Bunting, Midsummer Murders, and boy scouts

I love bunting; not in terms of 'I am quite fond of it' but more in the sense of 'I would string it around every building on the planet if I could'.  I can't help it.  It just makes me happy.

I only have to see a short section of little flapping triangles for my heart to skip a beat.  It speaks of village fetes, rosy-cheeked children, jovial vicars and picturesque deaths (there is barely an episode of Midsummer Murders not featuring bunting - I am waiting for the one where Chief Inspector Barnaby's wife is strung up by the stuff in some gruesome tableau - or perhaps that's just wishful thinking...).

Anyway, this may go some way to explain why I volunteered to make 80 metres of the stuff.  And yes, I did say 80 metres.

This was ostensibly for the Village Barn Dance which is on Friday, but I also calculated that I could borrow it for the official launch of our local playground which I've been helping to redevelop.

As you will see from the picture, it framed the event beautifully and quite frankly, I am holding it personally responsible for ensuring the rain stayed away for the entire afternoon. 

The launch itself was a community sports day and general 'bring a picnic' along get together which saw 200 people turn out to a place that six months ago was a blank field.  We've still got a long way to go in terms of adding more paths, plants and a wildflower meadow, and, if we can find the funds, more equipment, but already this space has made a huge difference to the amount of outside play the local kids enjoy.  I rarely go down there without seeing a dozen or so using the zip wire, fort, football pitch and climbing logs. 

So it seemed right to bring bunting along for the celebration.

Except...

...when that same bunting is returned to you, dripping wet from the thunderstorm that immediately followed, there are things that should be remembered.

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, THINK TO YOURSELF, "Oh, I'll just pop that in the washing machine".

If you do, three things will happen.

Firstly, the entire 80 metres of bunting tape will turn a not entirely attractive shade of pink.

Secondly, the material that you thought would be OK to just cut with pinking shears will fray into oblivion.

Thirdly, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, the 80 metres of bunting will tie itself into knots of such complexity it would take an entire nation of boy scouts to untangle it.  Well, that or it will take one slightly stressed and tearful mother 6 hours on a Sunday night to do the same. 

Yes, that's right.... 6 HOURS!

I love bunting just a little less now.

Comments

[Lia Leendertz]

Oh dear. I think it was me that told you it would be ok with just pinking shears. But I didnt expect you do put it in the bleedin' washing machine! Who washes their bunting for goodness sake?
The bunting looks very nice, but if you want a teensy bit of constructive criticism from a bunting expert (we bunt and de-bunt the entire house and garden at the drop of a birthday) I would have to say that the triangles are too far apart. You could fit an entire triangle in between! there I've gone and said it and given you more to obsess over. Ha.

[Helen at Toronto Gardens]

Oh dear. Six hours! Perhaps you should have said: bye, baby bunting.

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Lia - Yes, I remember now, it was indeed you who suggested pinking shears. Not only that, but you now add insult to injury by critiquing the bloody stuff!! Consider yourself off my Christmas card list (and there's a punishment indeed)!

Helen - Thank goodness you weren't here on Sunday night. I may have attacked you with the pinking shears for that comment (I was very much on a humour-bypass territory then).

[Esther Montgomery]

Lovely, evocative picture.

And, after having admired the general scene, I thought 'That's clever, she's spread the triangles further apart than is traditional so it's quick to make and easy to take photos through.'

Oh!

And now I'm wondering how long it took to make compared with how long it took to wash and disentangle.

Hope you've got over the trauma.

Esther

[Helen]

I'm really sorry but this bought tears to my eyes of laughter not sorry. As soon as you mentioned the tumble dryer I cringed. Its exactly the sort of thing I do and have done. Next time string it round the garage to dry out!!

Hope you get it sorted for the Barn Dance

[Elephant's Eye]

Say it ain't so. Six hours is WAY beyond the call of duty.

[Scented Sweetpeas]

:-( sorry to hear about your bunting nightmare! hope you got it fixed OK. You must have been gutted!

[elizabethm]

Now I understand some weird bunting related twitter exchanges! It did look great though.

[Heather]

LOVE the MM plot, maybe they'll get rid of Joyce and Tom in one bumper bunting episode

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Esther - now I'm getting vaguley paranoid about what is the traditional distance between pendants... Having said that, I was definitely looking for the speed option - plus you get 'bunting blindness' after the first 50 metres or so. And yes, unforutnatley, it took me nearly as long to untangle as it took me to make in the first place.

Helen - that is indeed a sensible suggestion, but I have no garage. I'm also going to plead temporary insanity exacerbated by exhaustion when I chose the washing machine option.
It is now happily untangled, pressed, pink and ready for barn dance duty.

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Elephant's Eye - SO true.

Scented Sweetpeas - yes, gutted about covers it. It is all sorted but the scars remain...

Elizabeth - hmmm... yes, I can see why #buntingwars would have seemed a little odd.

Heather - just the thought of that is making me smile. Is that wrong?

[Lia Leendertz]

So you should be vaguely paranoid. the traditional distance is 'Next To Each Other'
*runs and hides*

[Deb]

Gosh, who knew Lia was a bunting expert? Perhaps you can get her to make the next lot?!

I've never made it but we do have copious amounts of the stuff. One favourite string is made out of oil cloth, would have just needed a wipe down then.

What I want to know is, if it all frayed won't you have to chuck it, thereby saving you the six hours. Yeah, the words horse and bolted do spring to mind...

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Lia - *sharpens pinking shears and hurls at retreating figure*

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Deb - I have decided to pretend the fraying is actually cowboy inspired fringing... I reckon I might just get away with it.

[Lia Leendertz]

I've seen a lot of bunting this weekend. A lot of it was quite widely spaced apart (unlike mine, obviously). I think I may have to offer you an apology, but hoepfully too late for anyone to actually see it...

[Dawn/LittleGreenFingers]

Lia - I only ever apologise when there are no witnesses. It's by far the best idea.