I have been collecting driftwood for many years.All sorts of things wash up on the beach; last week I found a small plastic pirate.He didn't seem that threatening at two inches tall.Although the sea brings lots of different shaped pieces of wood I like to work with stuff that started out quite straight.I like to see driftwood with some paint left on.Rusty nails are good too.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Driftwood
I have been collecting driftwood for many years.All sorts of things wash up on the beach; last week I found a small plastic pirate.He didn't seem that threatening at two inches tall.Although the sea brings lots of different shaped pieces of wood I like to work with stuff that started out quite straight.I like to see driftwood with some paint left on.Rusty nails are good too.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Friday, June 02, 2006
Walk in the Woods
On one of the first nice sunny days of the year I decided to go for a good long walk in the woods.One of my favourite wood walks is in a place so unspoilt it is very tempting not to tell anyone where it is. I have given up driving so for me it involves a lot of fiddling about on buses even though it is only a few miles away.I thought it involved two buses but it turns out that the bus that I am on becomes a different numbered bus halfway towards my destination.All this confusion about getting off buses only to realise that I have to get back on the original bus gives me an opportunity to talk to various helpful people and bus drivers from rival companies who update me on the route thievery of a certain large bus organisation.
Off the bus at the final destination I walk to the top of the hill accompanied by skylarks.I am not doing the whole walk but just a halfway in then turn around again and back out sort of walk, as I think the first half of the walk is the nicest.
England seems to specialise in wiggly paths and roads and this path through the woods is one of the wiggliest that I know of.Not only does it wiggle around trees and rocks but it also ascends and descends rapidly and unexpectedly.In many places the undergrowth is so dense that it is not possible to actually step off the path but there are a few intriguing small meanders that can be worth a look.
On most of the walk there is just the sound of birds though sometimes a sudden turn of the corner will bring the quiet noise of the sea which will again fade and disappear. The sea can also be seen in a few places but just as the path seems to descend towards a beach it will rise again and the beach will remain tantalisingly out of reach.There is a small cliff between the path and the beach and according to the maps and signs there is no way of getting onto the beach but I think there maybe a way down here and there.
There are occasional signs of rough shelters erected possibly for people to get away from it all or maybe for fishermen.They are certainly well hidden.I think you could hide away here for a long time without anybody noticing.
This walk took only about four hours from start to finish.In that time I only met three other people which is pretty good for round here.The first was a sweating tatooed ex-forces type who seemed to be walking it as quickly as he could.The second two were two boffiny types who seemed to be discussing stem cell research.I had a bit of a chat with them and they seemed surprised that I had only met one other person and wondered where everybody could be before settling on the fact that they were probably all out working to pay for these two lucky gentlemens pensions.
I suppose I should reluctanly admit that this walk is between Axmouth and Lyme Regis.Try not to go there.
Off the bus at the final destination I walk to the top of the hill accompanied by skylarks.I am not doing the whole walk but just a halfway in then turn around again and back out sort of walk, as I think the first half of the walk is the nicest.
England seems to specialise in wiggly paths and roads and this path through the woods is one of the wiggliest that I know of.Not only does it wiggle around trees and rocks but it also ascends and descends rapidly and unexpectedly.In many places the undergrowth is so dense that it is not possible to actually step off the path but there are a few intriguing small meanders that can be worth a look.
On most of the walk there is just the sound of birds though sometimes a sudden turn of the corner will bring the quiet noise of the sea which will again fade and disappear. The sea can also be seen in a few places but just as the path seems to descend towards a beach it will rise again and the beach will remain tantalisingly out of reach.There is a small cliff between the path and the beach and according to the maps and signs there is no way of getting onto the beach but I think there maybe a way down here and there.
There are occasional signs of rough shelters erected possibly for people to get away from it all or maybe for fishermen.They are certainly well hidden.I think you could hide away here for a long time without anybody noticing.
This walk took only about four hours from start to finish.In that time I only met three other people which is pretty good for round here.The first was a sweating tatooed ex-forces type who seemed to be walking it as quickly as he could.The second two were two boffiny types who seemed to be discussing stem cell research.I had a bit of a chat with them and they seemed surprised that I had only met one other person and wondered where everybody could be before settling on the fact that they were probably all out working to pay for these two lucky gentlemens pensions.
I suppose I should reluctanly admit that this walk is between Axmouth and Lyme Regis.Try not to go there.
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