Next, Dean visited from Wales to help me paint a mural for Wentworth Primary in Dartford. I thought this was a brilliant idea and a great way to add some colour to their walls as well as making the mural functional. They wanted this tree painted to that they could hang photographs of all of the children attending the nursery from the branches. I then had a small project painting an autumnal looking tree for the Garden Cottage Nursery in Canterbury. It was such a nice school to work at, but the commute to London was something I don’t think I could do every day! I am quite a shy person, so I’m pretty sure I tripped on my way to the front of the hall and then proceeded to turn a bright shade of red, but I thought it was a very kind thing for the school to do and shows how welcoming and inclusive they are.
On my last day at Perrymount I got asked into their assembly, where I was given a ‘Star Pupil’ certificate and a round of applause. This was a really fun job, and all the staff and pupils were so nice and complimentary and couldn’t wait to see what new characters were getting added every day. I also painted ‘Welcome to Perrymount Primary’ on the wall in front of the main doors, so the message would welcome everyone who came into the main part of the school. I painted the background in the same way as their previous mural, with simple fields and a blue cloudy sky, then I painted lots of storybook characters walking in the landscape as if they were headed into the school. They were so pleased with the finished mural that they asked me to come back for the following two weeks to continue the mural through their main doors and into the entrance hall. During week one I painted a pear tree in their entrance room with a simple countryside landscape background and the schools values written onto the branches of the tree. I have been pretty busy for this first half of the year (evidently) working alone mostly, but Dean has assisted with some larger projects (mainly the ones involving stairs and scaffolding).Īt the beginning of the year I worked at Perry Mount Primary in London for three weeks. Rua fernao de Ornelas wasn’t opened until much later.Apparently, I haven’t written a blog since the end of last year… where has the time gone?! It’s already almost August! In the photo, see the bridges existing at the time: Ponte Nova, ponte do Bom Jesus, and further away the bridge leading to rua do Carmo. The D Manuel bridge was ordered by D Manuel de Portugal e Castro, governor of Madeira between 18. Most of the more emblematic bridges of the Funchal have their origin in this structuring enterprise, and we are specifically referring to the bridges of São Paulo (in São João), and Nova (over Ribeira de Santa Luzia). It is as a consequence of the remarkable work developed under the guidance of this man that Funchal has avoided many floods, but the consequence of the channeling is that bridges become more necessary than ever. Two are referred to in city records, namely the bridge at Santa Maria do Calhau (close to the present day market) and Cadeira (jailhouse) (apparently connecting rua Direita with rua dos Ferreiros).Īfter the big flood of 1803, the Portuguese government dispatched general Reinaldo Oudinot, to channel the rivers and thus avoid what was quickly becoming a cyclic disaster.
According to some sources, these were very light structures, and some couldn’t even be used by larger pack animals. The first bridges in Funchal were made of wood, and allowed people to cross the rivers over which the city is built – especially in rainy periods, because in normal circumstances, with the rivers not being channeled, it was quite easy to cross them. Early in January the Funchal council classified three bridges built in the heart of the city: since this date, the bridges Nova, D Manuel and São Paulo are protected sites.