A walk in the woods

The coast is my all time favorite walking place. I love the sounds of tide and seabirds. I love the treasures that I am able to collect there. Coloured shells, sea washed glass,pieces of fishing boat rope and whitened wood ready to turn into ghostly sculptures. It's an elemental place and as the celts say, spiritually a thin place. But sometimes another setting catches you unawares.

Up behind the town of Holywood in County Down, in the Craigantlet hills, is an ancient wood. I visited in autumn some time ago with my sister and her faithful dog Eddy. The wood is not far from the home where C.S.Lewis was born. The day was mild and as the afternoon wore on and the sun sank lower the whole wood took on a magic aura. It made me think of Tolkien and Lewis and the influences on our lives that go so deep, we often don't even realise where they come from.

C.S.Lewis once said that he believed that the animals were given to us to make us feel happy. Eddy had that gift. We walked down a long shaded pathway and I thought as well of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, "The road less travelled".

I haven't really got to grips with this whole blogging thing, but I think it's just another of those roads I have to travel! So here's hoping that the next doesn't take me another three days!

My very first blog

Well as this is my first attempt at blogging, I can only hope that it gets better! Kate, my eldest grand daughter has given me instruction. I've been through it twice, but I may have to call on her again!

These great letters are a new project of Alan's. The G. came first and I got it as my Christmas present. The ampersand is such a cool shape. We are always looking for the next thing. I thought that it would be fun to set them up for this first blog. Today? Well I've spent most of it trying to figure this out, while Alan has made a landscape pot, chopped the wood, laid a floor and made strawberry crumble for tea. nothing new there then!