s great industrial past. Father-of-six Tony says: “Some are quite ornate and very old, and more than a few bear the town of origin.

“In essence, it’s a history of metal-bashing at its best. I come across them in my job and cannot bear to see them lost forever. Some people think it’s on a par with collecting manhole covers – but we’re all different.”

Included are a Cradley Steampacket boiler plate, two signs from Federal Electric, in Dudley, and a Bentley sign from a 20-ton press in a Pelsall car components factory.

Tony, aged 58, says: “When I pop my clogs, this lot is going to The Black Country Museum.”

The shed is also Tony’s bolthole, both as an office and a sanctuary from “the wife”, Angela. Tony has furnished it with an old black and white portable TV, writing desk, worktop and cosy chair, and says: “Women have kitchens, men have sheds.” '

Worcestershire's Shed Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Avoncroft Museum of Historical Buildings - mostly sheds...

Is this a shed?

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Shedworld salutes Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:11:00 +0000

All Hail, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, the first president whose name includes the word 'shack" in Italian, Portuguese and French. Your name also seems to mean 'whereabouts do you want the barrow work such as?' in Irish.

May our hope not be the reef of your despair.

Shed Religion 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Something leftover from Christmas...

Shedman feels a strand developing.

In Brighton, where Shedman lives, there was a pretty muted reaction to this. A few shrugged shoulders and the odd question, 'What...?'

Each to their own, Shedman says.

Everyone has a belief system, including atheists. And God bless them...

What do the neighbours think?

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:16:00 +0000

It's not the sixty seconds that matters, it's the next five years staring at a Portakabin lookalike through the lelandi....

If shedwork wrecks urban and rural environments, is it really such a great option?

Perhaps when property prices readjust to sensible levels, our desire for land covered in prefabricated panels will decrease?

Find more videos like this on Landscape Juice Network No thanks...

Shedworld and Shedlife - Shedman rearranges his online sheds

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:58:00 +0000

After six months' blogging, Shedman feels he's getting the hang of it - after help from Alex at Shedworking and attending the fascinating Digital Horizons 2012 course at Ravensbourne College. (See Where's John? - a test blog for more information...) But like all good sheddies, he's decided to move things round a bit.

So he's refreshed quite a few of the stories, but he's still got the side panels to sort out.

Now Shedlife is where you can tell Shedman what you do in your shed.

And here in Shedworld, Shedman explores the wonderful world of sheds.

The basic idea is that Shedman goes into Shedworld and discovers Shedlife!

Megasheds

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:43:00 +0000

The word megashed has been cropping up a lot recently, mainly as a result of the campaign in the Test valley to stop Tesco building a mega-distribution centre near Andover and not far (but not that close either) to megalithic Stonehenge.

Megasheds have been around for a while - especially peeking above the banks of motorways on the periphery of cities. So the protest movement may have been slow off the mark. Magasheds have been the developer's choice for retail space and storage for over a decade.

Shedman once met a man called Shed Wilkinson who was a planner for Ken Livingstone and the Greater London Authority. He reckoned he was responsible for building more sheds than anyone else in Europe, most of them distribution centres around the M25.

For more see:
Warehouse to be one of the biggest buildings in Europe
Protests over supermarket 'megashed' rejected (No surprise there then)
WordSpy: Megashed
ProLogis leases mega-shed to Kimberly-Clark
Stop Megasheds
Dave's Megashed

ArkhStoyanie Festival of contemporary Russian land-art

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:45:00 +0000

"The ArkhStoyanie festival takes place in the tiny village of Nikola-Lenivets, hidden in the glorious valley of the river Ugra. The village, located 200 km from Moscow and 'discovered' 17 years ago for the Moscow architect Vasily Schetinin, has long been the focus of close attention from modern art buffs. The small artists' colony which appeared there around 15 years ago, has kept the Moscow public intrigued through photo reports of all kinds of unlikely creations: a field full of an innumerable host of snowmen reaching down the steep banks to the river commemorating the great 'Stand on the River Ugra' in 1480 of Tatar and Russian forces, which put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke; a pyramid made of hay; a ziggurat made of firewood; a Shukhov-style tower woven together out of willow wood; a stately openwork lighthouse built out of gnarled driftwood. The man behind these works is the artist Nikolai Polissky, a former painter, and he has been joined by villagers living in the area who have been given a new zest for life.

Pictures from the festival

"This year the project has grown to bigger proportions. Nikola-Lenivets Handcrafts, the organisation which runs the colony, asked leading Moscow architects to design for the site new structures which blur the boundaries between architecture and land art. The only condition of entry was that the structures should make use of natural materials and fit in to the surrounding landscape. A wide range of architects rose to the challenge, from conceptualists such as Alexander Brodsky and Yury Avvakumov, to architects with large offices working on high-profile projects, such as Timur Bashkayev or Project Meganom. The models of the then unbuilt structures were displayed at the annual ArkhMoskva architectural exhibition in early June and received an award for the best non-commercial project.

"Several dozen local villagers took two months to build the designs, sometimes making their own improvements and the results were presented to the public at a Forum on July 29. The guests, who were brought in by bus from Moscow, found a man-made landscape worthy of comparison with Europe's leading sculpture parks.

"A round table entitled 'Five centuries after the stand on the Ugra: the art of reconciliation' led to a heated debate about the social relevance of the festival. Evidence was provided that new jobs had been created, a new Russian school of crafts had appeared as result and that there was a new awareness of environmental issues in design. MAPS regards as the most accurate view of the whole event Natalia Samoilenko, vice-chairwoman of the Potanin Charity Fund's remarks in her opening speech at the Forum about the tragic loss of the heritage of the Russian provinces, where so much was destroyed in the 20th century. The social effect of ArkhStoyanie has been to 'culturalise' the area by creating new attractions for visitors, by uniting Russia's best contemporary architects with traditions of folk craft. ArkhStoyanie has shown how even the most far-flung and depressed areas can be revitalised and given a new direction and is a successful model worthy of being imitated in many other places."

Flickr stream pictures from the festival

Photobucket pictures

Epsilon Photoagency

Totan Kuzaembaev Architectural Workshop

Condodom raft in Archstoyanie 2008 summer.

"Sponsored by TDV-Trest. Not only people and pets, but also favourite things, foodstuffs suffer from flooding. All these things should find a place. In our opinion, for this purpose it is better to use boxes (from experience of removal). The represented concept suggests to use these boxes, as a basic element of design of the saving house-raft. Containers as bricks, are put against each other in chessboard order that provides an easy approach to contents. All furniture consists of the containers. Thus, it is possible to ship everything in an ark, that is necessary for a life. The multi-storey stove benches, located along walls of a construction,carry out a role of places for dreams. Tightness of the building is provided by the covering from cellular polycarbonate." Shedman loves this.

Архстояние 2008.Лето from Олжас Кузембаев on Vimeo.

Shed Religion

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Shedman has a Shed Envy T-shirt - although he doesn't think it's available on Howies anymore. It drew a lot of comment from wealthier sections of the community during Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Having just finished reading The Shack, Shedman thinks he'll get himself a Shed Religion T-shirt too. Read The Shack and make your own mind up. Shedman thought it was specious claptrap aimed especially at young minds. Since a fair number of clerics of many different faiths have been implicated in institutionalised child abuse, Shedman finds it ironic that the author exploits the reader's sympathies with a story about the disappearance, abuse and murder of a young girl and the aftermath.

Beautiful surfaces

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Outbuilding © Preston Surface

Sheds often exhibit fascinating surfaces, like this outbuilding photographed by Surface & Surface Photography, a photography partnership in Kansas -namely Preston and Anna Surface. Take a look at their online gallery.

Shedman asked Anna why these structures fascinate her. "For me, it is the 'character' for each, no matter the state the building is in,' she says. 'Each one has a character about it, even when dilapidated. By character, I mean that a building has a certain resonance and history about it... its personality and story. The old buildings such as barns stir my thoughts. Barns, outbuildings, sheds all served and still serve as shelters for various means as a connection to the life of humanity."

Morning Country Red Barn © Anna Surface

Read Preston's thoughts on their website and see more images on their blog Abstract Reflections.

A man who understood sheds - Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:27:00 +0000

'Andrew Wyeth, best-loved painter of wistfulness, rural bleakness, menace, Puritanical solitude and an America lost to 20th-century dry rot, died yesterday morning in his sleep at the Wyeth family estate in Chadds Ford, Pa., between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. He was 91. He died in just the sort of weather he loved, the empty cold and the sharp sunlight of the dead of winter.'
By Henry Allen and Bart Barnes Washington Post Staff Writers Read more

His painting 'Christina's World' is now something of a cliché. But when Shedman first saw the picture in a magazine as a child it made a powerful and lasting impression as something American, beautiful and mysterious. Mrs Shedman, who has seen the original, says it is spellbinding.

Spring's coming start fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Shedman) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Ice fishing links
http://www.ice-fishing-house.com/