Books and pictures

Back in April, I heard about this book: Wildwood:  A Journery Through Trees , by Roger Deakin...it was recommended by Caroline.  I am still reading it.  Although there are no pictures or illustrations, except for small prints as chapter headings, Roger Deakin is the master of description...none except one's imagination or a few clicks on the internet are necessary.

I took a little break from it as I have been reading The Island by Victoria Hislop, set around Spinalonga, which I read after my visit to this area of Crete.

I have now gone back to it, and loosing myself....which is wonderful,  as I am nursing severe pain in my left foot.  It started whilst walking in Crete...I am waiting for an appointment to visit the Podiatrist, having been referred for further diagnosis by my Doctor.

There are so many good passages, I love the way that Roger Deakin has brought all sorts of references to the continuing lives of trees to the readers' attention.  For instance he introduces us to his friend David Nash, who used wood, including burnt wood as part of his sculptures and installations.  Naturally I have been looking up the various artists...and making connections again!!

I had not made a note of the artist, but I remembered posting about a sculpture we saw at Blackwell in the Lake District...then searched my own blog...it was back in 2009.

I am currently reading the section 'Driftwood'

"Driftwood makes a vital contribution to the sea's ecology.  It is an important to the oceans as dead and rotting trees are to terrestrial forests, but its mode of decomposition is quite different.  Whereas in a living wood it is fungi that do most of the work, floating driftwood in the sea is principally eaten by animals.  Those energetic sculptors fall into two main groups:  wood-boring crustaceans and bivalve molluscs.  The first of these are the gribbles, responsible for the labyrinthine galleries of tunnels that worm their way through the surface so so much driftwood."

Its no surprise that, this morning, my eye was caught by my little piece of driftwood, collected on a beach walk many years ago.  It now sits in one of my pots of ferns.

There are so many threads in the book...I am borrowing it from the library, and I am sure a copy will find its way here..... when I have a larger bookcase.