Punch agrees with Judy - for once!
Miracles can happen then!
The foreshore at the bottom of Redburn Road was crawling with children from about 3.30 PM onwards on Saturday September 8th. Word was out ( in fact there had been a Press and door step invitation issued ) that if they brought in a picture there was a free balloon and sweets for all and a prize to be won. Better still free eats and drinks were to hand until the first brush strokes by Kate at 5 PM. To pass the time away there was the statutory bouncy castle and HQ inflatable tent that stayed up all the time except when against Jane Bonnar's advice the generator was also asked to heat the tea urn. We got no hot tea at all and the inflatables both collapsed! However the helium in more than 100 balloons seemed to keep the HQ tent off the cakes and sandwiches.
Throughout this mayhem, with over 200 in attendance, Punch and Judy reached unusual agreement that Murals are Great. George McNeil, champion sprinter in his day, was for this occasion expert renderer of walls fit for muralists. Kate Hunter comes with a distinguished CV of murals and stage scenery painting and is about to create over the next five weeks an interpretation of Morrison's Haven.
The scaffolding was up and the Baron was invited to join Kate thereon at 5PM. The sea in the Firth of Forth was at high tide with a strong onshore Nor'easterly wind driving the waves to the foot of the rendered wall. On a day like this feet will get wet as Kate works. The process of sealing the mortar is still ongoing and a haven for Kate from the cold winds and rain expected over the next five weeks has been found with John Muarry and family just over the road at the Gothenburg.. Somewhere good to store the paints too!
At 6 PM the balloons went up, off and away with the strong wind taking them swiftly to the south. Predictions are that the cards attached, return of which wins a prize, may come from as far away as France or Norway. We shall see, but so far returns are arriving from across the English Midlands.
Much of the afternoon was captured on camera and a selection is given here.
We missed seeing you here Karl and Doris from the Global Association for Arts Tourism, but you were here in spirit, and when you see the pictures above you'll see we enjoyed ourselves and involved the young people about town, and they in turn their parents.
By end October here's hoping we shall have our first completed mural ready to be shown here. And whilst this was all going on, plans for Mural No 2 are moving swiftly ahead with Euan Wilson.
Published Date: September 1st 2001
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