Madainn Group Life Art Modelling

 On Thursday I spent the day life art modelling for a new group in Symington near Biggar, Scotland. Despite my injury and arm in the cast I did not want to let the artist instructing the class down as it would have been last minute and difficult to find another model in the space of time since i had my injury.
 It was a lively and friendly group who despite the fact they had not done much life art drawing before seemed to do well.
I feel I did well myself too with my arm in the cast, facing the silence for six hours and your mind wandering where you dont neccesarily want to go, are not the easiest circumstances to work in but it went well.

A Little Accident Involving A Finger

I must appologise for this post as I am writing it one handed. On Friday I was involved in an accident that ver neerly severed my left index finger completely off. I got cut through the Extensor tendon (thats the one on the top of the finger) and straight through the knuckle so that my finger was literally dangelling by the tendon on the underside.
 After a walk home holding my finger on I was taken ti A&E and that night it got sewn back on but I was warned that i must be extremely carefull not to move it, to keep it dry and clean in its cast and bandages.
 I actually was in very good humour despite the prospect of losing my finger, I had the surgeons and doctors laughing and was morbidly curious in the insides of my finger (even requesting the op be done under local anisthaetic)
 In the lonesome boring night I even composed a love song to my beloved finger one which is on a par with the "Cheese Weasel" poem which i must write out.
 I also had the ward smiling, there was a 23yr old woman there whom I was concerned for and cared for, she was in for a back injury and I was slightly worried but she is strong, very nice and a new friend as well as kindred spirit. I wish her all the luck in the world for her healing.
 There are two risks with my finger, one that i undo the stitching of the tendon and two is infection. The infection risk got much higher yesterday when an ex of mine through tea at my face and i stupidly put my arm up to protect it, resulting in sopping bandages and a wet, cold finger for a good few hours. Another trip to hospital and the doctors were not happy at the mystery man who had caused them to have to redo my dressing and who has risked my finger.
 But not to worry al will be well and tonight and tomorrow the artists in my life art class will have a challenge.

Now for some gorey pics (though they dont do the goreyness justice.

Here I am attempting to point to the camera as you can see I failed

The white bit is my knuckle

Alas my mum is not the best photographer.

We are Halfway Gone...... and a walk with the ancients

 Well I have returned back home from my session this month down in West Sussex on my course, it was the 5th session and therefor we are halfway through. I have to reflect and say that this course and the team have grown very important and special to me, I want to do well by it and them.

 So much has transpired over the last six months that I allmost feel much older and certainly somewhat changed but in a good way, I feel I have learnt a lot from hardships endured and new experiences both on the course and away from it.
 When it is all over I shall miss it.

 This week was a curious week, there was a trip to an Ancient Yew Forest (Kingly Vale) where there was also some ancient burial mounds (SteveO had told me probably Bronze Age) which needless to say I felt connected to. The walk had an interesting effect on the rest of the team, all was calm and still and open, people talking and sharing special things. It was an honour to visit that stunning and beautifull place and walk amongst the ancients both the trees and the burial mounds.

 Let me share some photos....

A splendid view met our eyes on the way down from the Burial Mounds at Kingley Vale. Believe it or not just a few minutes before I took this photo a large peregrine falcon flew close to us as we crested the hillock. I was honoured.

A flock of birds in the distance added more grace to the landscape.

We were lucky with the weather, sunny but with a stormy sky, dramatic and gorgeous.

This was the view from atop the hill at Kingely Vale and from the burial Mounds

 Ancient Bronze age Burial Mounds atop a hill beyond an ancient Yew Forest with spectacular views on either side for miles. Truly a special place.

We arrived at the burial mounds atop the hill to e welcomed by a powerfully stormy sky.

Wild Clematis grew in Abundance at Kingely Vale.

I found this site of an old Rowan entwined with Ivy truly magical and mystical. I have an adoration for Ivy and a personal association with Rowan.

The Last photo I took at Kingely Vale and an inspired moment, a member of the team looks very primal behind the statue.

We also visited a Hazel Coppice, something which is somewhat of a rarity nowadays and an old practise.

Hazel Catkins

The bark of an ancient tree that had been pollarded.

A huge bull that is close to our indigenous species of cattle.

The Biggest Beech you I ever did see!

Raven Awaits You

Today has been a sad day I must admit, a day of emptiness, longing and endings...not yet acceptance but decisiveness....

 Its amazing how stories can wind into our lives like ivy and then aesphixiate us like snakes, beautifull but dangerous stories....

 It is with some interest that I received the above photo from a photoshop artist in the Ukraine, Ann Amsterdam. She had no knowledge of my feelings at the time, nor of symobolism associated with my life yet she came up with this image.

 The ravens are very symbolic of someone that has frequented my life, they had a fondness for the birds.

 The saddness in myself and the rain is also very apt for my mood today.

 How very fitting and curious.

 I found this sentence underneath the image on the artists own website please allow for mistakes in translation;

 "Raven awaits him. Just let him fly away. He'll find a new world without you near, but with you in his heart"

How sad

 Then there is the title she gave the image...............

 ......................Raven Awaits You

Frosty February

As I was leaving the house for my caravan last night I caught my breath at the beautifull sight of the garden. Everything was delicately locked in a thick frost that was lit beautifully by the moonlight, it almost seemed to add a magical silver glow to the garden.

 Even though Imbolc has passed and the sap is slowly started to rise and the new birds are returning every day Winter decided to remind us that we were not quite through yet, even though it was milder she still had a hold of the land.

 And today as I was sitting at my computer compiling and inputing biological data for my course and listening to a beautifull song, it started to snow, it was quite and soft. A gentle, peacefull, fleeting moment.

 Unfortunately I was too busy to take photos but I have some of the area in the frost from previous years.

Tracks in the Snow

 Well there was a brief thaw and the weather is definately a little bit warmer than it has been but winter is still with us though there is no doubt about it, I feel changes around me. The Alder's Cones and catkins are out in profusion (though admitedly they have been all of winter), the lime tree outside my caravan seems redder than ever and when I wander the meadows and the lanes there is a definate scent of greenery in the air, it is subtle but it most definately is there.

 There are new bird songs in the garden now and last night I was fortunate to hear a beautifull nightingale outside. A little secret, when I was a girl about 10 years old I used to wake up, surrounded by the silence of a slumbering house I would open my bedroom window and listen to the sweet sound of a nightingale, I felt the nightingale was there just for me. It was nice to have its return. I had also noticed a few new species of songbird in the garden including a Fieldfare which my mum was very curious about.

 Today was spent out in a local forest collecting dead birch (I am planning on making a lot of pitch soon) and a few horses hoof fungus (for amadu tinder). It was a beautifull day, if a bit cold, and the forest showed sign of deer, I could see where the dirt was exposed in the snow and they had layen up. There was also feeding sign of Woodpecker and squirrel, we are fortunate around here to have red squirrel and I saw a beautifull healthy one just the other day.

 Really I am truly blessed with this bountifull territory of mine, I just wish the logging would not penetrate so ferociously my sanctuary. I keep racking my brains to try and find a way to protect it, no matter what endangered species there are in the area or how they are brought to light the forestry commision just waves it all aside. I will endeavour however to do my best regarding the matter.

                                                   Tracking in the Eerie Enchanted Forest

Where the Wild Boar Roam

...and the Deer Dance

Otter Tracks in my friends garden

Some Fox tracks on the way to the frozen Loch

There were quite a few and it looks like more than one

I followed them through the field

And arrived at the mysterious frozen loch

The Silence of Winter.....

 I feel I must appologise ,for being more than lax in updating, but who too? I allmost forget that I have decided to keep this blog secret and only for those that stumble upon it. Still I must promise myself not to just go silent whenever my life gets busy or takes a turn.

 I tend to be somewhat of a sociable hermit at times, taking to the wilderness and forests and hills as and when I can. I normally enjoy this time of year as the tourists leave the wilderness around my home and only myself and a few kindred spirits wander there.

 The land has been truly beautifull this winter and colder than normal, the hills and forests blanketed in virgin snow. The loch near to me was even frozen over, a gorgeous and magical sight to see and place to wander at dusk. I crossed the loch and managed to venture into a part of the forest I otherwise would have been unable to get to and immediately in my imagination I was transported back to being a wee girl wandering the forests with Chris.

 There has been sign of bountifull wildlife and I have been very fortunate to see birds of prey, foxes, deer, wild boar and when out collecting willow for baskets a huge dog otter.

 The course I am on has been going well and camp is very beautifull although I constantly feel I am skating on thin ice with the instructors and I must admit the amount I have to know and practise is a little overwhelming but I am incredibly determined!

 I spent some time in London in December Modelling for a couple of different photographers. I distinctly remember being glammed up with fantastic hair and makeup, the set was on location in a coutryard in an expensive bussiness area of london surrounded by skyscrapers, I thought "Wow I am actually a model, and I am modelling in London, this is not me! Get me back to the hills" but the images did add to my portfolio even if I did find the whole experience a bit well shallow.

 Give me the freedom of the wilds, creative expression, stories and music.

 My pulse beats to the rythm of the earth and I want to dance.....