Art

Writing today about a walk with my daughter along a river bank and discovering Bastard Alkanet. An old source of rouge but also of henna. Afterwards exploring the etymology of Alkanet and its Moorish and Arabic roots reminded me of walking with my children when they were small  asking them if they could recall the name of plants and trees. And the insects we’d see on our walks through the dunes to the beach and the sea. Its something I still do. Passing on a love of nature and of the earth is a heritage that has great value. You can tell when an artist walks into a room by the way they see. I cultivate a small plot on the side of a hill where everyday there is so much to see. Overhead the sharp cries of a pair of buzzards conducting immaculate Immelmann turns without having read any book about First World War fliers. The Buzzards upward glide still manages to disturb the Ravens from their nest and fly out from the oak to protect their chicks and start circling on updraughts too.