LET'S GO FLY A KITE

Our Community Arts Society recently held a Kite Making workshop.The venue was the creative arts area up at the school, in the building that is still known as "The Bean Shed."   

 It was great fun for young and old.

 Visiting tutors were on hand to help out.

 I did not know that coloured garbage bags like these were available!

 The design was a simple one and easily achievable.

 Some of them were tested outside in the school grounds.

This little fellow was going to be sorry he had slept through it all!

 The next wekend, I had a phone call from Charles: "Mum, come down to Kingston and see all the kites flying!"

 What a wonderful sight!

Now all this reminded me of a time about 35 years ago. A somewhat eccentric acquaintance of Bernie's and Mick's from their New Guinea Days came to stay. His name was Don Marsh, but he insisted the children call him "Donald Duck." While he was here he spent a great deal of time with the kids, drawing pictures and taking them off on adventures. He was surprised that Miriam and Charles could walk so far, as they only 3 and 4 years old at the time.

One day he decided to make a kite. We got hold of some fine bamboo and some newspaper (which was, I might add, a reasonably rare commodity on the island then.)
I was kept busy making four and hot water paste. This was the result. It was enormous!

 I recall the day it was flown. Bernie and I were at Rawson Hall, where there was a class being held for horseriders. Bernie was in the class, and all the horses were lined up in a row. All of a sudden, they all got very jumpy. We saw this enormous kite coming into the grounds, held aloft by "Donald Duck" , with Miriam trailing behind holding the tail. They  flew the kite at the rear of the Rawson Hall grounds, disconcerting the horses considerably. It crashed and was damaged beyond repair on its first flight - but everyone was still happy!