I’m going to start with a bonus activity that happened on Day 11 – because after I had written my blog post, there was an awesome thunder storm with lightning right over head, hail, and torrential rain. So obviously me and the kids joined the dog at his usual spot in the window to watch it (Chase was fine with the storm, but a bit confused as to why we all invaded his usual Neighbourhood Watch post!!) and then when it was a bit less zappy, the kids went to bed and I went outside to dance in the blissfully cool rain and admire the pinkish-purple bruise coloured sky.
For Day 12, I used my random selection of Facebook groups full of nature nerds to find out the species of spider that is living in my car wing mirror. Because I was pretty sure that ‘Wing-Mirror Spider’ wasn’t quite right, although that is obviously what I call them.
It took about 9365892 attempts to get any pictures that were in focus on the spider and not the side of the wing mirror/ my phone’s reflection/ the floor in the background/nothing but I did eventually get two that were good enough for my internet encyclopaedia friends to tell me that I have a juvenile Missing-Sector Orb Weaver Spider accompanying me on my travels.
‘The spider is a repairer. If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn’t get mad. She weaves and repairs it.’
Louise Bourgeois
Today was a bit hectic in everyday life terms, so I didn’t do anything big. But I did sit down and do the Wild Wordsearch that came with my 30 Days Wild pack (because I had to finds 13 words, so it seemed appropriate!) and spotted this very spectacular poppy growing by a wall on my dog walk.
‘That we find a crystal or a poppy beautiful means that we are less alone, that we are more deeply inserted into existence than the course of a single life would lead us to believe.’
John Berger
On Day 14 I spent a lovely couple of hours with Liberty, having lunch at a new vegetarian cafe in town and then buying some delicious cake from a local bakery and going and sitting in a field to eat it. It was lovely in the shade of a massive oak, listening to the birds (and watching a buzzard regret its life choices as it got mobbed by jackdaws), feeling the grass on my legs and setting the world to rights.
It was just what I needed!
‘The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.’
Henry Miller
Today I dug out the watercolour paints and had a go at something I saw online the other day. Shadow painting.
The original video I saw is here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/198291629370394
I shared it with my mum, and she had a go a few days ago, so I felt like it was my turn – and the sun was shining and I had flowers nearby so I had no excuse.
It took me half an hour, and a few times I was cursing the breeze for moving my guiding shadows even more than my shaky hand already was, but I did eventually end up with a picture that looked like two flowers. Which was honestly all I was hoping for as I haven’t used watercolours for years!!
‘The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.’
Gregory Maguire (possibly the only good quote to come from his book ‘Mirror Mirror’ – if you know, you know. And if you don’t, then click here!)
Tonight I am joining in with The Wildlife Trusts’ Big Wild Pub Quiz which kicks off the Big Wild Weekend. I didn’t do too badly last year, so I’m aiming high this year and hoping to get at least half right!
‘I’m always asking questions – not to find ‘answers,’ but to see where the questions lead. Dead ends sometimes? That’s fine. New directions? Interesting. Great insights? Over-ambitious. A glimpse here and there? Perfect.’
Lesley Hazelton
What random acts of wildness have you done over the last few days?
Carole Finds Her Wings 