Conversing about 'Citizen Curators' - The end, or the beginning?

As I sit here typing away on my laptop in late July 2019, it's approximately almost 2 months since the Citizen Curators course finished. I've had time to gather my thoughts and think things over without that initial bias that creeps in when you are still riding a high. Before I leap into summarizing the course as a whole, I shall briefly recap what happened after the final Core Session up until when the course technically ended.

So long, farewell, until we meet again.

The final core session was in February and well documented in my previous blog post but after that we had what one can regard as the official finale/send-off as a collective group of Citizen Curators from across the county. For us, this was a day's experience at the The Old Cathedral School in Truro on Monday, 29 April. The morning was an opportunity to do final reflections on the course via feedback forms with all groups from across Cornwall present in the same room. Well, those who were able to turn up, that is. Although advertised as a "short" questionnaire, this was about 30 questions; even my brief log I'd hastily rushed to complete before this day wasn't enough use to me in order to recall my memories sufficiently enough to do the questionnaire any justice. I need time to sit and reflect rather than quickly recall. I therefore "dumbed" down my responses somewhat to simplistic one-word answer sentences as at least that way I could give a gist of an opinion. Although one expected the opportunity to feedback, I don't think any of us expected such a comprehensive feedback form, nor that we wouldn't be able to mingle with members of the other Citizen Curator groups, create dialogue between ourselves and then give feedback in a more conversational manner, which I think would have been easier for us, but probably harder work for Tehmina. Sadly, we didn't really get to find out much about any of the other groups. Most faces we didn't recognise (as they were from the other cluster) and there was no opportunity to find out what they'd done for their projects or their own individual thoughts about the course, which, for most us of in my group, was of more value than what we thought ourselves. We got our certificates of achievement but, suffice to say, the real value of the course was not able to be conveyed on paper.

We'd anticipated at least a snack/cuppa opportunity too but that didn't happen although I believe that was down to an error on the building’s function team part. Any food didn't come until the end of the day, by which point we'd gone off for a Penlee posse group lunch in the city at lunch time.

After lunch, those who were left (a lot did leave at this point) sat through an hour or so of presentations by CMP on all the opportunities they were providing for people to get into museums, such as citizen curators, internships and apprenticeships. There were guest speakers, which wasn't too mind-numbing I'll admit, and then there was the opportunity for the group I was in, and a few other Citizen Curator groups, to get up in front of the audience (I'd guess 40-50 people) and give a 3 minute speech about what we did for a project. It wasn't really long enough, and I don't think we really managed to convey our efforts. Not because we were rubbish, but because we weren’t in control of the presentation projection behind us (CMP were) and we weren't suitably educated on what to expect beforehand. Literally 10 minutes before we got up to speak, and seeing how others had given their presentations, we realised we needed to prepare some words, so I scribbled down 3 sentences, most of which went out the window when I fumbled through my bit of the presentation and somehow went off on a total tangent by saying how I wanted to do some dressing up in drag! Don't ask me how I got to that. I wanted the floor to open up :D 

After all this CMP show, it was mingling time with whoever was left, of which I can't really remember now as after that presentation I was ready to wave a white flag and go home. The food came out but even though it looked a lovely selection, I'd had the biggest sandwich ever only a few hours earlier and could barely touch anything more. I didn't really chat to anyone other than my own gang, a few other citizen curators from our cluster who lurked about, and the official photographer who was rather cheerful.

And, officially, that was the end of it. However, it also wasn't, because at this point, we'd not actually started our exhibition at Penlee which was in its final stages but ran for several weeks during May. I can't recall exactly how things transpired but I will give an outline of our project for you.

Project Improbable

At the start this did feel like "how the heck are we going to do this" and we certainly dropped several of our busier ideas as time went on. What we ended up with though we were quite pleased with. We'd got an advertisement for our mini exhibition up in a large shop window in the town by way of two larger than life figure cut-outs and a banner. Our title for the exhibition was "Penlee House and the Branwells". I won't go too much into the history aspect, but they were the couple who built and lived in Penlee House in Penzance in the late 1800s of which the Penlee Museum and Art Gallery now lives. Inside the museum we had a display case to ourselves to house objects related to the house and the Branwells, such as photos of the museum's refurbishment and items that could be attributed to the Branwells. Behind the display case we'd had mounted and framed numerous large old photos of the family, house and surrounding park. Additionally (and this was my main individual contribution) we'd set up an iPad on a stand that could interactively or automatically show off up to 40 more photos along with captions. Nearby we put one of the cousins of the Branwell's wedding dress on display (the first time it had actually come out of the storeroom), and we'd got a few more photos/plans up in the passageway outside the social history area where our exhibition was held. By far our proudest part of the exhibition were the windows outside the house on the way up the steps to the main entrance, of which we'd filled two of them with life size b/w photographs of the dining room (that was originally the room behind those windows at one point) with Mr and Mrs Branwell in each window, and suitable blinds filling up the top part to add character and hide the bit the photograph couldn't fill. There's also an interpretation panel for the windows on the wall. It's safe to say we all felt and still feel most pleased about these windows which were lifeless and boring beforehand (with just hardboard filling them up). We feel the Branwells are remembered and back home, and that, unlike the rest of our exhibition, this part will stay up for as long as they stay in good nick, which hopefully will be many years.

Final Thoughts

Was this course worth my time and effort? 

In short, yes.

Was it everything I expected?

Mostly.

By far the most common feeling from myself and other group members, was that the level of commitment, and thus time given to the course far exceeded our expectations. As with most things, you can give as much or as less as you like in many respects, but if you're going into this fully enthusiastic to seize the opportunity and gain the maximum result you possibly could, then you're going to be giving a lot more of your time than you might have thought, especially if you have work and home commitments. You've got to be able to juggle matters sometimes. In many ways this course is a bit like those part-time adult learning courses you'd do at any college and requires that you not only attend but do the homework. Now, the homework is all the optional things, like extra reading, seminars or training but that's all usually free (aside potentially from the transport aspect) and adds tremendous value to the experience and engrossment of the heritage world. Then, on top of that, you must think about your fellow group members. My group met up quite regularly, even in the first 4 months before any project talk, where we went off on excursions together, met up and chatted/drank coffee/ate cake, in order to get to know each other, discuss what we'd learnt at core sessions and give early thoughts on project ideas. For us, we met for 4-5 hours at a time. If you think about it, every month, it's quite possible to take up a day for core sessions, a few hours or so for any "extra reading" related stuff, a day or two for any seminars/training sessions you go to, and then a day for meeting your group, and of course, your museum mentor. It could be 4-5 days a month if you went full whammy.

Should you do the course?

My thought is that it's well worth doing but only really consider it if you got the time to go the full hog; don’t go into it half hearted. Not only is the time to commit what I've just said previously, but when the project time starts about half way through the course, you're talking 1-2 days a week (although of course not all day) you will be involved for multiple hours in some respect with the course. You need to have the flexibility in your life to be able to meet your group, do project work, attend seminars, and of course, those core sessions.

The value for me in the course, and the main reason why I decided to do it in first place, was the project aspect. Although my volunteering in the museum sector has got me involved in a lot of various aspects of that world, I'd never had the opportunity to put my stamp on an exhibition from that initial spark of an idea. I’d done proofreading and given feedback to staff but to design an exhibition, plan it and put it on, was something that was very rarely going to happen when volunteering. Additionally, I was determined to make it even more worthwhile by making sure there was a legacy aspect to the project. So many times I've seen objects in exhibitions go on show and then disappear never to be seen again. I wanted to do something that would be there for years afterwards and we achieved that with the windows that will inform the public and invoke their curiosity for some time to come. Out of everything, that made the course powerful for me.

The end? Or the beginning?

Now that the course is well and truly over, you might well surmise that museum life isn't for you, but for myself, I'm still volunteering in the same capacity as before. Although I like what CMP offer in terms of opportunities for people to get into the museum sector, the long and short of it is that there are very few paid opportunities in this area, and those that are, will be funding reliant. Most museums are run and kept alive by volunteers with only a handful of paid staff. If you're looking for paid employment and a heritage career, this course will seriously whet your appetite but can also leave you somewhat pessimistic about the future. There are jobs out there, because I've seen them, but they are all "up country" and I'm not wanting to move for a job at this moment in time. Therefore, I'm holding out for a local opportunity to arise. I have applied for two jobs since the course finished, gaining an interview for one of the jobs, but alas I'm still without employment. In order to make my ongoing volunteering count towards employment opportunities I started my Museum Association’s AMA at same time as the Citizen Curator's course; In a nutshell you can think of the AMA as Citizen Curators multiplied by a factor of 10. Maybe I'll blog about it, as it's also not for the faint hearted as it costs money, runs for 2 years but should you pass you do gain a qualification that is well regarded in the museum sector.

You can call me Mr Branwell ...

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 19 - "Descent"

Synopsis: Evading The First Order, Kax and the gang devise a dangerous method to send a signal to the Resistance for help.

What I Thought:  There's a lot in this episode, making it probably the most fast paced of the season so far. Seems it was the whole gang arrested and not just Kaz, which leaves Bucket to do the most significant thing he's done all season, create a smoke screen and thus aide everything's escape. Well, except Tam. She's still heavily confused and not seeing the First Order as the rest do, although you could say neither is Neeku, but he's quite happy to just do what he is told or had explained to him. Tam meets First Order Security Bureau Agent Tierny who befriends her in order to manipulate information from her. It's a much deeper look at the level and depth the First Order has built up that we have a look at different divisions of this organisation. It's most certainly not all Stormtroopers, ships and Kylo Ren - speaking of which, I'm still betting on a cameo from him in the finale.

Yeager really comes alive in this episode having spent all the season doing his best not to get involved. He's certainly involved now, blasting troopers and then sacrificing himself so that Kaz can get away. There's huge flashbacks to Rogue One with Yeager and Kaz next to the transmitter. It's somewhat a surprise then after all their efforts that the Resistance respond to Kaz's message with a "Sorry", a real little twist. Given what Kaz and co have performed all season and especially in this episode, taking back the station seems like it would be no problem - except, what's to stop the First Order coming back again and again? Where will we end up after the finale? Is Synara going to rally the pirates to help? Why would they help?

Smoke bomb always works but how does everyone else see where they are going?

A new friend for Tam?

Yup, that's a transmitter alright.

Rating: 7/10 - Action packed to a level never experienced on the station before as we had the finale with the stakes amazingly high.

The Curse of Oak Island S06E03

We're now 5 years in to the Lagina brothers hunt for treasure on Oak Island. Technically you could say they've achieved this, based on recent weeks, or by using your own definition of what treasure is. Regarding the mystery of the island though, they've a long way to go to get definitive answers. However, Smith's Cove might well be the next place that actually turns up results, as the Lagina brothers see the start of their cofferdam arriving in the form of a massive crane on a big pad by the cove. A hydraulic hammer will bash 120 steel sheets into the ground around the cove, then the area will be drained and a new beach for Dan Blankenship will be created. Ok, not the last bit but it's still 3 weeks until the dam will be ready.

Part of the gang are off on a jolly to Calgary to the HQ of Eagle Canada, who are the guys that blew up the Money Pit last week using seismic charges. Have they found anything? Is the world round? Of course they have something to show. If they are paid that much money, they will find something. Interestingly enough, it's revealed now that they also blew up another area nearby to the Money Pit which is known as the Mega Bin (another name for the island for some!) which is an area where previous excavations by Dan Blankenship found evidence of tunnels. The results are in for the Mega Bin. It shows an anomaly at about 50ft deep in the upper corner of the area. Apparently this red blob, which is amongst lots of blue blobs, is a void of some sort. The Money Pit results show a void too, at 160ft, which is smack bang near where they drilled two of their holes last season ... and missed. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should always do your research and gain a deeper knowledge of where to drill, rather than just closing one eye and taking a chance! They believe this void might be the Chapell Vault which they were looking for last year when they found those human bones and pottery. Yet another anomaly is also found near the Money Pit which they think shows a flood tunnel. I think I might need a 3 day course to understand those charts though ...

Back at the island, Jack, Gary and Mike West (Geophysics wizard) are at Captain Anderson's lot, number 26, on the beach. Mike has one of those EM61s again on a buggy that he drags around beeping all the time. This scanner is more powerful than Gary's. You'd think there might be a "mine's bigger than yours" fight but Gary is cool with Mike's gadget that can go to a depth of 20ft. First up, they find a 1700's metal spike. Hmm. Then they find a metal hook. Naturally Gary has already put 1+1 together and believes this shows Captain Anderson using the area as a port.

Back in War Room and the gang gather to show off the seismic maps. They pick locations for the next core holes and the priority. Naturally they are going for the obvious first.

The Next Day the brothers observe Smith's Cove's cofferdam construction which is very impressive I must say. A tad later drilling equipment arrives in the form of sonic drills that literally blast everything out of their way when drilling. So, not destroying it by crushing it but obliterating evidence. Nice. Anyhow, geologist Terry Matheson, who helped them with the previous holes which missed the target, helps them choose the next hole sites. First hole is called DE6 and every 10ft they bring back samples. At 80ft deep they bring up wood which they believe is from a collapsed tunnel. Either that, or they've a big beaver problem.

Back at Lot 26, the next item to be found is mighty amazing for it looks like a long metal item with a sharp tip: i.e from a crossbow! Gary is very excited and could do with a minute to compose himself as he thinks it's very old, like Templar old, which is 12th/13th century and possibly used to pierce chainmail. Is it what it looks like though?

Lots of blobs in the Mega Bin.

Lots of wood in DE6.

An impressive sharp tip from a crossbow?

Rating 8/10 - A highly promising episode, with the cofferdam under construction, discovers on Lot 26 and targets in the Money Pit area.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 18 - "The Disappeared"

Synopsis: The First Order starts locking people up for defying them, leading to Kaz to hatch a rescue plan.

What I Thought: With a title like this, I'm reminded of the Clone Wars. In this case, the lockdown and takeover by The First Order of the station suddenly escalates from patrols ... to complete control. Races are cancelled and the Aces grounded. It's a little surprising that Doza doesn't even try to answer back to Commander Pyre, instead going into secret collusion with Yeager to find a way to get through to the Resistance. Kaz and Torra are left to attempt the rescue, taking down stormtroopers in a rather chaotic ambush, allowing the 4 prisoners to leave the station via the transporter. It's all a rather simple plan, but the propaganda, lying and oppression of The First Order is clearly laid bare as any defiance is locked down, and the Stormtroopers go around praising their own virtues.

Interesting to see the First Order BB unit going around, eavesdropping anyone showing defiance. How they couldn't see that droid, I don't know. What does The First Order gain from locking down the Aces? I'm unsure. Possibly they are control freaks? I'm not sure what the strategic advantage is, although perhaps with no ships airborne, they know they can't get attacked from within?

Clearly Doza and Yeager go back somewhat to be this able to be in cahoots? I would have liked to have seen Doza at least try to reason with Pyre. Before the opening titles he argued successfully with Pyre but almost right afterwards he said nothing when Pyre informed him that the races were cancelled!

Trouble takes a serious turn at the end for Kaz as he finds himself surrounded and arrested!

She's not happy.

Torra proves very capable with a blaster!

This doesn't look good ...

Rating: 7/10 - First Order control is complete of the station within the blink of the eye, as no one is safe, including now Kaz.

The Curse of Oak Island S06E02

Fresh with excitement about that discovery last episode, Rick and Gary drive a long distance across the island to knock up Dan's house where Marty is already gathered. Hope they've put the kettle on! Inside, they show the broach to the two non-experts who both like what they see. Gary's insight is that it's a fancy one but mine is that it's also past its best in its current form. Is it related to a treasure or just accidentally dropped on the floor by someone? We're reminded that this is the second jewel they've found, or resemblance of a jewel. Soon they'll be opening up the Oak Island Jewellers. Gary thinks it's 1700's or older. Thanks for really pinning that down, Gary. We're also reminded of James Anderson (not the England bowler) who was a pirate who once lived on the island.

Back at the Money Pit, and there's more explosions, like there's a badger being chased across the area at 100mph. More seismic scanning at its best is going on. There's been 100 in the last hour, with more being set off in the hopes of making a decent map of the area underneath. Here's hoping it's something that sort of looks coherent.

Laird drives to the Exhibition Centre, clearly having already been busy elsewhere pulling up trees as his hands are dirty. Some of the gang are there for him to look at the latest broach. Laird has never seen anything like it before, so thanks Laird. He does say that jewellery finds are rare in Nova Scotia. He thinks it might be gilded by gold.

Next day and it's off to Smith's Cove to meet two of the company's looking to splash the brother's cash like there's no tomorrow, Irving and Brycon. They plan to make a 25ft deep coffer dam but first a new road needs to be built to get that 300ft crane out to the cove. Apparently it'll take about a week to get started once road is there.

Pub booze-up next as some of the gang gather to talk about the broach and offer zero valuable insights. However, they are going to go on a jolly to Calgary, some 3,000 miles away. Well, Dave and the brothers are. Charles Lewton-Brain is a gemologist and uses a digital video microscope to examine the first "jewel" from last season which he says is hand cut, and has a refractive index of 1.7. That means it's a garnet gemstone!

Next, this season's "gemstone" which is of a softer material, and has an occlusion of bubbles, which means it's nothing special and just glass. Still, it looks pretty. Certainly he thinks it's handmade and not modern. Maybe up to 500 years old. We're told about secret societies, like the freemasons, by the narrator because glass makers used to be quite secretive with their colouring stuff.

The second "gem's" broach is looked at next and he says the wire around the outside section is super ancient. The technique used is called block twisting. Potentially it's older than 13th century which makes it that much older than anything else they've found on the island so far; yes, even older than Dan Blankenship.

Next day and the road is being made. Marty, Craig and Alex held off to Halifax to meet that Professor of Chemistry lady again and get that broach examined. She uses magnifying scope and chemical composition. Initially there's just brass but, wait for it, there's some sections of GOLD!

Gold
(Gold)
Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believe in, 'cos you are.

Blimey! Actual gold? Well, I'll be blown down. It is perhaps only gold plated but could be up to 700 years old.

Later that day, in the War Room, all this info is shared and much nodding and fist pumping goes on. Ok, not a lot, but they are happy.

Rick & Dan (the other Dan) are at the Money pit to check on those seismic charges and ... it's all done. Should take only two weeks to get data processed and generate a 3D Map. Ohhh, at least two weeks goes quickly on this show.

We end up with a familiar site. The road is ready to the cove and lots of large lorries and trailers make their way onto the island.

Rick points out how much bigger the "gem" looks when magnified ...

This is ancient stuff. The thing in gold, not the pointer.

The convoy of serious money being spent arrives.

Rating 7/10 - Although this is a bit of filler episode in terms of new action, we get a lot confirmed about those two broaches and we are ready to start that dam and get that 3D map.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 17 - "The Core Problem"

Synopsis: Poe turns up, and he and Kaz go off to explore an area where the First Order have been lurking.

What I thought: Whilst we don't really learn much new that we didn't already know before, this episode in itself shows us that we're not going to have to wait too long to catch up with the events of TFA. Well, we're assuming that's the case because Poe says he has to take BB-8 on a mission to Jakku, and we all know how TFA opens. It would be a real twist in the story if this isn't the mission we see the end of in the movie. Could he have been there before? Given the devastation of the nearby star system (missing a star) and planet cored out, you'd think we're being expedited up to TFA but it could yet be a wait. We will have to see.

We don't know how Poe arrived, or how Kaz got back to the station with CP-23, his new droid, but we do know how they both exited the station, in a rather ridiculous manoeuvre: how did the TIE fighters not spot that distinctly coloured Fireball on top of the cargo ship? How did Poe hang on to Kaz's ship so much? Oh well, we just have to accept these things.

I was hoping for a little more in the destroyed Star System investigation but all we mostly got was reinforcements of things we already know, such a evidence for Starkiller base and a totally destroyed town with a sort of temple. Ring any TFA bells? I'm not sure why the rest of the intelligence was dismissed: what about all those First Order ships?

The First Order Probe droid seemed destined to stay hidden until it decided to go all macho on us and attack. Quite who'd trust Kaz with a blaster I don't know, but he single handed stopped the droid, although almost taking out BB-8.

Still, at least we're ticking off the list, and hopefully future First Order detail will continue to add to that which we didn't already know. You'd also think that the Red TIE pilot must recognise the Fireball and that can't be good for Kaz.

Looks familiar ...

Trouble lurks.

They arrived quickly!

Rating: 7/10 - The pace accelerates up to TFA, as we get a stark awakening of the threat from the First Order.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 16 - "The New Trooper"

Synopsis: Kel and Elia take down a Stormtrooper who was trying to identify them, leading to Kaz and Co trying to help them evade capture.

What I thought: Wow! That was a blast! It's been a while since we'd had this much fun but I totally enjoyed this episode, especially Kaz's antics in the Stormtrooper uniform where he looked nothing like you'd expect of a trooper. Cleverly they left his neck not fully cover by the black undergarment so he was easily identifiable against all the other troopers, but his mannerisms and voice totally gave that away regardless to us viewers. Quite how it took so long for the other troops to notice any suspicions I'm not sure, given Kaz was totally unlike any normal disciplined trooper. I'm also not sure how they knew his identification number after just mere seconds. I'm assuming there are some sort of electronic display/sensors inside the helmets which identify other troopers. Regardless, this is a fun, comical time with Kaz in the uniform, faking it totally with every other trooper, and gathering important data for the resistance at the same time. His confrontation with the First Order BB unit was typical of how Kaz does his action: kicking and falling all over the place!

Along the way we learn more important information, not least slightly more about the First Order's time on the children's planet, the recondition nature that Troopers can undergo, that there's more Troopers coming, and that, as we know, but no one else does, that there's a lot of First Order ships out there. Tam isn't convinced there's anything to worry about with the First Order, even Neeku backs her up, and although the children's story saddens her greatly, it's still quite a leap for her to just accept what they say so quickly. I guess we'll have to accept that, as we have to accept how quickly they got the Trooper redressed into the uniform and stood upright, just as the other Trooper's closed in on Kaz.

After the promise of more First Order from the mid-season trailer, and a few quieter episodes lately in that respect, the threat level is really ramped up several notches now we know more First Order are on their way.

Oooops ...

Kaz versus the BB unit.

That's a lot of red dots ...

Rating: 8/10 - A lot of First Order this episode, and some excellent Kaz antics, make this a thoroughly entertaining episode.

Conversing about 'Citizen Curators' - Core Session 6

It's early February as we reach the very last of the Core Sessions before we go totally loose on project work. In the previous weeks since the last Core Session, us Penlee House Citizen Curators have met a few times and cracked on with planning, thanks to meetings with Tehmina and Zoe, plus Katie from Penlee House itself. We have a good idea of the outcomes we'd like to deliver, although the nitty gritty is still ahead to make it happen. The next formal session will be the big finale in late April, two months from now, where one needs to be able to demonstrate the project is primed and loaded to go, even though it doesn't necessarily have to be live by that date.

Rather bizarrely, my notes from this session are not in my notebook, so goodness knows where they went. Therefore I'm relying on my rubbish memory totally for this blog post.

Project Workshop

On a blowy damp morning, we ended up for this session in the cartshed at Penlee House, which has officially the slowest cold water tap in the South-West but an impressive three kettles to ensure everyone is well watered. This session is all about the project that us Citizen Curators have to get busy with over the next two months, so therefore we started off with a little pre-enable of filling in our thoughts about everything we'd learnt from the course. I'm not good with a blank piece of paper in front of me, so had to get that brain churning via looking at my notes and the handouts from previous sessions, plus a second cup of coffee. Strangely, my sheet is also missing from my notebook but it was divided up into sections in a table form covering the main headings from the core sessions: Communications, Research, Collections etc. What came to mind for me? Unsure as the sheet has gone missing :D I'll probably be doing a conclusion post on the whole course in the early summer so I'll neatly slope my shoulders at this point and move on to the next part of the session.

A Good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

That was today's quote on the handout and also sums up the next portion of the morning that took us up to coffee and cake, or, as most other people call it, lunch. We had a double sided handout full of multiple sections to fill in, this piece of paper being our formal project plan document which needs to be submitted by the 22nd February. Although there are some 14 sections to be filled in, it's not as daunting as it sounds, especially as most groups have done a decent amount of ground work for their projects by this point. Of course, this isn't the day we have to do the project plan, but an opportunity to think about the form, get a draft copy done and have some help. Types of things to think about and cover on the form include 'communication' - what message are you telling your audience? who is your audience? What are the primary outcomes? What is unique or different about your project? what's the star object? what about feedback,? what's the Cornish connection and more. I'll not go through everything but suffice to say it's comprehensive but also a very highly useful document to help collate ones previous planning work into a formal structured plan document. Plus, it's only two sides of A4 so you aren't writing an essay here.

I thought you was doing that?

Additionally, we had a one-sided handout form that is like a tasklist, detailing the tasks you need to do to complete the project, who is doing it and by when. There's also a shopping list which isn't for your next supermarket trip but the bits and bobs you'll need for the project such as interpretation boards, flyers etc.

All in all, a very useful morning spent bringing everything together in a more formal manner and helping to ensure you've not forgotten anything or lost your focus.

Golden Tree Productions

The afternoon was taken up by a presentation and group tasks set by a representative from Golden Tree Productions, who promote Cornishness off the back of a pot of money given our way in 2014 when Cornwall became officially a national minority. All the sordid details of that framework and what it means for us Cornish was shown to us, and we got to do some group tasks to test our cornishness and thinking about what one needs to do to put a big project together, as Golden Tree did with the Cornish Tick Box Bus ... which, I don't think I'd even heard about before. Mind you, given my introverted ways, they are lucky I'd heard anything about their work thus far.

It was interesting, although a little dry perhaps. I'm not totally sure what to think, most likely because I'm totally unsure what to say about the whole Cornish topic, and I'm about as Cornish as they come! I actually kept quite quiet during this part of the day, mostly because I was a little sleepy but also because I've never really been able to convey my thoughts on the topic coherently. Certainly this blog isn't the place to start ranting on about Cornish stuff either way but as a presentation is was adequate, and as a guide to a project, it ticked a few boxes (no pun intended) although if I'm being honest, I'd had preferred more structured examples I think.

That's not quite all folks 

I'll be back with another blog post probably in May as a sort of conclusion to our project and the whole course. Until then, we've got work to do :)

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 15 - "The First Order Occupation"

Synopsis: Kaz helps smuggle Synara out of the station, who is being pursued by the First Order.

What I thought: At the end of the last episode it was 2 stormtroopers on the station, but clearly there are more now. All together we never see more than 4 but there's possibly a few more, given the TIE fighter circling the base and that lots of things such as platforms are under First Order control. This really does feel like the title says, an occupation. How we got to this from the last episode, we don't see, but the First Order have done their homework and already suspect Kaz (who they seem to not know even though they saw him on CCTV) then move on to Synara whom they suddenly seem to believe is the spy even though they hadn't questioned Kaz. Oh well, it still was a fun episode.

Once again Kaz is at his ridiculous best, yet even more haphazard than normal, as he must bang his head and knock over more objects than in the entire season thus far. His romantic chat-up lines need more work too, given how he totally fails to show affection in a manner any sane person would understand. Kaz and Synara in the elevator scene was brilliantly done as they stood there, trying to pass time by doing nothing in particular.

Synara escapes, thanks to Neeku and BB8 helping Kaz's attempts. Only one escape capsule left? Where's that latest health and safety report due?? Unless I'm wrong, I got a strong vibe in the closing minutes that Synara might be force sensitive. The sea monster is seen observing her, and she's also playing with sea birds whilst waiting on the water's surface to be rescued. As sure as sure, we've not seen the last of her.

Almost everyone is harassed by the First Order, including the cleaner!

LOL

Synara has a way with the animals ...

Rating 7/10: The threat and obtrusiveness of the First order feels real, yet the entertainment remains.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 14 - "The Doza Dilemma"

Synopsis: In league with the pirates, the First Order hatch a plan to kidnap Torra and gain Captain Doza's favour ...

What I thought: Ohh, I didn't quite see that happening. Sure, I knew it was all clever manipulation by the First Order, to finally get Captain Doza over the line and accept their protection, but they went one step more devious. Having the pirates kidnap Torra, and then make it look like the First Order were rescuing her rather than being part of the whole manipulation, was almost genius ... if it works. They did indeed deliver her back to her father but, although he obviously appreciate their help, he doesn't look much more convinced to accept their protection. Rather extra sneakily, the offer of two stormtrooper's for his personal protection was made as a rather generous gift that was somewhat forced and made without Doza saying anything! Looks like we've got some interesting times ahead.

Naturally there are a few people who know slightly more about the facts, not least the pirates and Synara, but also Torra who will know the First Order were there to pay the pirates although that isn't evidence enough that they devised the whole plan I guess. Kaz is now totally suspicious of Synara who seems to be really nervous when her comms belt goes off, as if that makes her look like a spy. Surely plenty of people have comms belts? And, what hold do the pirates have over her? She's almost free on the station but still feels compelled to help them? Do they have some leverage on her or is  breaking free just a step too much for her?

Kaz continues his rather comedic personality this week as he sneaks behind the pirates in a full-on classic cartoon manner, making him and BB8 look like Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. I'm left wondering also if those security droids are much use when 4 being deactivated doesn't really cause much concern, other than the head droid reporting it to Doza. "Oh yes, 4 droids are down and Torra isn't in her room.Would you like me to panic now, sound the alarm, or make you a cup of tea Captain Doza?" What good are they?

Kaz would make a great stormtrooper with his shooting skills ...

Betrayal by the First Order.

Here, have some stormtroopers on us.

Rating: 6/10: Another twist of the screw by the First Order as they now get eyes on the ground on the station.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 13 - "Dangerous Business"

Synopsis: Flix and Orka head out for a day break, leaving Kaz in charge of the shop ...

What I thought: Yes, another episode not obviously central to the overall arc as a whole but this one brings up a siematic recognition of more First Order sneaky stuff as the piece of mining equipment that the mining guild member was after looks heavily like they were using it to extract more minerals from somewhere. The presence of 4 stormtroopers on his very large vessel clearly indicated it was for them, as they guarded it. If we add this to the space station episode recently, it shows clear evidence of the First Order up to no good. Exactly what though, isn't fully clear.

This week's star of the show goes to Bitey, the pet of Flix and Orka, whom bites anything that's waved in front of his face. Somehow Kax manages to get bitten at least nearing ten times this episode without drawing blood or needing medical attention. Tetanus anyone? Given the size of the nashers on that pet, that's some pain resistance Kaz has! As one might have suspected by Bitey's continuous presence, his biting comes in handy, as a way to bring down ships. Whether the one cable being bitten would do it, or it was a combination of a chain reaction by the pet being shot and electrocuted, we'll never quite know, although I suspect the latter.

Clearly one knew that Kaz looking after the shop was going to bring chaos, and not only did he lose them the equipment, but also totally trashed it, as if a bull had gotten loose. BB8 did a fantastic amusing job of trying to defend the place, but ultimately it was Kaz and Bitey who somewhat saved the day quite spectacularly. News of this will undoubtedly spread across the station, and can only grab more attention on Kaz.

BB8 defends the shop.

Bitey does what he does best.

Abandon ship!

Rating 7/10 - Entertaining episode once again with charismatic Kaz at his outrageous best, BB8 entertainingly defending the shop, and Bitey proving to be an amusing and useful side-kick.

Star Wars Resistance: Episode 12 - ""Bibo"

Synopsis: Nekku makes friends with a smelly hungry creature which brings danger to the whole platform.

What I thought: I know what you're all thinking: this is a filler episode. Where's the First Order? Where's the season arc that we all got excited about in the mid-season trailer? Well, if that's what you're after, you'd not be liking this episode, but there's much more to this show than the overall Sequel Trilogy arc.

This was an entertaining episode. Sure, it was quite clear to see where the whole plot was going to end up as soon as the big creature turned up, but we got to see a lot of the mechanism and heart of the station, from the top boss, Captain Doza admiring Kaz's piloting skills, to the engineering section which reveals those two children from several episodes ago (Children from Tehar) have even more significance than before: the younger one is clearly force-sensitive. Was this why the First Order wanted them? Did they know this? Are they hunting down force-sensitive children much like the Emperor did?

Then there's the reference right near the start to The Clone Wars, in regard to the salved equipment that Synara trawled up. Name dropping like that is delightful. Also, great to see Synara back although still clearly conflicted as she's in league with the pirates still and potentially still assisting them although it's still highly possible she's looking for a route out and will eventually side with the platform crew.

Brilliant also to see the Aces out there. Fast they are becoming individually more interesting, especially the stormtrooper helmet pilot with the tie-esque fighter. We also get to see that Kaz is easily as skillful, if not more skillful, than the Aces.

Neeku and his smelly friend.

The children are back.

Octopus is on the menu.

Rating: 7/10 - Predictable, but enjoyable episode with Neeku in fine form throughout, and tidy pickings of extra information gleaned regarding the children.

The Curse of Oak Island S06E01

We’re back and it’s a foggy wet day on Oak Island, much like my brain is clouded when it comes to remembering what happened last season; lots of digging, chatting in the War Room, money being spent and a cross as the big find? That’s about the gist of my failing memory. However, it’s great to be back, as we can look forward to how people with a lot of money can cause a lot of destruction in a relatively small space for little reward … for another season. This is TV entertainment folks!

Things get started with the obligatory air shot of Oak Island, which is a little foggy today, as Rick and Marty drive towards the island fresh with bags of money and plenty of ideas of how to make as much of a mess as possible. We’re reminded that this is a 50-year-old childhood dream for the brothers who are hoping that this year is the year that dreams come true: much like the last 5 seasons then. Marty says he’s only 70% convinced that something happened on Oak Island, which apparently is much more than he started with, which goes to show how someone with a lot of money can soon find them parted from the $$$$s.

OMG! There’s a new War Room! Apparently, tourists have been causing havoc so a new one has been established in a secluded spot, which you’d think wouldn’t be easy on such a small island. It’s still got the same sign on the outside though (EST. 2013) but hey, who cares about accurate dates on this island? Everyone is inside, like the knights of the round table, including Dan who has rarely left the house. Pleased to see Craig Tester is still there, despite what he said at end of last series. The big three are on the table, no, not Rick, Marty and Jim, but the targets for this year: the swamp, the money pit and Smith’s Cove. The latter involves the idea of a massive coffer dam so they can find that wooden structure underneath which they think are trapdoors. H8 in the money pit is also one of the 3 where they hope a series of multiple seismic analysis will finally reveal what’s below. This feels a little familiar when it comes to wanting to find out what lies below, aside from mud and water. Also on the table is having metal detector expert Gary spend the rest of his life scanning the island, starting with lots 1-8 and a few others never previously checked before. There’s excitement at nuking area of trees in order for Gary to wield his manly detector.

The next day and there’s a trip to the money pit to map those seismic tests. In comes a geophysical company to do the dirty work. First up, a test! Blimey, that’s a change. They have mapped up where they know a searcher shaft from mid 1800s (called Halifax Tunnel) is located. If this goes well, the brothers will feel more willing to spend one million dollars on having the whole area scanned.  A series of 2ft holes along that area are filled with dynamite and then detectors to pick up the vibrations: good vibrations one hopes. This literally is akin to blowing up money.

Marty and three of the team head to Smith’s Cove to see if the winter’s storm has washed anything up. Gary is out with his detector and … he finds a modern iron spike. Next up, they find some lead! Possibly from a ship, so the hype wagon drums up to us. They all seem super excited already.

It’s the first trip to the pub of the season, as some of the gang look over the lead speculating about it, including that maybe those who lost that cross on the cove lost the lead. Hmm, maybe. Or, maybe not. They want to get the lead tested to find out its original geological location. Which, partially in my mind, might be the off the back of a nearby fishing vessel.

Next day again, and the seismic test in the money pit is almost ready, but Gary and Rick head to Lot 2 which has been a little mutilated. Apparently, this is the first ever time this lot has been metal detected. First up, there’s a massive boulder covered in moss which they clear and find a signal near. They found a massive coin from 1797! Wowzers. Now this is actually something tangible. Very handy when they have dates on them huh? Doesn’t really answer much about the mystery of island but shows people were here and pretty careless with their money in the 1790s. It could show that there was a British presence not long after the discovery of the money pit in 1795.

At the Money Pit, the test line is almost ready as they detonate about 150 small charges that will be detected. Not all at once though but one by one. Next day in War Room they look over the results. This shows the a 2D layer cross section of the area that’s like a mosaic mess of colours, but they do show that Halifax tunnel in the results.

Next day and there’s a convoy onto the island as the seismic test team start preparing about 1,000 charges and detectors to create a 3D map of the ground beneath the entire money pit. It feels strange to detonate the ground although I assume it’s a muffled detonation that’s not very destructive.

Craig, Dave and Peter are on a car ride 300 miles NW to Fredericton to watch over a test of that lead cross from last season. At a university they will laser the cross and then get its isotope that’ll tell us roughly where it came from.

Back at Lot 2, Gary and Jack the destroyer are searching the forest undergrowth. There’s nothing at all to start of with but they zero in on another boulder and, hey presto, there’s something there that’s iron; literally on the top of it and a hole on the side. Definitely manmade but when and why? Gary thinks it might have been used to put a ring and rope around to help pull something along, maybe treasure?

Back at Fredericton and the chemical analysis is on its way. First up, there’s traces of hey ho silver in it which isn’t unusual due to a lack of techniques in the past to refine better. The next main revelation is that it’s not from North America. Let speculation begin! These results are later discussed in the War Room via a teleconference. There’s still a good chance it’s Templar related, not least because it looks very similar to their crosses. There’s talk of Europe specialists to call upon next. Is this another plane trip?

Back at Lot 2, Rick and Laird join to look at that boulder, and pull back more of the moss to reveal yet more drill holes. There’s also a small triangular shape chiselled onto the side of the stone. Is it a freemason mark? Or is it nothing in particular?

Next day and more charges are detonated in the Money Pit but in Smith’s Cove the guys bring in an EM61 metal detector equipment on wheels that can go much deeper than the handheld ones that Gary uses. Poor Gary must be feeling inferior right now.

Rick, Dave and Craig are on a road trip to Irving Company, who have been the people making those big massive holes in the money pit these past few years. These guys have some proposals on how to construct that dam at Smith’s Cove. By way of augmented reality, they show how it’ll look with two massive cranes helping to construct the dam. The guy wearing the headset was totally unnecessary really and timewasting, but it seems Rick and co see enough to cement the deal. No real surprise there then? Some companies only have to sneeze, and Rick is ready to wipe their noses.

Back at Smith’s Cove and the EM61 has trawled the area and locates something metallic in one area deep below the sand although there’s not much to say what it is.

Gary and Rick head to Lot 21 which has also been a little mutilated as well. This is where Daniel McGinnis used to live back in 1700s, whom we had his descendants visit last season and tell the story of a cross said to have been found by him. First up, an old hinge. Then … it’s another jewel/gem brooch of a red colour. Ohhhhhhh, it’s beautiful.

The Money Pit gets yet more destruction by way of dynamite.

This is the result of Money Pit tests ... yeah, It makes no sense to me either.

Oh, a 1797 beautiful coin!

And a broach ...

Rating 8/10 – A very decent start to the season with concrete plans, discoveries, and more money being spent than you can possibly imagine. It all looks very promising, but then, it always does at this early stage of a season doesn't it?