Dedicated to my sisters. Bon voyage Rosie – til next we three meet again!

Seek, and ye shall find.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a good, healthy sandblasting! With a windswept walk along ‘Northam Burrows’ beach – on the western edge of the Taw Torridge Estuary. It’s a wide————open space, easily reached by traversing a purpose-made concrete gangway over the world famous ‘Pebble Ridge’ – that then widens to an immeasurable area of flat, golden sand – the size of which – ebbs and flows with the tide. I met up with my two sisters and two doggie nieces ‘The Whippets’ – for afternoon walkies and talkies; the tide was far————out. 

It wasn’t long before we were all heads down looking for treasures – bits of sea-glass, driftwood, seaweed, seashells, pretty coloured stones – you know the type that intensify when wet. We all love beach-combing! My sister’s are both artists – so they love seeking for things that inspire them to create – where as I’d say I’m more akin to the ‘Whippets’ in that I get a sniff of something ‘other’ – that I follow with my nose till I find it! As said, ‘Northern Burrows’ beach is VAST – so the odds of finding something ‘other’ is ‘a needle in a haystack’ chance – only greater! 

‘Unfortunately’ – my phone was flat, so I wasn’t able to take any photographs of the white frothing waves – or the beach – or the sandstorm – or my bad hair day – or anything, but I think this beautiful watery seaweed painting by my elder sister, Caitlin – perfectly captures yesterday’s experience. Her painting was stood ‘still’ on her kitchen dresser and caught my eye – while we enjoyed a post-treasure hunt tea together. 

We were like three sea-witches gathered round a box of Viennese chocolates – that had been magicked up by younger sister – who flies home again tomorrow; where’s the week gone? 

While my phone recharged its battery -‘courtesy’ of elder sister’s energy supplier, I was able to immerse myself fully so to speak with no distractions; it felt good to leave my phone ‘home’ for a bit – somehow freer! I don’t actually use my phone ‘as a phone’ you understand – it’s just there for emergencies like if my car was to breakdown, however its dual function as a camera is a distraction in itself when one takes lots of photographs like I normally do. I find myself thinking about ‘what’s the best angle’ or ‘the best light’ in my field of focus while not noticing what’s going on in the peripheries; there’s a lesson for me in all this!

My sisters both came home from the sea with a veritable haul of salty bits and bobs – but the treasure of the day IS an eight-sided piece of ‘green’ metal found by yours truly!

When I picked it up – it felt heavy like Iron but then I noticed an exposed edge glinting in the bright sunlight, and I knew in an instant – I was holding a piece of brilliant Bronze. WOW! Bronze being one of my favourite metals – this piece winked at me!!! 

Bronze mainly consists of Copper with a small quantity of Tin; it’s an alloy that never rusts. Instead, it magically turns a beautiful shade of Green – called, Verdigris.

Definitely an Ore-inspired piece! It’s function is a ‘KEEP’ for a bolt or lock – I’d say?

How wonderful it is to imagine that perhaps it came off a shipwrecked treasure chest that was smashed to pieces on the rocks – and that somewhere on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean is a scatter of real Gold coins – even a hoard!

Or to wear as a ‘Pinky Ring’!  We three sisters trying it for size – with me in the middle, elder sister to the left and younger sister to the right.

Only ‘big’ sis could get it fully on cos she’s the smallest – but she got a bit anxious when it came to getting it off again. Me too, as I wanted it back!!!

Of course the only other thing we brought home with us from the beach – was half a ton of wind-blown sand; in our clothes, our hair – our boots – and other places!!!

It’s a beautifully made thing; I imagine it’s a gift from Neptune himself!

‘Just’ a beautiful piece of driftwood that also came home with me because it’s like a ‘loaf of bread’.

Another old fav that came floatin back in on yesterday’s tide…