Update number 2. No flies on the gnomes.

OCTOBER 6, 2007

“Press release”

Story: Canadian Art Student Kidnaps Local Gnome

University of Wales Master of Fine Art student Sarah Haxby recently visited the Gnome Barns at Gnome Corner in Styal, Wilmslow whilst visiting with relatives in the area. She denies any “gnomenapping” charges stating:

“I’d written a letter to the gnomes earlier in the week after being impressed by the local gnome culture. When I returned to check the mailbox to see if the gnomes had responded I noticed a sign above Mesen (Acorn in English) stating that he and his friend were from Wales. After a long chat Mesen about what it’s like to be in a new country Mesen confessed he was homesick and decided to come to Aberystwyth with me to see what university life is like. Mesen is planning to study mythic civilizations, gnome-ku poetry, the influence of gnomes on historic architecture, and eco-gnomics.
A note was left for his companions so that they would not think that he had been gnome-napped, as was the fate of Neville on June 27, 2007 (Wilmslow Express article July 18th 2007.)

I don’t know what to say about the fate of Neville, except that I think it is a tragedy that he is still missing and that I hope he is returned to his friends soon, and that he is well.
Would I say gnome-napping is on the rise? Possibly. The media could be influencing the popularity of gnome-napping. The movie Amelie really portrayed gnome-napping and gnome travel-adventures in a romantic fashion. I don’t condone the kidnapping or abuse of gnomes. Mesen deciding to travel with me is definitely a unique case. Mesen doesn’t have a travel passport, but my Artistic License does allow me to transport gnomes from England to Wales.”

Sarah Haxby is completing a one year master of fine art and art history at the University of Wales. As an artist she is interested in painting, mythology, local culture and gnome-ology.


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Oct. 14th

One month since I left dear, dear, ol’Canadia (as the chavs like to call it,) I’ve been reminded that hanging with chavs is just a state of mind, but since the local chavs are into purse snatching and breaking into the campus to steal computer monitors (but not the computers) I’ll curtail any foreseeable association with the hyena-ish disgruntled local teens. Due to general inertia their territories seem quite small during daylight hours and once one walks past them, the ‘banter’ seems to cease. I’ve only run into chavs twice whilst here… Mostly Aber seems like Bowen, a friendly place, on the small town side (only with 15,000 instead of 5,000 plus)… plus another 7,000 students!!

I’ve been trying out various fitness classes and after trying an Ashtanga yoga class... I felt pathetic instead of ohhhm after it! I REALLY miss Christine as a teacher, and the Bowen recreation classes. The class I went to was taught by a super flexible Richard who went far too quickly, didn't offer any modifications and the class went on for far too long. (one hour fifty minutes!!!!!) The nice relaxing bit at the end only lasted 2min... and I don't think I'm going to go back again!!! The next week I tried the Hatha yoga, which I enjoyed, but it was still too much for my neck injury, so I’m going to stick to pilates… Trying out things locally really makes me appreciate the size Bowen is. Classes are small, which makes them more personal. Large classes where the teacher wears a headset and booms out over speakers because there’s 40 people in the large room is a very different experience.

Also, people line up at the post office an hour before it opens to get in. It’s an average 20-40 min lineup to get into the local post office!

Mostly things are going well. I got a studio space finally (they were 2 spaces short and offered me a sort of med. sized closet that was being used as a computer room. I said no. You would have been proud of me! Now I'm in my 2nd choice for a studio (which is probably better than the #1 choice in that there's a sink instead of a velvet seat to sprawl in.) I have been (finally!!!) able to move in and get behind the easel again. As predicted, after a few days in my studio painting I feel much more grounded. It’s hard to travel such a great distance to do something and then to get thwarted!!!


I gave into peer pressure and have joined facebook.

I'm feeling really lonely for 'adult' company sometimes... being surrounded by sea of 17 year olds can bit a bit overwhelming sometimes.

My flatmates are fun to hang out with, we're all MA students. Novelties abound. There was a belching contest last night, and the night before that a leg waxing demo done to a boy on the kitchen table, and we’ve been taking turn making group meals, which is really nice…

I'm missing everyone lots... but trying to stay focused on the job at hand... and get myself a little bit busier. I've decided to apply for the postgrad technician studentship position which runs Oct-May (won't interfere with the dissertation) and if I get it, having a little bit of poundage coming in might make me feel a bit better about all the studio costs...

I'm SO missing having all my mass accumulation of art stuff. It's really frustrating not even having a HAMMER …if I get the tech job I'm hoping for access to all the workshop space and tools. I like tools... even if the Head of the Work shop didn't quite look as though he believed I have my own compound mitre saw...

:)


Later… I didn’t get the job, perhaps it’s for the best. School is more than a full time job in and of itself, besides, when was the last time I took a break from having a job?

(I have had the occasionally panic over the no-income thing since being here, but I'm getting over it. As long as I stick to my carefull budget, I will be o.k.)


The art school is separate from the main campus. It is a very old building that has been taken over by the school. It is small, funny, quirky and partially built into a tower. On the way to my studio space (which I LOVE) is a closet and some filing cabinets. Being nosey I opened both. The filing cabinets have a terrific random collection of slides of artwork. The closet... I'll let the photo speak for itself. No one but me could be so pleased to see what's inside...


It's been three weeks with no Corro, and no Thanksgiving turkey now as well! (They don't do turkey here at all. Perhaps I'll cook my own (not that it would fit in the oven) and make some of that powdered gravy everyone here loves to go with it!!!

More than turkey.... I must find pumpkin pie.... there must be some somewhere in Aber!!!! It’s always interesting explaining local customs to a new group, when they ask why do you do that? Think about almost any social custom, they’re not often logic-based. I hope everyone on the great West Coast and will savour pumpkin pie and turkey.... I may have to attept to make pumpkin pie from scratch (oops, no I won’t, there’s a pumpkin shortage this year apparently)....I haven't seen a welsh version of pumpkin pie yet, but after trying welsh cheese, welsh cakes, and welsh punch.... I'm really not sure I'd want to! (shredded butter, stale sugar pancakes and paintbrush cleaner/anti freeze)


No turkey for me.
so sad.
no pumpkin pie.
I weep.
Might as well go look at megaliths, castles and frolick with sheep.

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My Flatmates and the extended Blaenwern gang are great! For my birthday they made Shepherd’s Pie, bought me a caterpillar cake, sang Happy Birthday, and gave me flowers, a book of art quotes and a little Welsh sheep figurine!

We went for a long walk along the seaside promenade after dinner and discovered where on the beach stairwells we could stand and have the waves crash up at us, but not hit us… it was nice.

For a group of strangers thrown together into the same place, I think I lucked out and got a good bunch.


I’m learning more about international politics, terrorism studies and rock climbing than I ever thought I would! Jude’s studying hermeneutics and semiotics as part of her course, which makes dinner conversations interesting as the theories are included in my Visual Culture studies. My other favourite conversations have involved ‘Why is the Mona Lisa thought of as so great’ and which Willy is the Greatest: William Shakespeare, or William Blake. My vote is on Blake. One would think he had actually fallen in love and had his guts ripped out, instead of just toying with the Idea of Love.


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Last Sunday I played tourist to the hilt and I went to Taliesin’s grave (one of) –a minor megalith, saw a Bronze age cairn, the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), visited Merlin's Labyrinth (an underground adventure in an old mine. Part of the caves were flooded and we had to wear hard hats and ride on a boat...it was amazing! and just cheesy enough.

The highlight of the day was visiting Castell y Bere. Sitting up on the castle ruins looking over the landscape, seeing how every inch of it has been touched/altered/shaped by man (and his sheep) was quite a revelation. It may have been the elevation, or the light breeze wafting through the valley but I felt at peace for a bit. I could have sat there all day and just felt content to be still like the stones in the ruin. Timeless. I took some photos, but the link below is informative and documented the heck out of it!

http://www.castlewales.com/cybere.html


Hurray! it looks like my bank transfer just went through, and me down to my last 6 pounds! I guess that means I WILL be able to pay my tuition and not get kicked out… and I can buy more groceries. There are big scary box stores, but I go up the hill to the Tree House Organic shop where the white haired Welshman is quick with a quip and there are real green olives stuffed with garlic and the Welsh farmers pull up in the mornings in battered trucks to deliver organic greens….


Yesterday I went to the local museum and then to a café with Vilborg, a young woman from Iceland who has befriended me. She has the best stories… like going to Poland for an intensive theatre training program and worrying about wild dogs as she walked the 2 miles to her homestay in the dark…

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Last Sat. night one of my flatmates (the one who hates pigeons) set off the firealarm.
She's in the room next to mine. We all had to evacuate the building at 1am and stand outside in the cold waiting for the firemen to come… the firemen were not pleased with the false alarm (each call out costs approx. 400 pounds)… and it was only three days after our ‘Fire and Safety’ training. Do you want to know HOW she set off the fire alarm? -there were 4 flies in her room and she couldn't manage to swat them with a magazine… so she took a can of aerosol deoderant and tried to use the armpit spray to kill them!!!!! She just kept spraying and spraying and spraying hoping she would gas them to death... at least her room smells hygenic now! (And probably will for the rest of the semester. )


She was very embarassed, but it was hard not to find the whole thing rather amusing... the firemen weren't amused... but that's only because there's 113 or so false alarms a year. Still, this one seemed pretty original to me!


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Follow up to the Press Release (shockingly the story wasn’t picked up by the local paper)… as there was a BIGGER story: today I learned that Gnome Corner has recently been evacuated because it was causing too many accidents as it was distracting to drivers!!!!

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Helen and Mattie came to visit me today. We went up the hill in the electric tram and had lunch in the observatory restaurant, walked along the beach, had icecream and then said farewell. It was a good day-visit.

:)


Next Update in two weeks or if Something Exciting Happens.

Hwyl!

Sarah in Wales.

321 days left.

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