We started on the rafters yesterday. There will be 36 ash rafters in all. We will be creating ring beams and using a load of hazel rods for the purlins and sways. Come over to see the work develop this week.

Thanks to everyone who called in over the bank holiday weekend - it was great fun!

Thank you to everyone who came to the art cart over the bank holiday weekend to make passports. There was some fantastic work and i'll be putting up some more pictures as soon as possible!

Over the past weeks we've been building a new roundhouse here. Join us over the next few weeks to see the building develop. Dafydd Wiliam is busy constructing the roundhouse and I'll be around to explain the process to you. You can follow the daily developments on

http://www.theroundhouse.org/dafsdiary.htm

This Saturday and Monday (1st and 3rd of May) you can join me to experience fire lighting and cooking techniques. I wonder how similar these techniques actually are to those used by people during the Iron Age?

It's official - the Peregrines on the Clock Tower have successfully produced young - the first since 2008.  On Thursday 22 April at 2.40pm the female bird Stacey was seen at the nest with a fresh kill, carefully distributing pieces of it in the nest - but annoyingly we couldn't actually see any chicks. 

However, our suspicions were confirmed over the next few days as we saw a white fluffy head appear in the nest....then another on Tuesday 27 April, then finally one more today!  Today the male seemed to be doing a good job of bringing lots of food for the chicks, before taking a well earned rest right on the top of the tower - the rain wasn't going to spoil his kip!

The chicks are expected to fledge in late May, but will remain at the nest for several months, relying on their parents for food while they learn how to fly and hunt.  As the parents teach their young the awesome flying and hunting skills that peregrines are renowned for, it will mean fantastic aerial displays and some amazing views for us down on the ground.

Right, I needed that! After a marathon of Easter activities, two days in sunny Paris were just what the doctor ordered. How I ended up back in the Musée Cluny is anybody's guess.

A busman's holiday, of course, is better than no holiday at all, and I was very happy to revisit a place which has been a source of inspiration for many years. The Cluny (not to be confused with The Clooney, a very different, and possibly imagined museum specialising in the disappearing art of commedia dell'eyebrow) has an unrivalled collection of Medieval artefacts. From eerie headless sculptures, bawdy stained glass and keepsakes dredged from the river Seine, to lush tapestries, bejewelled crowns and priceless manuscripts: it's the kind of place geeks like me go to get goosebumps.

St Teilo's Church seemed to serve a similar role over Easter, as we welcomed visitors old and new to experience 'that feeling' and talk about all things churchy. I was running guided tours focussing on Easter Week in 1520: what would be happening, how things would look (and smell!), and how the paintings and sculptures would have played a role in all this activity. At the last count, over 800 people attended and I was left with a very fuzzy feeling that I'd actually done something to earn my chocolate egg this year.

Later, the south aisle was transformed into a mini-workshop, where budding artists of all ages came to try their hand at traditional painting. Using stencils, ochre, pouncers and some eggy paint, over three hundred Holbeins-in-waiting had a go at making a Tudor portrait, using the same techniques and materials as we used when reconstructing the Church murals. As you will see on Sian's Oriel 1 blog below, there was also a chance to create your own Tudor frame, to display the portrait in all its glory. I think it's safe to say that it was a very enjoyable workshop for all involved, even though I got ochre pigment all over myself, and ended up looking like I'd had an accident with some heavy-duty fake tan.

Thoroughly exfoliated and with my head in the back-to-work position, the cycle starts again: conceiving of events, researching, evaluating, preparing and then waiting, waiting, waiting for you lovely people to ring up and book a place! And since I am in the habit of ending my posts with a shameless plug: here's a roundup of events for adults, taking place around St Teilo's Church in the months ahead.

Art Day for Adults over 50 on 6 May, which includes a traditional pigment workshop, free lunch and materialsand much more! Places are limited, so do ring up in advance to avoid disappointment.

Science and the Medieval Church, 29-31 May: a thought-provoking talk held in St Teilo's Church.

Y Gwr Kadarn, 26 June: the first performance in over 400 years of this rediscovered Welsh gem.