A day with the workers

Four days to opening on Saturday 15 May and still the preparation work grinds on (literally) as my first pic shows.

This afternoon Steve and Usuf were hard at work scrubbing the gallery floor and putting up the gallery signage on the unit's facia board. Before Usuf could finish, some rusted bolts needed removing and ever resourceful Steve went home and returned with his grinder. Job done and Usuf could get on with placing the lettering which he had designed and drawn on the spot.

Inside, the gallery space is unrecognisable from how it looked just a few short weeks ago…

…especially the back workroom. Steve has brought a kettle and a microwave from home and, already, you begin to get a sense of being there, life is being breathed into the space and in just four days the gallery will come alive. For those of us involved from the start, it is these little touches by Steve and others which make you feel part of something special.

Out the back, it looks all so different to the pics I posted on 2 April 2010, when these same walls were covered with grafitti and toilet bowl was black. Not anymore thanks to Steve and others who have, a bit at a time, painted the walls and scraped off the dirt. There's still work to be done, but as the pics show, we are getting there.

When I left the signage was nearly finished. The word 'The' and a flower have still to be added. They should be there by tomorrow, when the first pictures and artwork for hanging and the opening on Saturday arrive. Not all the things the Crocus Gallery Group wanted to do are yet in place. Such is the achievement with next to nothing in terms of money, that it is going to be a fantastic day…

…and some just can't wait to have a peek. I know this lovely lady well, but given that she told me it was alright to take a pic of her bottom, but not her face, I can only assume that, on this occasion, she wants to protect her modesty. And I cannot deny her that.

I hope to be back in the next couple of days with pics of artwork arriving and details of the actual opening day programme. It is still being finalised, but, hey, we're getting there.