FEBRUARY - The Fields
Our February ORLANG session at Kirrie Connections was based in the fields and local landscape, Christine lead the initial discussion with a reminder of Rabbie Burns from January and his love songs in connection with Valentines day on the 14th February. We sang My love is Like a Red Red Rose and looked at Harbingers.
Harbingers
by Margaret Gillies Brown
First Published in 'The Lie of the Land' 2004
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The room is rinsed by moonlight
February nearly gone -
From beyond the window,
in the bright darkness,
the harbingers of change,
Oyster Catchers up from
the mussel 'n' cockle shore
surveying their springtime quarters.
Inspecting, in the half-dark,
height of the winter wheat,
mapping out territories
for this year's important nests.
Their wild piping, bubbling breakwater,
bringing the sea inland,
fills the midnight air.
I turn to sleep
as the land outside my window
revolves to spring...
without need of my assistance.
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An interesting discussion about the number of names given in the Scots language to oystercatchers gave us Pleck-Pleck , Fleep and Chalder. The group discussed the seasonal dreich weather, with reference to the Thermos flask that Christine had in her basket, and remembered times spent working in the fields.
The woolie hat in the archive basket lead to a memory of a temporary hat made from a tattie sack. Talk of sha'in tatties and neeps, nicky tams, working horses and fields full of glaur.
The Group looked at the song The Humble Tattie, by Ian Middleton and marvelled at the number of varieties of potatoes.
Maureen then started the group on the supporting art work by encouraging individuals to prepare pieces of paper with a limited palette of brown, white and black tones. Using paint, rollers and sponges.
These papers were then ripped into shape to create a tonally layered landscape, with mountains, rolling hills and a ploughed field in the foreground.
Ripped paper strips were placed on the foreground of the collage, creating ploughed lines and emphasis the feeling of distance and perspective.
Finally we cut a potatoes to form a Valentine heart and bird shapes to place in the landscape to create interest and a focal point.
The results were amazing, and the session was concluded with readings of Barry Mill, we heard Christine singing the song Mormond Braes
becoming Clova Braes and Evan read Mill'o' Lour all by David Adams from Bothy Nichts and Days
A participant (Ginny) read Harbingers....beautifully.
