Tuesday 25 September 2012

Fun in the sun at the Weald of Kent craft show

We recently exhibited again at the Weald of Kent Craft Show in Penshurst and thankfully the weather was a vast improvement from the weather we experienced in May. Gone were the wellies and umbrellas and out came the sun hats! It was a great weekend where we got to meet lots of lovely new customers. John demonstrated how he creates his artwork by working on one of his spreads for his latest book. Unfortunately the sun was a bit too strong, which meant that the paint was drying too quickly so he was only able to do it for a couple of hours! Not that we were complaining though as it was so nice to see some glorious sunshine after the washout that was summer!









Friday 21 September 2012

Friday's fun fact - Voles venturing out

Rearrange their name and you find 'love'. But did you know that some species of vole will trek huge distances in their quest to find a mate? Despite being only the size of a hamster, water voles in Scotland have been found to travel up to 15km (9 miles), crossing unsuitable habitats and dodging predators along the way. When they reach a suitable patch, they sometimes spend three or four days there looking and waiting for a partner. If they're unlucky in love in that patch they will set off again on their journey. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen who tracked the journeys of these furry little creatures over 13 years were astounded when they discovered the distances they will travel. Their findings could not only prove valuable for the conservation of the charismatic water vole, but other species with similar population structures as well, from small insects to tigers.

Water vole (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19503827)




Happy Friday all! x

Friday 14 September 2012

Friday's fun fact - Rhino's nose

Did you know rhinoceroses get their name from their horns. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). Rhino horns are made of keratin, like our fingernails and hair!





Happy Friday all! x