''SIMPLE things please SIMPLE minds''
. . . but anyway so what if I am simple . . . at least I'm happy hey?? I'll let you into a secret about me. Nothing excites me more than a lush green bit of moss especially bun moss, or a twisted and gnarled piece of wood . . . oo . . .ooo . . . or a shiny well weathered pebble mmmmmmmm and I like cones, bark, lichen, twigs, feathers, oh and leaves! (jeesh I feel like I'm announcing my membership into some form of nature based AA meeting) I find nature beautiful and fascinating, without wanting to sound contrived or hippy trippy!
Let me explain something to you which will give you more of an understanding of me. . .
Ever since I was a little girl I've had a habit of picking up stones, twigs, or cones and putting them in my pocket no matter where I was be it in town, on a beach, or down at the local park. This was of great annoyance to my mother as I would always harbour these little treasures in my pockets like refugees and not let on to anyone that they were there. Their discovery would only come when my Mum would wash my clothes, their announcement being an almighty racket echoing from the washing machine as half a gravel drive would spew from my pockets and be spinning high speed and impacting on the sides of the metal drum inside. . .
ooopsy . . . sorry Mum!
But I didn't stop even though my mum would scald me so. Instead an understanding or truce as it were was made. I had an old shoebox alloted to me in the car and the house that I would put my new found jewels in instead of leaving them in my pockets to break the washing machine.
This annoyance for my mother however has now in my adulthood been transferred to my long term boyfriend. (yes. . . yes I still do it) Now being without my beloved shoebox of goodies I have returned to my old ways of pocket stashing. My long suffering boyfriend will no longer lend me any of his jackets when we go walking in the countryside for fear of what may end up lurking there afterwards. I don't know what the big deal is really. It's not like I pick up dog poo or discarded chewing gum now is it. It's just some stones and cones and they are pretty. . . I now am relegated to always making sure I come prepared with my own waterproof coat (of which was actually bought for me this xmas by his parents *chuckle chuckle*) at the weekends when I stay with him.
I must admit what was once an endearing habit of a small child has now grown to a weird obsession of a 27 year old woman. I write this blog just hours from walking in a local forest to me where I not only wore my own waterproof jacket to stuff things into the pockets of (and it has many of them thankfully!) but I also went to the extreme of preparing myself with a rucksack too (there's no helping me really now is there?). Although this was a preplanned excursion before you write me of as a nutter with no hope. I had scouted a large bounty of fallen Larch cones and branches the other week and they will be used in my work so nah, na na ,nah nah'' *sticks tongue out like an obnoxious child* This forest is a treasure trove of wood and bark and mossy licheny twigs. It has row upon row of Silver birch of which is my favourite tree for bark, and is carpeted with cones. . . ahh I'm in heaven! ! !
Now I can understand that this afternoon I probably did look like a nutter to the young family walking their black Labrador. There was I with my bulging rucksack strapped to my back with said twigs protruding from all angles and bouncing, nay smacking me in the head as I walked, and I probably gave the young guys that were riding their BMX's down the gravel paths a giggle but I . . . don't . . . care! On the plus side my manshape must love me as he didn't bat an eyelid or walk 10 paces infront of me to try and look like he had nothing to do with me . . . although I didn't see his facial expressions. They could have been indicating to the others that I was a care in the community project for all I know! Alas I shall believe otherwise and stay inwardly proud and pleased.
Soooo what ya gonna do with them? . . .wellllll watch this space *grins widely*
Gayle xx
Ps
Now can you understand why I have moss, bark and stones as the textural background on my website and it's used in a lot of my work
ah ha . . . you see, and so it all becomes clear
