Heres an email from the APF in september,


APF 2008
Echo Open Carving Competition
18/19/20th September Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, UK

This is just a gentle reminder for anyone who has not yet entered for the
competition and wishes to do so. We only have a few places left so please get your
entries back to me asap. I attach a list of entries to date. If you have sent me
your form and you are not on the list then I have not received it.

If you know of anyone who might want to enter but has no email address then please
let them know.

Entry forms and rules are on our website or I can email them to you if you prefer.

Best wishes

Ian

APF International Forest Machinery Exhibition Ltd
10 Warren Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0BN
Tel. No. : 01737 245081
www.apfexhibition.co.uk
Company No. 228249
Reg. Office 5 Dublin Street Lane South, Edinburgh EH1 3PX

The list so far.....

...room for a few internationals....

1 Dick Tilley
2 Mick Burns
3 Angie Polglaze
4 Peter Bowsher
5 Eric Widitz ( Be good to see this ol'fella)
6 Nansi Hemming
7 Simon Hedger
8 Gil Parham
9 Simon O'Rourke
10 Thomas Craggs
11 Tim Burgess
12 Daniel Cordell
13 Richard Austin
14 Andrew Barton
15 Andrew Frost
16 Allan Grant
17 Kevin Mackenzie
18 Will Lee


Come and play with the Brits!

Fat Red Wood logs....no excuses!!!!

dick

A couple of pix from the last opne, bi-anual event.

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Recognise this fella????

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Hard to sell wood to lumberjacks!!!! Huh! Thor!!!!

Hi Dick ...

I think you are a little confused. The English Open is being held at Tatton Park in late August with the Living Heritage crew and the CCA will be there in full attendance with bells ringing. I dont know if there are any places left but I do know that it is a fantastic gig. The APF, which is a couple of weeks later, I have never attended before I have heard conflicting reports about but I like to judge for myself and will be attending this year. Also, I got an email recently and there are no places left and there is a waiting list, so sorry guys. There is always next year !!

And Dick ... if you feel like the black sheep or left out over here then there is a reason. I dont know the story but something bad has happened. So chill on being bitter and twisted ... it comes across strong in your posts and it's not pretty. Time to let it go ... your double entendres are not going unnoticed and it's not helping your cause at all.
Your friend ... Angie XXXXX

http://www.angela-polglaze.com/

Sorry for the late response Angie!

The trouble is Angie no one is talking, I carve full time, this is my livelyhood, I feel bitter because I AM' being left out and no one is talking!!!

This has been going on for 3 years now! I dont have a lot of carving years in front of me.

Something bad?????? Am I such a bad ass bloke????

My cause seems to be a lost one!

After 3 years of back stabbing and gossip it takes its toll on a simple fella like m'self!

What am I supposed to do, lie down and keep taking the kickings???

Quite frankly I'm sick to the back teeth with the bull!

Still bitter and twisted but smilin'

Thanks for a little insight.....

Looking forward seeing you again and meeting a few fellow carvers in Wales and the APF, the only chances I have!!!

Not having a clue to what I have done wrong is unfair, I am being victimised...

How would you feel????

dick

Ahhh Dick Darling ...

Surely you must realize that all the same carvers are going to be at WAles and the APF and they dont mind your being there one iota. What has happened here as I see it is that you have upset someone who is FUNDING the other events ... and the events dont happen unless someone puts some money and time and effort in to get the ball rolling. These events dont just happen you know, they involve alot of planning and preparation. This is not the carvers shutting you out, it is some one else that YOU upset somehow. I have my theories (and thats all they are because I dont really know) and I will be happy to discuss them quietly with you in Wales if you like. And remember, when you are invited to participate in a show it is expected that you will perform and create a fabulous piece as do we all, and at most gigs all over the world you will be required to put a percentage or a piece back into the show to help pay for the costs, which NEVER get met through carving alone.

From where I sit you calling the APF the English Open is you just being bitchy which only gets the English Open organizers off side (and they as well as all the carvers are reading this) which is not a good move if you want to attend (and, not surprisingly, you are not). Telling people that they can carve in Wales when there are no places left isn't good politics either. It isn't fair on the misinformed carver, and to be honest, leaves hard working organizers baffled and shows a lack of respect for their efforts. Like I said to an enthusiastic carver once before ... Stop trying to run the show, you ARE the show, so carve your heart out and enjoy.

Many events are becoming invitational because of the sheer number of carvers wanting to attend, and most events have a cut off point and an application process (such as the APF) because they can only cater to so many carvers. Aquiring all that nice timber, and moving it etc, is costly and time consuming. I envision more and more events requiring a formal application process (like at Sculptree) over the coming years. It is inevitable.

So buck up dude, I'll see you in Wales and at the APF ... and this year, why dont you try joining the carvers at the communal fire instead of having your own private one. That might just make a difference.
Take care dude ... Angie XXXX

Just curious Dick ...

What is your cause ??

And ... you are not being victimized or kicked. You know ... there are a lot of carvers and associated individuals out there who dont like me either. So what !! Are they really worth spending so much energy on being bitter and twisted.
Let it go ... JOIN US (said in a scary zombie voice lol)

Be seeing you soon. Hope Haggis brings some of his nicer cider this time (Haggis, if you are reading this, take note) ... Angie XXXX

This discussion is making me uneasy. There may be some valid points about what happens or should happen around events, but this does seem to be getting personal, and I'd feel better if it was hammered out without including names.

Happy carving, everyone. I am beginning to crave a trip to the UK and wish I knew some of you better. I do hope you will keep the photos of all the great carvings coming our way!

Susan

Geeze Susan, This was one of my favorite reading in a while .. I didn't miss a word, which is rare.. I don't mind a little carving " Action " Now I want to go to the UK too

Cool !!

BeeGoode, Tone

Ok ... I'm sorry if I made anyone uneasy. I just feel that it is wrong for Dick to misinform carvers about what is going on over here (some people take all that is written on these forums as gospel so it can be easy to mislead). It would be great to see more carvers here and if you want to attend a CCA event contact Vagz (there are around 14 events at last count and he struggled for a while to find 5 extra carvers for next weekend because everyone here is so busy, but all is fine now)). The APF is now full with 4 carvers on their waiting list and I believe that Wales is full too but I'm not sure so I'll check. Could be that Tatton is full too and I'll find out for sure next weekend.
There is a hell of a lot more to this story than is written here but I'm not going into it because it is unpleasant and I dont want to get involved. This is it for me. I just want to carve and have a good time. You will find that this is the case with most of the carvers here thus the wall of silence. I know all of this is making some carvers sad as they feel like the meat in the sandwich and feel like the constant subtle attacks are sorta personal (no names).

Some facts ...
The only event that I know of over here where you supply or pay for your own wood is Carleon.
Dick doesn't run or organize any events over here to my knowledge.
The CCA organizer has phoned Dick personally to tell dick what is going on as far as I know.
Some of the carvers here are upset but not to the point of not letting Dick be involved at events as is the case with Wales and the APF.
The carvers over here are some of the nicest, most creative and non elitist individuals I've ever had the pleasure to work with

And Haggis makes dynamite cider (full of vitamins and goodness ... or so he likes to say) which sometimes is sweeeeeet, and sometimes not so sweet, but the effect is always the same LOL. That is the only reason I mentioned his name and it was meant to be light hearted, and to direct attention to a more important issue than all this bollocks (love that word lol).
Take care all ... Angie

....one of my favourites too Angie, shouted out loud , its a good tension releaser!!!

No miss information Angie, I was emailed by Ian M, APF, and he asked me to inform other carvers about the available spaces.
At the time I posted his email , he thanked me for helping to fill the spaces and get a few reserves.

As for my own fire, I have a small cowboy fire that I do my cooking on, I join the main camp fire later but thats by the by!

You get a few enemies as you go through life Ange, its inevitable, but to be excluded and no reason given is at the most very annoying.

Thanks for trying to alay my hurt feelings, it will be good to see ya and partake of Haggis's falling down water!!!

Your a star Mate!

dick

OK, everyone has had a chance to have their say. I agree with Tone that it's interesting to have some controversy, so I'm starting a related new post vaguely related to this topic, but more general. Let's talk about open events and invitational events, and what's to be expected at each from participants and from the person(s organizing the event. (See next post)