The Avenue Playgroup

This months exhibition is by 'The Avenue Playgroup'. For close-up pictures and more information about them, please see our 'Crab and Winkle' page.

A beautiful sonnet by Alex Toms, shortly appearing on Platform 1.

Solstice Lullaby

Two nights ago, our whole world changed. And now

your Father’s struggling to fit the car seat.

Little One, you’ve no idea how

half wild, I gripped the hospital’s white sheets,

or how my screams shattered the frozen night,

almost cracked the moon in two. When you were born,

I swear the earth stopped in its tracks, gold light

flooded the room, winter withdrew. At dawn

I held you in my arms, a tightly wrapped

Christmas gift, your card left blank, unwritten,

our journey together yet to be mapped.

Come, let’s take you home, let’s strap you in.

The stars are watching as we drive past.

When did the universe become so vast?

Alex is a Wivenhoe poet and has had several of her poems published. If you fancy reading more, you can find another in the new 'Poetry Wivenhoe 2011' collection.

Christmas

Looking forward to the new platform 1 poem, penned by Alex Toms, which will (hopefully) be displayed before Christmas. Then there's the Avenue Playgroup display, which will go up in January. Enjoy Annie's work while you still can.

December's writing

December's 'Words-Down-the-Line' is now available on the station.

Meeting the 'officials'.

The adoption team on Platform 2

Lucy Ainger (Community Rail Partnership) and Mark Tye (station Manager)

Sue and George wearing the latest in adopters 'accessories'.

Woolly Thoughts

The cabinets in the Booking Office, now have a display from community knitting group, 'Woolly Thoughts'. Contributors include Sylvia, Helen, Wendy, Jenny and Margie.

The group meet on a Wednesday morning in the shed behind the bookshop between 10-11.30, where they put the world to rights, while they knit. Anyone interested in joining the group can either ring 01206 824050 or visit the bookshop website for more details.

http://www.wivenhoebooks.com/woolly-thoughts/.

New at the Crab and Winkle- Annie Fennymore

Annie's pictures are now on the station

Wait for me Rudolph

Annie had great fun creating this work and it really shows. In this picture she uses putty for the outline and tissue paper for the parcels. All Annie's work is painted using her fingers, in a small shed halfway down her garden.

Guide dog 'Amber'

This was one of Annie's first pieces using quick drying putty as an 'outline'. A portrait of her guide dog, Amber, it was entered for the Helen Keller International Award 2011, and was Highly Commended.

Dandelions

This is a very personal piece, representing Annie's three children, one of whom died. She used a coffee lid, wood shavings, putty and thick paint to create the effect.

Annie's method

Annie uses an audio labelling system called 'Penfriend'. She records the colours of her paints onto bar-coded labels, which she then sticks onto each tube . The Penfriend 'reads' the bar-codes in much the same way as a 'scanner' in the supermarket. Prior to this she used rubber bands round the paint tubes, to recognise their colour, two for red, one for blue etc. Technology has changed her life.

About Annie

To say Annie is inspirational does not do her justice. She deals with her disability with dignity and humour (much of which is expressed through her art). To give you an example of Annie's magnanimity, while I was at her home, she went out of her way to make me feel comfortable, to the point that she has taught herself to 'look' at the person she is communicating with just to make the speaker feel relaxed. There were times when I had to remind myself she couldn't see.

I have included a photograph of one of her newer, more experimental piece's, because I think it speaks both for Annie and itself.

Acceptance

All of Annie's pictures can be purchased in card form.

Annie hopes to start selling some of her originals soon. Her aim is to raise money to fund a trip to see her sister in Australia, whom she hasn't seen for 41 years. If you are interested in buying any of her work please visit her website or email her.

http://www.blindalleyart.co.uk/index.htm

November's writing

The November edition of Words Down the Line is now available at the station.

New Adopter's

As of today, George McKissock and Sue Dawes are the 'official' adopters of Wivenhoe station.

Platform one

December

Hazel Humphreys

The abridged version of Hazel Humphrey's poem 'Last Great Eastern', which will appear in WDTL's December issue (due out mid December).

Woolly Thoughts

Watch out for some knitted artefacts by 'Woolly Thoughts' (a local knitting group). Their craft will be housed in the Booking Office display cabinets, from December 4th.

Window boxes

No longer forgotten thanks to Britta's green fingers. Thanks again to Dean's garden centre for the discount. It all helps.

Wendy the cat

Apparently, Wendy the cat has gone missing from her new home in Brightlingsea. Could you please look out for her and let station staff know if you see her.

Coming soon.

Christmas is coming and so is an exhibition by Annie Fennymore on platform 2, a visually impaired artist who has developed a unique tactile art. On platform 1 there will be a poem by Wivenhoe's Alex Toms, whose poem 'Sylvia's sea' was published this month in Artemis Poetry.

Latest News

The cabinets are finally up in the booking office, ready to be filled with community work. Please get in touch by facebook or email if you are part of a community group, or a local artist, and would like to see your work displayed. We may have a small problem with actually getting it up there, requiring a wooden ladder and someone without vertigo. Watch this space....