F a r e w e l l , The Friends . . .

The Friends of Platt Fields is a ferocious force to be reckoned with, in my opinion. We huddle together every month + slurp tea + think about ways that we can make Platt Fields even better than it already is. Over the last 5 years I've grown to know + love this quality line-up of park pioneers- all bananas in our own ways, we invent all sorts of magnificent madness + are pretty much allowed to instigate whatever we wish : with the help + support of this super bunch, Platt Fields Park seemed to become my artistic playground, with colour slowly working its way around the vast + beautifully loved green space.

So, alas, my final meeting on a hung-over Saturday and I was supremely indulged with a feast of farewell gifts perfectly picked to set-up a new life in the mountains. A gorgeous card as well + overwhelmingly so, an Ode to Anna, written by my all time hero Anne Tucker. How lucky I have been to be a part of such an inspiring set-up + I hope it continues in full formidable force...

Ode to Anna [with disgraceful homage to Edward Lear]

A girl and her bicycle came to play,
In some beautiful pea-green jeans
Peruvian caps with those over-cheek flaps
And lumionous tights with no seams....

That girl looked up at the houses tall
As her face got splattered with rain,
"Oh Dan my man, look no further, we're here
What a wonderful flat on Platt Lane, Platt Lane
What a wonderful flat on Platt Lane"

So they both moved in, and lived there in sin
And the window it showed them the view
Of a wonderful park, both sunlit and dark
And with wind, rain and snow passing through

And the girl biked down to the Boathouse door
Where the gaggles of geese came to eat
And she sawed and she jawed with great pieces of board
And cut out shapes of the children she'd meet

And she'd chat to us all as we strolled round the lake
About nature and pictures and great things to make
"Oh visitors all, what a gas, what a ball-
What a magical garden this is, this is
What a magical space - no mistake"

The girl and her bicycle set to work
With 6-music a-filling her ears
She bought some brushes and plenty of turps,
All the colours of paint so bright they hurt
And the boring old boards disappeared

On her canvas of turquoise, of scarlet and blue,
Bright green, brown and orange with black lines round it too
She conjured a world of wild creatures afloat....
....Or flying or running or rowing a boat
People dancing and singing, or wheeling a barrow
Pushing prams, playing games, or shooting with arrows

And gulls made of mirror soaring up in the air
Over trees made of bicycle parts (only spares)
And a set of large boards to go all round the lake
"Please don't feed the Canada geese- for gods sake
Tell your friends, tell your parents your son or your daughter...
Their poo is so lethal it poisons the water!"

And when winter time came, in her bright wooly sweaters
She made lanterns of swans, peacock, squirrel and then let us
Light them at night time and play spooky games
In a park that's so dark that's it scary, so scary...
But we're laughing and living, sharing and giving
Not cramped up inside, but out here where it's airy...

Now that girl and her bicycle are off to the Alps
To find pea green pastures new
They'll be taking their skis, stripey tights and knock knees
To the mountainous zone where they'll live all alone
What a change from our Boddingtons brew

But as they look up to the stars above
They may think of us here by the lake, in this room,
Where we dined on halloumi and plenty of houmous
That we ate with a paint spattered spoon.
For 5 years hand in hand, at the edge of the strand
We danced by the light of the moon, the moon
We danced by the light of the moon.

Anne Tucker
November 2011

You can see why I cried...

Oh + also... pictured is the other Anna : another treat + surprise from Anne Tucker mmmmmmmmmmm