FLETCHERS FEARLESS CLOTHING

How can clothing be fearless? Is that anthropomorphism or is there another word? Well the ancient ad did survive the floods - but then it was painted well above the flood line. We all need to be fearless (and patient) at the moment as we watch our town being slowly put together again. The shop below the sign is now a hairdresser but it used to be Fletchers, a men's outfitters.
Peter Quinn made this painting last Autumn just a few weeks before the flood. It's a different picture now and not one he would wish to paint - too depressing. A few businesses are beginning to re open and a few people are moving back into their homes upstairs. It is a long haul.
People remain cheerful despite the daily problems. We still have ten bridges down. Some are sound but Highways believe opening them would interfere with traffic manage ment. Yes, I agree - but possibly for the better. Everything is being funnelled into very few options. And the options keep changing with no warning. There are no'Bridge ahead closed' signs which would save some last minute shunting and some mileage. Two Saturdays ago, driving to the gallery, I was dismayed to be confronted with the sign 'Market Place Closed'. I was no more that 30 meters from our car park. It took me a while to work out an alternative route to get to my own house - about a mile diversion. (and, no, there was nowhere to stop,park and walk before you ask. The roads are narrow and congested.)We saw three people that day and they lived up the road and had to walk past. Last Saturday was worse; I took the Northern diversion because there's contra flow on the A66 dual carriage and temporary lights on the A591 the Keswick way. I turned at the roundabout as usual and drove in a mile to the town centre as signed only to find that road was suddenly closed with no warning. Others had been caught out including buses and everyone was trying to turn round. Try turning a long bus in a narrow road - a 23 point turn is required.Chaos again. I then had to think hard to work out how to get to the gallery. If I have trouble then our visitors don't stand a chance - no wonder they are giving up.
Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, came to see us a few weeks ago with an entourage of aides, media people, tourism officials, council wallas and various important people engaged in the arts. Television crews were phoning the gallery from various closed roads and bridges asking how to get through to us and we were talking them in. And they are digging up Keswick ... but that's another story.

Castlegate goes to London

It has been an exciting week. We managed, with the help of kind neighbours, to escape the snow and icy track and make the train to London. I was determined to make it because three of the gallery artists - Percy Kelly, Karen Wallbank and Sheila Fell were opening at Messums in Cork Street last Tuesday evening.
Karen and husband George had to be towed out of their remote farm to get the Lancaster train. Once they had settled in they were off to Cork Street to see what was going on. George got distracted by the posh watch shops in Burlington Arcade but Karen dragged him on and was amazed to find one of her paintings had pride of place in the window. I met up with her that evening where she sold 3 paintings. (Percy sold 6) It was well attended despite the snow down there. I was so proud of Karen.
I 'discovered' her in 1988. She had never sold a painting but had a barn full of them. I persuaded her to have a show with me and we've neither of us looked back. She had been offered a place at Goldsmiths college but opted to marry George. She then brought up three children one of whom is autistic, did her share of the work on the farm and she still paints all the time. She certainly deserves every ounce of success. (You can read Karen's full story in my book Hercules and the Farmer's wife; Aurum 2009 available Amazon, Waterstones etc.)
We managed to fit in the Art Fair in Islington and a good meeting with my editor at Aurum who is pushing me to finish the next book. I usually need more than one reason to visit the capital so it was ideal.
We arrived back Friday to icy platforms at Penrith but green fields and clear roads. We can now access our house without assistance - and I am working hard on the next volume.

Shoe chains

I missed the gallery Christmas Eve party. The first time in 24 years. Snow and ice are wonderful until you want to go somewhere. The untreated roads were lethal. Angie was similarly immobile. Our lovely neighbour, Louisa, from the Quince and Medlar Restaurant opposite the gallery opened up for me at 1pm, lit the fire and did a roaring trade all afternoon. I think she enjoyed it. I've offered to take over the restaurant for an evening in reciprocation but ... spot the snag!
So, I didn't manage the Christmas food shop and I can heartily recommend this. No jostling for the last parking space in the town. No mad trolley dash round the supermarket. No queue at a crowded checkout with a jaded person in Reindeer antlers and flashing Christmas tree earrings pushing stuff past in a catatonic state. No unpacking of split bags overfull with so much food that you feel nauseous just unpacking it. No - just white tranquility at home. You have no idea how liberating it is to be freed from traditional requirements as laid down by Delia, Jamie, Nigella et al. We ransacked the fridge, pantry and freezer and came up with interesting menus and strange combinations - even found a packet of out of date Maltesers in my knicker drawer. Maybe I should put together a Non Christmas Cook Book based on what's lurking at the bottom of the freezer and the back of the cupboard.
I have a very big birthday alarmingly soon and my son has ordered me some wheel chains on Ebay as a very original birthday present. Swedish car - Swedish solution! When I announced this news, both Michael and our neighbour looked at each other and said in unison 'Who's going to fit them?' Who do they think eh? I'm more concerned about what happens when I hit the gritted road and start clanking along like the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz.
The same resourceful son also produced a pair of Postman Pat shoe chains which work a treat on solid ice. (Not for driving in though!) I just skipped across the field to feed our neighbours' cat deliberately dancing on the worst bits of sheet ice to test them out. Good job the only spectators were sheep.

Let's hope for a better year in 2010 for all of us but particularly for those who have lost their homes and businesses in the floods. Surely things can only get better.
I've put our 2010 exhibition programme up on the web site www.castlegatehouse.co.uk. Have a look. Whatever else it's going to be a new start and a bright and interesting year.

Footsteps in the snow.

The penalty for living in the most beautiful corner of England is occasional immobility. In my 24 years here we have had very little snow being close to the West Coast. But that was before the Climate Changed dramatically, bringing floods and pestilences and snow.
I was last at the gallery on Saturday but have been unable to move since then. 'Great' I thought - 'I shall go into writing purdah and get on with the next book.'
I was in heaven. The above is the view from the Pink Egg. Perfect. And an excuse not to do any last minute shopping or join the supermarket trolley dash madness. We can live out of the freezer - could be a strange Christmas menu but who cares? With a well stocked wine cellar, what more do we want? 'Have we any chocolate?' Michael asked last night when his perceived blood sugar levels were getting low. The answer was negative. 'I'll have to start on the Christmas cake then.' he said pathetically.
The call from GMTV came yesterday afternoon. They were on their way from Heathrow (?) to Manchester and wanted to do a live optimistic interview in front of the gallery fire about life after the deluge. 'Fine I thought. What time?' Live at 6AM was the chilling answer. Alright - no problem. I would go straight over now and stay the night in Cockermouth. I rang a neighbour with Land Rover. 'No Problem. I'll pull you to the main road' he said confidently.
The ice under the snow had frozen in solid sheets. I slewed about uncontrollably on the end of a tow rope. Just crossing the field was alarming. The sheep scattered.
'Why am I doing this?' I asked myself when I reached the gate. With a knee-trembling mile in front of me to get to the main road which was also problematic, I decided I could do without the excitement and retreated to the Egg. Breakfast Television could do without me very well I guessed. And they did.
This morning I saw a burly figure carrying a box approaching on foot through the snow. It was the intrepid Interlink delivery man bringing the catalogues for our part-exhibition at Messums in Cork Street in January. They are superb. It will be a great exhibition. Suitably called The Elemental North, it opens on 13th January and includes work by Sheila Fell, Percy Kelly and Karen Wallbank. If you are anywhere in or near London pop in and see it..
We are now seeing the big melt. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We always have a gallery party with drinks and mince pies. I will do my best to get there,though it will be hard to leave this peaceful paradise, cocooned from commercial Christmas. I shall scurry back quickly.
May I wish you all a good, safe holiday. Hope you all get to where you want to be and do what you want to do.
I'm just finalising a cracking exhibition programme for 2010 - see web site www.castlegatehouse.co.uk. We are open every Saturday in January and February
Hope to see you. Take care

Pop-up Tesco!

Do you believe in miracles? They are being performed on a daily basis up here in West Cumbria. Overnight we have a pop-up Tesco - yes,truly - in North Workington.
We now have a Meccano road bridge built in a week and a Lego railway station built in a weekend. An origami Barclay's Bank appeared in a tiny space outside Sainsbury's Cockermouth within hours of the flood abating. It folds back into a neat cube every night. Not to be outdone, Penrith now have an inflatable Morrisons (well, temporary structure, I think I'm getting carried away!) to replace the massive supermarket burnt down a few days ago.
Our dark powerless day in the gallery yesterday was lightened by the visits of good-humoured people anxious to support. They came from Wakefield, Doncaster, er Bassenthwaite ....... and they cheered us. Angie lit a roaring fire and, ever resourceful, was making coffee on the gas stove for the stalwarts who made it when I arrived. We sold paintings, pots, books, cards even though people couldn't see them properly through the gloom. Hope they still like them when they get them home.
Headlines on the news boards were depressing though. The Cumbria Tourist Board are reporting devastating holiday cancellations. This isn't good.
Hey, our fabulous adventure playground of a landscape is still the same (minus a few bridges), the fells and rocks are as they were a hundred years ago, the waterfalls even more dramatic and our people are even more friendly and welcoming.
I'm here in the Pink Egg looking up the north face of Skiddaw and it is magnificent. There's nowhere else I would rather be.
Think about it. Come and see us. We need you more than ever.

Monday morning blues

So, the power has been off since 5am. The gallery is cold and dark. Tried to ring Angie to save her driving in but she's already left.
Feeling down until this note appeared in my box - cheered me up.

Hi,
I was one of those who came to the Gallery on Saturday for welcome cup of tea, having travelled from outside Manchester in the morning!
Thanks, Chris again, for the warm hospitality.
Yes, it was lovely to see the shops opening up, including the lingerie shop, which is incredibly up and running in Market Place so soon - so I had a spend. But my conversion from 34B to 32C was reversed! Different make! Yes, I was the one.
And I did quite a bit of my Christmas shopping at the shops at Mitchells- with my presents bearing the proud sticky labels "Bought in Cockermouth"! And some of beautiful Christmas cards in aid of the Cumbria Flood recovery!
On Saturday evening there was a great concert given by Castlegate Singers, a ladies' choir drawn from Cockermouth and the surrounding area, at Christ Church, with a supporting group of a ladies' recorder group called Piping Hot- excellent musicians. The singers normally practice each Wednesday at the United Reformed Church but have a temporary home at Christ Church.
And a friend gave me a run down of the Jazz at the Kirkgate Centre on Saturday lunchtime - again an enjoyable event.
And then Sunday morning - welcome service at Christ Church again, followed by a community meal in the "soup kitchen", i.e. the church rooms where the 24/7 refreshments, including the trolley service, have emerged, and provided such a welcome service to the flood victims and the many workmen over the last weeks.
In the church rooms the children have created a notice, Cockermouth, the town with bounce back ability- the slogan is already on the town website! Apparently the original blue cloth badges are like gold dust- but laminated badges will be soon created.
Thanks for the space on the blog, Chris, and keep up the good work.
M

Soup kitchen

Sunday 13th December
The soup seems to be working its magic - though I won't be giving up the day job as yet. Cockermouth businesses are in the recovery position - working together to lessen the impact of anything that might hit us.
A Guardian journalist came to the gallery on Tuesday and sampled the magic soup (tomato, basil and secret ingredients). On Thursday there was this brilliant 3rd leader in his paper which probably wasn't anything to do with it but was very heartening. The high profile politicians and VIPs may have gone but we are definitely not yesterday's news.
He wrote
Cumbria has given the world the best in scientists, comedians and of course poets, but a prime minister has yet to come out of its beautiful landscape. Perhaps one is in waiting among the young people who have witnessed, and are taking part in, an exemplary expression of civic virtue which has followed November's floods. A bridge has been built in a week at Workington, a railway halt in a weekend. Devastated shops in Cockermouth have relocated to the town's auction mart, taking their Main Street signs along with them. The strength of the response has been partly a matter of efficiency by all the agencies involved, but it owes more to Cumbrians' priorities. They drew on their own strength first . The yellow jackets of Churches Together volunteers were on the streets almost as quickly as the orange ones of the emergency services. Only later came the justified request for extra government funding. The money was offered with enthusiasm because so much self help had already been shown. The long haul back to normality remains a test, but Cumbrians in the Northside community centre at Workington, or Cockermouth's temporary surgeries, are planning long term. Shallow obituarists of broken Britain should visit the county to learn these wholesome lessons (as should anyone else within reach, to do their Christmas shopping). The county council's motto Ad montes oculos levavi strictly means "I shall lift up mine eyes to the hills". It might be better translated as "Looking out for one another".

It has been a good weekend. The feeling of support from far and wide is wonderful. We sold paintings, we sold books in exchange for tea and soup and a place by the warm fire. People came to the gallery from the North East, Manchester and London and they came to spend money in the town. This is not easy (well spending money is) but it's not as easy in a wrecked town as going on the internet or a one-stop shopping mall but you have no idea the difference it makes to us all here. Main Street at Mitchells is buzzing and the warehouse round the corner is miraculously almost fitted out with loads of small units. The shop signs are going up. People visiting for the first time since the floods were deeply shocked at the level and extent of the damage.
And the drying out process just keeps going. The Main street is an anthill of activity. We are all making things happen rather than waiting for somebody to do something. The support agencies are there for us and the bridge builders in every sense of the word are doing their best. We none of us realised how utterly important bridges are. We took them for granted until we lost them. We drove over some of them without realising we were even on a bridge. To lose one bridge is inconvenient, two is unfortunate, but the number we have lost is catastrophic and life changing. My six mile, ten minute drive to the gallery from home is now a twenty two mile trek (with temporary traffic lights and a four mile contra flow system) stretching it to at least forty minutes on a good day.
But none of us is disheartened. Our communities are not divided - we are working together for the greater good. Just keep on coming - we need you to keep the town alive.