Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones
By Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott
An exquisite collection of shape-shifting tales from two magical artist-storytellers.
Saturday, 12 August 2023
The beginnings of a story of the sea
I really wanted to make an update for Wild Folk to let you all know about progress I have been making, so, I made a short film, wrote a blogpost, then realised when almost finished that I had put it onto the wrong site. Now, I am almost 2 weeks out of having a knee operation, am walking on crutches, coming off painkillers, and obviously addle brained. It takes a maximum of effort to get anything done, and I was feeling so good about achieving this one small piece of work, until I realised I had put it onto The Unwinding Cards site instead of here. So, I decided to leave it there.
Needless to say it has been a hard few weeks, both in the run up to the op, and since. I have never had an operation before. One of the things that has carried me through has been the kindness of friends and strangers. Another has been this story; a place to lose myself, to hide, a place of refuge and respite, a dreaming.
There is knitting in the story, song, myth, seawater and the colours of the sea, weather, wild. Above are some small boots I made for my first grandchild, due in December, currently sailing in the Baltic.
If you would like to read the posting that should have been here please follow this link. For now, I need to go and rest, with an icepack on my knee. I'm resting still in my knitting, which is soft and complex, and in this book, the cover of which haunted me, demanding that I buy it, until I did, and I have not been sorry:
Tamsin has been creating some amazing artwork and will also be posting an update soon. For now I turn my attention to rivers, and the small folk who live along these arteries on the land. Can you tell me, what is your favourite river?
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Comments
My favourite river is...me.
I picture myself as a little river, babbling along - flowing round the stones that get in my way - into a still pool - where I still swirl and move.
I'm the still pool, and the flowing river, in the pool.
So are you.
posted 13th August 2023
Though a Norfolk tourist River , The River Ant has magic ripples , when we had a boat years ago now , I can always hear those special ripples that no other had .
That is a beautiful beginning Jackie , I was completely there . Take care of you xx
posted 14th August 2023
A favourite river of mine, though I have many, is the River Itchen , a chalk stream which I’ve walked along many times when visiting my daughter. Gloriously clean (looking) and with so much wonderful wildlife. The shocking state of our rivers and seas appalls me. They are our lifeblood.
I’m a knitter too Jackie and know how soothing the stitch by stitch activity of it is. Relax, heal and we’ll patiently wait for your next magic to appear. Xx
posted 14th August 2023
I love whichever river I live nearby. Currently, that is the Maurice river in New Jersey which feeds the Delaware River before it, in turn, enters the Atlantic Ocean. The river here is tidal and there are wetlands full of birds.
I hope recovery goes well and you are soon walking again with ease.
posted 14th August 2023
I love the river Adur in Sussex. It passes through the Knepp rewilding project, and has itself been rewilded on their land so now it can flood there and replenish the land.
posted 8th September 2023