Gunnera

I went to Chatsworth House gardens last week and Gunnera plants make very good dens.

Todays building

Today we made new dens with our friend Cath as a Pipits performance and filmed it.
It was really calm as we just did it without talking. First we made a hamlet of three small dwellings, all really different, out of small things from home. Toys and things from around the house.
Then we made a big one together and it's interesting how each person has a different desire for the den, more enclosed, open, symbolic, functional. I wonder if this is because of feelings in the moment or inner desires for dwellings?
I'd really like to make a den out of just white paper freestanding. Maybe it would take a day

Last week we went to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park camping and stayed in a forest, it was heaven despite the rain rain rain mud mud, we made a den in the forest out of lots of leafy branches it was round and had a supporting post(tree) in the middle, we put large leaves on the floor and also took a picnic rug and chairs we sat inside and ate snacks and drank tea. There were a few spiders in the den and a few flying insects...it rained whilst we sat there but we stayed dry...

My son likes to make dens that he can crawl through so with a front and back door-tunnels that you can pause in if you want...we recently had a leylandhi...not sure if that is correct spelling...anyway it was chopped down and it was the girl next door's den when she was younger i wonder what she thinks...

I preferred to stand in a dark 70's Jacobean wardrobe for half an hour, peeking periodically through a gap in the door, than wash up. It took ages for my sister and brother to discover it as a hiding place.

Old-fashioned rectangular wicker laundry baskets are good for small people too.

Hiding in the wardrobe...



dens could be just on your own quiet space