It seems a long time ago that Pete Bowser chainsawed this log to shape (January I think), on the same day as the throne for Willerby Methodist Church and the log bench for South Crossland Primary School; well, eventually Little Weighton was the next name on my list, and armed with a list of requests for the design I got to work in blazing sunshine.
The bench, freshly sawed to shape.
As there was quite a lot to fit on in terms of design, it was decided that the bulk of the design should be on the back, round side of the log, and the text should be on the back-rest as usual. I thought that the carving shouldn’t go beyond the top curve of the log, as it wouldn’t have been easy to view it from the mid-point to the underneath. For me, the back rest shouldn’t have too much on other than the text and one or two bits and bobs (in this case, an owl), as it is a functional piece of furniture and comfort is important; it would be difficult to relax if you were constantly being prodded by a faery’s knee in the small of your back.
There was an obstacle too with the delivery and transportation of the bench, with Pete’s forklift truck being out of action at the moment; with great determination though, he managed to load the bench on a trailer with a tractor, and we made the short journey to the village of Little Weighton.
Once in the vicinity of the green at Little Weighton we were welcomed by Mad Ann who entertained us with an impromptu poetry recital, and then directed proceedings with aplomb ~ a local farmer, Andrew, had arrived on the scene to lift the bench into position with his tractor.
The bench in position, the bottom picture showing the carving on the rounded top of the log.
Word quickly spread, and the bench’s first viewers arrived:
My gratitude to Ann and Andrew for their part in the bench delivery, but an enormous thank-you once again to Pete (Pete Bowser Tree Services) who took time out from a hectic schedule to get the bench to Little Weighton.