Chelsea design centre

My sketches of the site

Very, very interesting concept, to swap the interior/exterior decorations with each other; the stairs outside the building were fitted with a plush carpet and the walls adorned with fancy wallpaper, whereas inside, the floor seemed to be of polished stone and the chairs of the restaurant had an quite an outdoorsy feel, accentuated by the high glass ceiling and the hanging birds.

Are you inside looking out or outside looking in?

A gamer's paradise

An impressive re-creation of the world in Super Mario Bros [level 1] Antoinette J. Citizen successfully captured the essence of almost everyone's favourite Nintendo game. I think its fantastic how it involves interactive features such as boxes that when bumped from the bottom gives out coin sounds, just like in the game, which creates quite the stimulating environment whether for a child or a nostalgic player.

Art Gallery visit

I was able to visit this art exhibition solely to the kindness of a stranger who gave me and my friend an extra pair of tickets free of charge. Thank you so much, whoever & wherever you are

City Farm

A wonderful visit to a city farm, it may have been tucked in a corner but this Kentish farm seems to have a lot of young visitors due to its free horse riding sessions and child activities.

First time I see a goat in my life!

They had quite innovative substitutes for certain things such as using tyres or bathtubs as planting beds or hanging cd's to ward off birds from seedlings.

My favourite picture! No photoshop work done to it.

Kim Wilkie Lecture at Knights Park

This Lecture seemed to be a successful melting pot for all Southeastern England's various insitutes as they discussed the striking projects that were designed and completed by Kim Wilkie, a respected landscape architect with quite an exotic background.

Pat beginning with introductions

Growing Communities volunteer work

Growing Communities is a social enterprise run by local people in Hackney, East London. Their goal is to create a more sustainable food system through running a local box scheme which grows organic mixed salad in small urban market gardens and selling it in the Stoke Newington organic farmers market. As for the Castle climbing centre, big plans are being cooked up which includes a permaculture garden with fruit trees, fruit bushes and herbs as well as the changes they will be making in the coming years: to be waste, carbon and water neutral by 2015. For more information see their environmental blog http://sustainablecastle.blogspot.com/

We were sent there to volunteer our help with the renovation of the castle's garden. We were divided into groups, some doing measuring and sketching out ideas and others [including me] did some digging, hoeing and raking to remove some roots from a certain area so that they could use the land for a vegetable patch.

It was hard physical labour in 1 degree weather but we all thoroughly enjoyed it!

Map of grounds

The introductions

Areas already marked for new bushes and trees

We accidentally wrecked this poor frogs family home when we upturned a rock while digging.

Covered raised vegetable beds for protection from frost as well as nuisances such as slugs

 Green roofing!