The Arcadian Workshop meets. Plasticine and digital ink diorama by Robert Gowty

If you are not happy with the world you live in you can change it. To put it more directly, you are the world you live in and every thing you do and say changes it irrevocably. You are the butterfly’s wing. Some of us are Mothra and some are gypsy moths but, for better or worse, we all flutter.

Here in Arcadia we take this responsibility seriously and, after some thought, have decided that for a couple of weeks this Summer we want to live in a world that has an old wooden shop selling handmade souvenirs to tourists in it. What a huge stroke of luck that we have to hand both the old Arcadian Siding shop ( currently doing service as a fishing shack..) and the Arcadian Workshop, a ready supply of talented people who enjoy making things by hand. Serendipitous.

In another happy circumstance the local council has just voted to start the process of converting the old railway line that gives our ‘siding’ its designated status into a walking/bike trail. Once completed it will deliver a steady trickle of tourists to our door. This world keeps getting better and better.

Interiors August

This month was all about doors ( again ). Lots of rebating, glueing, sanding and painting and they’re still not finished. Slightly bored face emoji. Still, lessons have been learned ( how to sharpen a chisel ) and we are in the home straight.

rgbDesigner August

These palettes are made from some lovely bark photos that came from sub stack. We forgot to make a note of the person who posted them so if you recognise them let us know and we will add a credit. They’re great! ( also when we searched substack for ‘bark’ to try and track the poster down all we got was rescue dogs and pictures of boobs. Who knew? )

Reading August

This August we have two very different books we’re reading. The first is Life at the Bottom- The Worldview that makes the Underclass by Theodore Dalrymple. One interesting thing about this book is that it was written before the internet and social media reached us all. Theodore puts it to us that our world view is what keeps us stuck and at the time he was right. Things have changed. A child growing up impoverished in today’s UK does not have their worldview constrained by immediate family and what television has to offer. They have global reach in their pocket and can see all the options. What a gift.

The second book is one for young people called Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson. This is a cracking yarn with that includes a visit to a shop..

“ It was a really good village stores. The garden had all the flowers you can think of, planted in neat rows and the house was white, with grass growing on the roof. In front was a kind of a sundial, but instead of telling the time it held a big silver ball like a looking glass and in this, the house and garden were reflected. There were signs and posters for soap and toothpaste and chewing gum and under the window grew huge yellow and green pumpkins. … Behind the counter sat an old lady with little bright eyes like a mouse and white hair.”

This is a world we can get behind.

gowtywood productions

August 2026