Studio Barn

Jura No More

2011-07-19T18:09:00.001+01:00

At last the landscape has gone, never to be ventured upon again!

Am quite pleased with alternative effort, a seascape with my favourite subject; a moon, too large and slightly otherworldly. We'll see what the reaction is. Already a new version is in my head, reverse the image and paint in an other island and moon and get a stunning reflection pic, perhaps next year! I thought there was too much sky and sea hence painted on boarder, off-setting the picture changes the viewing dynamic, whatever that means!

This is called 'Jura No More' because it's Jura, no more, obvious really

Tayvallich Artist - Sue Hillman

2011-07-19T09:00:00.000+01:00

A new artist exhibiting their work in the Barn this year is Tayvallich artist Sue Hillman whose colourful cityscapes are worked in oils.

Sue also has a range of knitted hats, waistcoats and headbands for sale in the Gallery.

Talented rug maker and fabric designer - Lucy Griffiths

2011-07-16T09:00:00.001+01:00

We are delighted to be hosting the craft work of fabric designer Lucy Griffiths this year. With the imminent arrival of her first baby, opening her studio has taken a back seat to the rather more pressing needs of organising the nursery. From her charming horse and rider pieces to her naively embroidered hearts and cushions, all of Lucy's work is immaculately and painstakingly detailed and finished.

The Apotheosis of a Meercat

2011-04-25T13:18:00.000+01:00

Whilst driving through our local industrial estate I chanced upon the sad sight of a squashed Meercat, screeshing to a halt I nipped out and retrieved some.
"The Apotheosis of a Meercat" was the work that sprang to mind, I only had to do it, so I did.

"The Apotheosis of a Meercat" by Alexander Hamilton

a·poth·e·o·sis

The elevation of someone to divine status; deification.

Lambs on the Hill

2011-04-12T20:55:00.000+01:00

We have a small herd of pure bred Herdwick sheep up here on the hill which visitors to the gallery are welcome to see. I often use their fleece in my felt pictures, for example in this picture of Hector that I made for dads birthday last October.

The greenery around his head is 'mill waste' wool batt. Wool Batt is washed but uncombed fibre. In this instance waste wool from a tweed mill, dyed in these wonderful soft green heathery colours. I used a wet felting method and then needle felted the details on to the dry felt afterwards.

Last year there were no lambs so it has come as rather a surprise to find some of the ewes dropping lambs all over the farm as it were! Since Sunday three singletons and a pair of twins have arrived, and there are still four potential mums-to-be. So I've a supply of fleece 'on the hoof' for a good few years to come!
I use the fleece 'raw' ie straight off the sheep, well once it has been shorn, but it is unwashed & uncombed. It is full of lanolin, twigs, grass seed (and dead bugs but we won't go there!) knots and tangles and has the most fantastic sheepy smell (if you're a wannabe shepherdess like me!) The clumps of wool often help to create the shape of a piece of landscape or sky or I tease it out slightly.
We had a herd of Jacob sheep before the Herdwicks came along and I use their fleece too in pictures like this one I did recently. Titled 'Tide's out', it uses the browns and creamy white of the natural Jacob fleece.

And in these two imagined Dalraida landscapes Jacob fleece made a great boiling, stormy sky enriched by needling red merino wool in from the reverse.

I don't have any photographs yet of this years lambs but here are a couple of the sheep.

The original Herdwick girls - Harriet, Hermione and Henrietta

Mum with the first of the Jacob lambs several years ago

Jacobs under the beech tree

And the from the last lot of lambs two years ago, mum with her shadow Rosie.

Rosie had to be hand reared and still comes when you call her. She thinks she is a dog rather than a sheep, and isn't being a very maternal to her new tup lamb born this afternoon.

Recent work

2011-02-12T16:35:00.000Z

Beginning to gear up to the new season with new artwork for display.
This piece entitled 'Urhino' is by Alexander Hamilton.

It was exhibited with its accompanying poem in the 'Lyric' exhibition at An Tobar, Mull at the end of last year.

Safari

On the great green grassy African plain

Dotted hither and yon with thorn trees

An angle of Giraffes moves from tree to tree

Prehensile tongues stripping leaves.

Is it Acacia? I know we’ve been told

Every time the rains fail, or the rains fall

That nice man from the BBC, he knows.

In between the trees, an estate of Termite castles

Millions of tiny minds with but a single thought

Thank God they’re not bigger.

A slink of Lions watches a deer

Anticipation writ large.

A sneak of Jackals watches the Lions

Anticipation writ large.

A crossing of Zebras graze unconcerned.

A raucous of vultures fights over road kill

The sprint of Cheetahs left behind.

Safari buses queue to view the remains

A troop of Guides alert for danger

Peers anxiously into the brush haze.

20,000 Americans a year need home comforts

The widow from Arkansas wont squat.

The accountant from Salt Lake City

Has issues with privacy and his mother.

Canvas siding hides the performers,

From the bush curious beasts watch intently.

Small bright eyes slowly blink, small ears twitch

Massive nostrils quiver at alien smells,

Territory is being encroached upon.

The blunder of Rhinos shifts restlessly

Enough is enough, they charge

Ripping through the encampment

The Widow has no problem squatting

The accountant finds public performance no hindrance

The Rhinos, triumphant, depart, trailing tatters.

©Alexander Hamilton October 2010

Studio Barn at Arduaine Gardens

2010-08-24T11:49:00.004+01:00

Earlier this month Studio Barn went on tour to Arduaine Gardens (Pronounced Ardooanne or Ardoonie depending on whom you’re talking to). A National Trust for Scotland owned garden in Argyll http://www.arduaine-garden.org.uk/. It has fabulous views across the sea it is a beautiful garden to wander around at all times of the year. Last year the NTS threatened to close it and there is now a Support Group hoping to raise the £1.5 million it needs to remain open. As part of their plan to raise awareness of the gardens they have been having themed days during the summer. We were asked if we would like to take part in the Craft Festival they had planned. We were delighted to do so. As a family we have known and loved Arduaine for many years. There used to be a campsite just half a mile or so along the road where we would camp and then explore the shore.

Polly demonstrated chair caning. A traditional craft she has been doing for many years. There is a waiting list for chair seats to be re-caned but if you are interested in learning more about having a chair re-caned then please do contact Polly via the Studio Barn website http://www.studiobarnargyll.co.uk/

Kate sat in the sun and demonstrated needle felting and chatted to anyone who showed an interest. This now completed ‘Daisy’ cushion is for sale in the Barn and will be added to the website shortly.

Alex manned the stall with its eclectic but interesting and wide ranging assortment of crafts, paintings and drawings, cake and jams, and made lots of sales all the whilst telling people about the new Gallery/Studio.

Other demonstrations of traditional crafts included Kathy Potter-Irwin from Ardfern making very sturdy & absolutely gorgeous baskets. She’s making a traditional Irish potato basket here.

Louise Oppenheimer weaves on a very simple frame ‘loom’ using her fingers rather than shuttle and heddles.

It was a great afternoon, folk music in the background and visitors wandering around the beautiful gardens in the sunshine.

NEW OFF THE WALL!!

2010-08-03T09:23:00.002+01:00

"Loch Bracadale" is relocating to Turkey as a wedding present,

"Sailing by" has sailed off to another wall somewhere near Edinburgh,

and the crushed spruce & oak Crucifix is awaiting an appropriate destination, the purchaser would like to place it in a ruined church somewhere, to remind visitors why the church was there at all."

New on the Wall!!

2010-07-19T15:35:00.001+01:00

Three pics by Kate MacDonald. Two charmingly naive fabric works, "Red Balloon" and "Reading to Archie" and "Crinan Boats" a very subtle piece of felting that captures the peace and space of a calm summer day in misty rain.

Red Balloon

Reading to Archie

Crinan Boats

Close up of 'Crinan Boats'

Studio Barn on National tour!

2010-07-08T19:50:00.002+01:00

Polly is down in Ludlow, Shropshire, at the 2010 Ludlow Festival where her new poster and its matching Tee-shirt are selling well. The first week of this outdoor event - the production of Shakespeare's play Othello - was somewhat mixed weather-wise, going from blazing hot to stair-rod rain and back again in a matter of 24 hours. This was reflected in the sales, which went from an all time low to an all time high over two days - you never can tell with art! Polly's regular customers have been out in force and she is delighted to see them at her stand in the castle's Inner Bailey, and to sign this year's poster for their collections.

"It was an interesting poster to design," she says. "On re-reading the play I was particularly struck by the importance of Iago, Othello's lieutenant, with his desire to manipulate all the surrounding characters. I saw him as a master puppeteer, making all the others dance to his tune, and that was the direction in which the poster developed."

Copies of the poster will appear on the studio barn web just as soon as possible, and of course at the Barn itself, when you will be able to judge for yourselves how successful you think the design is. In the meantime copies are available in Ludlow nightly at the Festival (where Polly would love to meet you) and during the day at the Box Office, the Castle Shop and Ludlow Information Centre. The Tee-shirt is selling fast and we only have Small, and Large left – hurry, hurry for Othello and Desdemona as marionettes.

The original t-shirt design with the printers marks (not seen on the t-shirt!)

The website ......

2010-07-06T22:47:00.002+01:00

Just a very brief blog to say that ........ the website is now live!!

It can be found at:

www.StudioBarnArgyll.co.uk

Do please let me know what you think!

Crafty Pieces

2010-07-01T17:41:00.004+01:00

Raineach is checking out our new road side sign for spelling mistakes!

Our broadband connection seems to have been affected by the weather today – wild and wet and windy this morning although we have blue skies and puffy white clouds this afternoon and everything is now steaming. The waters of the loch have calmed down, from white topped waves this morning to gently rippling this afternoon.

But the slow connection is driving me up the wall as I try to work on the new website for the Studio Barn. In many ways it is nearly done, but then again in so many ways it isn’t nearly done at all! Doing this site has been a learning curve of epic proportions, rather like scaling Everest without oxygen I think. I have spent days getting cross with my inability to work out what to do and with the website designers inability to predict exactly what I want it to do. However there was a break through on Monday something clicked in my head, I reached the summit and it has been much easier and calmer ever since. I’ll be announcing the launch any day now but that is why the blog and Face book page have been so quiet recently, all my energies have been taken up with the website. Or else I have been too wiped out with hay fever medication to get out of bed!

With the slow connection today hampering progress I am going to give myself the evening off to do some ironing instead! Did I say off????!!

But before I do that I thought I would share with you – if the connection will let me – some of the craft items I mentioned in the last blog.

Lovely traditional willow baskets made by Jane Allan of Achnamara, a little village only a couple of miles away. Made with traditional skills, and using traditional materials and tools these baskets are built for use, often using willow that is grown on Jane’s farm.

Soap dishes – beautifully presented with traditional, old fashioned Pears soap and a wonderfully soft organic cotton facecloth, these lovely vintage saucers get a new lease of life.

Hearts galore, a whole sweetie jar of lavender or rose and lavender scented ones made from recycled shirt fabric, traditional gingham ones a must for any country kitchen.

Then one for the loved one in your life. Give them ‘the key to your heart’ with this pretty scatter cushion made from remnant fabric and finished off with a pink and white spotty ribbon and key.

Another touch of old fashioned elegance with a selection of cushions made from vintage embroidered linens.

And something for the boys: Bosnia Bags and Iraq Sacks. Kit bags, large and small, made from the uniform of an ex RAF Officer namely my brother!

Flight Lieutenant AJD Hamilton returned safe and sound and now works for a civilian company in Angola. These trousers saw action in Bosnia – green, and in Iraq – sand. Now they have been remade in to useful bags, for sandwiches or toy cars, or perhaps gym and swimming kit.

50% of the sale of these bags is donated to the British Legion

Appropriate for the drought type weather we’ve been having recently, these turned and stained topiary style trees don’t require watering or clipping!

Now I’m off to do some household chores that have been neglected this last week or two whilst I have battled with the website.

Is anyone coming?

Ahem, we have an announcement .....

2010-06-11T15:15:00.001+01:00

Paintings are hung, Sculpture arranged, Craft work displayed.

Labels printed and written

Paper bags and stationery located and filed in the desk drawers ready for a sale.

Posters have been printed and are being circulated.

The business cards from Vistaprint have arrived and look very slick (now I need to build a website to go with them!)

The floor is swept and the last checks made.

And now it is announced…………

The STUDIO BARN is OPEN!!

So do come and visit us, (Monday - Sunday from 10 am) but for those who can’t here is a little tour, come with me to see what is behind the red barn door …..

This is some of the art work on display, I’ll show you some of the craft work next time.

What to hang or not to hang

2010-06-10T17:06:00.002+01:00

Was the question asked the most this week.

Where to hang and how to hang were another couple.

Artwork was gathered up, dropped off by other artists,

sorted out, carried around,

propped up, held up, put back down again.

Where do the lamps go?

How will the lighting work with this frame? or bounce off that glass.?

Decisions, decisions, decisions………..and dad took most of them himself! All credit to him the Studio Barn is looking fantastic.

And the paint 'before' the 'after' paint ….. I think the 'Grumpy Grape' has it don’t you? 'Shrill Cerise' just wouldn’t do anything any favours.

Nearly there!

2010-05-31T12:02:00.004+01:00

A quick update:

This will be the last time for sometime that the barn will be completely empty. Hanging is about to commence.

The floor, painted in ‘Sulky Plum’ or perhaps it is ‘Grumpy Grape’ actually works very well. It has a velvety quality to it and I think looks rather elegant against the white walls.

The panels of hessian are to give textural background for pieces standing or hung in front of it, that may get lost against the stone walls.

We left the tack peg rails in situ ~ you can see the harness block here ~ and added shelves for craft work along this wall.

The Studio Barn's red door will be opening for visitors very soon.

Watch this space!

The Floor .......

2010-05-23T12:28:00.003+01:00

One is of course indebted to ones daughter for her sterling efforts vis a vis the evacuation of the barns contents and the subsequent hosing down; all tasks well within the competence of said daughter. But when it comes to painting, the competence falls away. She is not alone in my family for an unerring ability to deposit an equal amount on her own person as well as the surface being addressed.

Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous admiration for female painters. Michelle d’Angelo, who is perhaps more famous for her plumbing improvements to the Cistern Chapel than for her ceiling painting, is none the less a redoubtable dauber. Leonora Da Vinci is another distinguished female painter, who also invented the flying clothes airer, the wind driven mincer and the auto grater amongst many others. You will probably find their modern day equivalents in your kitchen drawer or sink tidy. Of course I have no way of knowing how much paint they got on themselves.

The Barn floor is currently receiving an experimental coat of paint. The experiment is in the colour rather than the application which is the traditional brush and slop method. Whilst in Mr Jewsons Builders Supplies Emporium upon other business, I had cause to remember the need for floor paint and was instrumental in having a 5 litre tin of “Drum Beat”, a colour chosen for its depth and warmth, a sort of dark mulberry, mixed expressly for me.

Imagine my dismay upon returning home and opening the tin to discover a bright pinky vermillion, quite repellent in any circumstances, and wholly unsuited to painting a floor. Being a resourceful man I duly added black emulsion, a variety of earth colour powders and waterblack dye. The resultant mix is now off any known colour chart. I am undecided about the result, which is either “Sullen Plum” or “Sulky Grape”. Applied to the floor it sucks up light and gives ones feet migraine. BUT we have percy-veered and painted about a quarter of the floor. Despite returning time and again to peer at it, it fails to gladden the heart. I think the technical term for this procedure is undercoat! though given the cost of paint it may well have to be the final colour. As a result of the various additional ingredients I now have a surplus amount of paint of a subtle and intriguing if sombre hue, any one wishing to paint out their lair is very welcome to the remainder, only carriage being charged.

We daren't publish a photograph just now in case it offends the eye!

Making Progress

2010-05-19T17:04:00.003+01:00

Although I haven’t been very good at reporting on the barns converting recently, work on the barn has been going on a pace. Having done all the grotty stuff dad has taken over the reigns to do the stuff that needs a little more care and attention.

Some of the wooden walls and stalls and mangers have been removed to open up the space.

Then it began to go white, walls, stalls and the ceiling

painstakingly sprayed white. It has to be said that if I had been involved with this bit the floor would likely be sprayed white too!

The hebe at the back has been cut back – hard – so that the light can now come in through this back window and the bars smartly blackened.

It’s really beginning to take shape.

The electricity has been reconnected and three strip lights and umpteen plug sockets installed.

Dad oiled up the enormous gate and has re hung that, so that the gallery retains it’s barn-ness and enables us to change the interior space from time to time.

Panels have been hung on the far wall to make hanging pictures easier but they leave the wall exposed in between as you can see.

The stalls at the other end have had new tops to the partitions that echo the central one that you can see in the previous picture. The tethering chains have been blackened and re hung.

Through the square window

The barn has a smart new front door and over the next couple of days the floor will be painted. With just two weeks to go before we open it has been all hands on deck and I spent yesterday afternoon strimming (or ‘scalping’) the yard so that it looks tidy and mum has been potting up plants and arranging flower pots and tubs along the wall.

But the first visitors arrived ……..

.... And were promptly shooed back out again! There are other barns for nesting in, perhaps they can join the maternity (we’re still awaiting the new arrivals) ward in the Green barn. These large, and getting larger, ladies could do with some entertainment.

Leac na Barns

2010-05-09T19:31:00.001+01:00

The oldest barn, now a tumbledown, dates from the late18th cent. and was part of a development that became North Leac na Ban (Lecknaban, Leachnaban,etc) of which the rent rolls say “These houses new built not very good” but they are still here in one guise or another.

It was a drying barn and has the distinctive triangular windows common to this part of Argyll (Arichonan, Kilmory Oib, and somewhere in the hinterland of Kilmartin) There is a central door on both sides, with the threshing floor in between to allow the prevailing wind to take out the chaff. The farm also has the remains of a drying kiln, so Argyll was wet then!.

Coming north to south the next barn is Angus’s barn called after a former tenant. It is a rebuild on the site of a house, and like the drying barn incorporates enormous stones at a height that suggests a massive ingestion of porridge.

The barn still has its cobbled floor and one end contains a bothy for the seasonal shepherd. It is also DRY and will be housing yet more STUFF when we run out of space in the others

Next to Angus’s barn is our oldest tree, a 250 year old Beech, sadly, suffering from honey fungus.

Then comes the drying kiln behind which is the “Fear Mor”, a colossal recumbent monolith weighing in at 14/16 tons.(the usual way!) Then the fank, built on the same plan as a house, and currently being snuggled up to by a derelict landrover (any anoraks, please contact),then

The Tractor Barn, is in what was South Leac na Ban and was originally a house with the end wall removed to provide access, it is in close association with the Green Barn, so called because of tin roof, also a house base, with the walls reduced to 3ft for use as an inby fank, the stone may well have gone into the Victorian Barn. We re-roofed it using an A frame that sits on the lowered walls.

This barn is currently being used as a maternity ward for our Herdwick ladies.

And so to the Victorian Barn, the subject of this blog, so called because of the proportions and the use of dressed stone in the facings, it may have been an improvement by the Poltalloch Estate, which was very keen on improving the lot of its tenants, not a course of action always appreciated by them.

Judging from the original fixtures it was a stable adapted to house cattle as well as a horse.

At the turn of the last century there were three working horses.

Cleaning - Barn Style

2010-04-29T20:07:00.001+01:00

One very old teeshirt; One pair rubber gloves; One pair waterproof trousers; One pair wellington boots; One hose and three days of bright sunshine = One clean barn.

There hasn’t been much to say about the barn project in the last couple of weeks. It has been drying, which is taking a lot longer than we thought it was going to.

So after all the emptying came the cleaning. Dust and dirt, spider webs, 20 year old hay and manure and all sorts of other bits and pieces now needed to be removed.

At first I had tried a broom – got covered in dust and couldn’t breathe, tried it with handkerchief over hair, and one over nose and a pair of safety goggles. Still couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see as the goggles steamed up. Gave up trying that day.

Following day I arrived with Henry hoover. This’ll do it I thought. Well it did but it was going to take me a very, very long time. And I couldn’t get the end high enough up in to the roof space. So instead I mucked out the mangers and troughs and other corners of ‘solid’ dirt and went home again.

Third time lucky. The hose with the power nozzle attached. Donned in my very fetching barn washing gear I got to work. Instant success and instantly wet. Never mind I’d dry. I could aim the hose high up in to the corners and blast out the rubbish. There are now a lot of dispossessed spiders looking for a new home.

It took my three days or at least parts of three days to finally clear it all down and get the floor clean too. There was a wonderful smell of reconstituted ‘cow’ as bit came away from the walls and off wood. I would pop outside when summoned for a cup of tea, warm up in the sun and then head back in for another dousing.

But it worked and we now have a very clean, if rather damp barn. The wood is so old and dry that it soaked up the water like the proverbial sponge – that which didn’t land on me anyway!

I hope it dries out soon as we’ve only a month to go and there is a LOT of painting to do.

Statement in support of 'things' in barns .......

2010-04-13T09:53:00.002+01:00

From Alex
"I would like to say in defence of the Tractor Barns contents that the items are waiting for their opportunity to 'come back'. The time will come when the demand for Polystyrene and Artex busts of Christopher Wren is such, that I will hold the only one left in private hands and then the wee smirk will be on the other side of whatever it's this side of. The bags of fleece are just that, every good barn should have some, so in that respect we are just doing our duty. There are things on the upper level because otherwise we would'nt need one. It should be noted that we still have a barn that currently only houses swallows in due time. So we are being very restrained in what we store. I am well aware that the abandoned chalet also contains 'stuff in store' which will eventually end up in the swallow barn, but at the moment I am barn rich!"

(Christopher Wren is in the middle of the picture right at the back)

Still emptying the barn

2010-04-12T21:52:00.001+01:00

This is the barn at the start of the weekend. Before I could get on with cleaning the last few things had to be taken out and stored elsewhere.

I trundled 18 bags of lime mortar up to the Tractor barn.

I was nearly through when I discovered that the sacks weighed 25kgs when I had thought that they were 15kg’s. A 15kg bag is what we buy our dog food in and isn’t too heavy. I had been thinking that the mortar bags were heavy but had thought that it was just because they weren’t as loosely filled as a bag of dog food. Had I realised that they were 10kgs heavier I would have waited for mum to help. However I was so nearly done by the time I discovered it that – to her relief – I just carried on!

They have been stored on top of several bags of cement…. Set cement so I was pleased I wasn’t moving those!

So now the Tractor barn – so called because the tractor used to live in it, just as well it doesn’t need to now!

– as it is full of things that we don’t quite know what to do with or else we do know but haven’t done it yet.

It was a really fabulous day and I stopped trundling sacks about for a moment to take these pictures, still snow on the tops but you can see just how clear and sunny it has been these last few days.

It really doesn’t always rain in Argyll!

And then finally, taking a well earned tea break on the poshest garden chairs I’ve ever sat in!

The New Project Begins

2010-04-11T22:05:00.010+01:00

Perched on top of a hill in Argyll is a farm that has been there for hundreds of years. It once formed the two townships of North and South Leac na Ban. Fourteen years ago my parents moved there from suburbia with one dog, one cat, and, temporarily, two sons to help them move, in two 40ft pantechnicans and three well packed estate cars. Between then and now they have added to the livestock, with chickens, ducks and geese, sheep & Highland cows; several dogs have come and sadly gone, three more cats arrived and the sons moved on to do their thing. The daughter got married and moved from the east coast of Scotland to the west coast and moved nearer and nearer her parents with each house move. Now just 8 minutes drive away she is bossily organising them and the barn.

In the last couple of years Alex and Polly have taken part in the Art Map Argyll project and have had a temporary exhibition of art work set up in the end of Alex’ workshop in the Steading. The exhibitions included work from both Alex and Polly, and the lovely Norman Rae, a local, Tayvallich, artist, who works in oils, (and I snuck some of my craft work ~ cushions, candles, and cards in too!)

Inspired by the success of this venture Alex and Polly decided that this year the exhibition would be open for the whole of the holiday season starting in June rather than just one weekend and rather than use the Steading again they would use the Victorian Barn. For many years the family has discussed the use of this barn and several possible plans have hit the dust. However, the current and seeming to be final, plan is to convert it in to an art studio/workshop. With three art/crafts people in the fanily it is space that is much longed for. But before that can happen – planning and permissions and builders all take time to arrange - they decided that a temporary space could be set up and they could gauge how successful it might be. I jumped on the idea too. All very exciting ~ but a LOT of hard work.

First it was a week of emptying the barn. For the last fourteen years and for several years before that it has been used for storage.

Many trips to the tip, the second hand shops, several bonfires, and shifting of 'stuff' to other 'home's' has taken place.

It used to be a cow barn and the cow’s names and feed instructions are still chalked up on the stalls.

(Note to self: find out what sort of cows they were! ~ update, 'They were of indeterminate breed'!)

In spite of the dust, dirt and many cobwebs the empty barn is really quite beautiful and interesting.

Raineach checking out all the interesting smells!

Watch out Raineach I might shut you in there, it’s just your size!

The evidence of its former life is still in situ:

A wooden feed trough

Iron tethering chains,

some with knots of hemp rope

and farmers’ ubiquitous orange twine

Feeding instructions

Hay manger

Horse harnesses still hung over the post with a white (remarkably white) handkerchief

knotted on the end to prevent one from walking in to it.

(If you look carefully you can see a horse with a white blaze down its nose!)

Next job ….. cleaning ……

The canoes 'upstairs' are staying put for now