A big hello to Molly

Everyone that visits the Museum knows we love our animals, especially a new arrival, and we've got a gorgeous girl bringing some piggy glamour to the place. Molly is a Suffolk Black, a breed of domestic pig the same as our current Museum residents Doris and Boris, and as you can see from these pictures she really is gorgeous!

Molly

Molly is a fabulous young girlfriend for Boris, and though small at the moment by the end of this year she'll be getting a lot larger, similar to Doris.

Doris and Boris

On Landguard Point- Scarecrow making workshop

As part of the week of activities we're hosting in conjunction with On Landguard Point http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/ there's been some Scarecrow making going on, its proving to be a fantastic family activity and we've already had some funky scarecrows made.

Some examples of the great creations from our visitors!

We've still got lots of scarecrows to make, so come along and have a go, we've got bags of clothes and the guys from On Landguard Point, as well as our own Volunteers to show you how to make them. All the scarecrows made are going to be put onto stakes and displayed as part of the On Landguard Point event.

Some well dressed scarecrows

The Scarecrow making workshops are running until Saturday, 10am-5pm, as well as our very own Victorian wash day which is kicking off our own programme of Summer Holiday Activities http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/2011/07/summer-holidays-at-the-museum/ 

Fabulous Scarecrow hair

The Museum of East Anglian Life is the perfect place to be this summer, with activities on regularly over the 6 week period, as well as the Museum itself to check out, a safe play area for children and lots of animals for the kids to enjoy. 

Traditional Basket Making

We are currently running a number of Skills for the Future projects, including our three month taster course of which we have six participants. Learning a number of traditional crafts and heritage skills, today saw them learning traditional basket making under the tutelage of Joanne Hammond.

Our trainees listening to Joanne

"Joanne Hammond originally studied Fine Art but always felt drawn to craftwork, particularly traditional rural skills. Then about fifteen years ago she began collecting and weaving twigs and climbers from a local woodland. Jo’s basket training has been informal; starting with short courses, learning from books and absorbing information from the Basket Makers Association newsletter, but mostly through trial and error.

The thread to all her work is a love of the beauty of the materials, and a wonderment of what can be done with a bunch of twigs. She prefers to use the willow rods in their natural state – with the bark on- displaying a variety of colours and textures. Jo designs and makes practical, functional baskets, light-hearted decorative pieces, and willow sculptures."

Joanne and Hannah

Here at the Museum we believe in the preservation of traditional craft skills, something which we demonstrate regularly, and showcase at our annual Steam and Crafts event http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/2011/06/steam-and-crafts-weekend-2011/ and through our Skills For The Future programme, we are making sure those skills are being transferred and continually practised in heritage organisations.

Materials for the basket making

Now if you're looking at this and thinking you'd like to give it a go, why don't you look out for one of our Leisure Courses that we run here at the Museum http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/learning-2/leisure-learning/ or contact our training officer Paul Palmer on 01449 612229 or email:  paul.palmer@eastanglianlife.org.uk

15th Festival of Beer and Brewing

Phew! What a busy weekend we've had here at MEAL, such a fantastic atmosphere as hundreds of people enjoyed the 60 beers and ciders on offer, enjoyed live music on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday and devoured the food provided by on site cafe The Osier.

Enjoying the beer!

The festival is our biggest celebrated event, and our largest fundraiser so all the support is so gratefully received, and what better way to help out your favourite museum than by drinking beer?! 

Pulling a pint

Music was provided on the Thursday by East Anglian Traditional Music Trust, who did a fantastic job of recapturing the spirit of days gone by, providing the perfect backdrop to enjoying a traditional pint of real ale. Friday had Rockabilly spirit from The Vagaband and friday carried on rocking with great tunes from Zoom Club. 

The Vagaband

Such a fantastic atmosphere, that even carried on through to a much calmer Sunday where we were helped to finish off the last of the beer. Such a massive thank you to everyone who came and sampled the beers and to the volunteers that helped us run it.