Holly Wand

I was lucky enough recently to be given a beautiful piece of wood by my neighbour. My first thought was to create a staff (albeit a little short) from the stunning shaft of, nine years seasoned, holly. But the longer I looked at it, the more I felt it, the more I was sure that was wrong. It didn't want to be a staff.

I feel very strongly about working with the spirit of the wood and this one had very definite ideas about what it wanted! I spent night after night just sitting with the holly, running my hands along its satin smoothness; taking in all the detail of the tight grain and knobbly features and slowly an idea took shape.

When I first said I was going to make a wand my wife looked at me with absolute horror. I had over four feet of beautiful holly and all I was going to do was make a wand! I think she thought I was mad. (Hmmmmm, she'd be right about that. But that aside...) Yet this wasn't going to be any ordinary wand. This piece of holly had something special in mind.

And this is the result.

Holly Wand- Sheathed

I've never made a wand with its own sheath before and it was quite a challenge to hollow out the shaft to take the wand smoothly but I think it was worth the effort.

Holly Wand- unsheathed

The rich colour of the wood has developed through repeated waxing to both protect it and enhance the detail. And it feels wonderful...

The Recycled Collection

Didn't I say I was heading out to the woods? Wasn't I going for long beach combing walks? Shouldn't I have been out gathering over this last week? Mmmmmmm something seems to have gone wrong somewhere!

Or maybe not.

I've learnt over the years, as most of us have, that life doesn't always have the same plans in mind for us as we have for ourselves. Circumstances change and if we have any sense we change with them. Once upon a time I would fight change. I would cling, kicking and screaming, onto my idea of how things should be and after I'd put myself through a lot of stress, hurt and hardship I'd end up doing what I'd been resisting for so long anyway. So now...when plans go awry, when change comes knocking on my door, I hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Something good almost always comes from it.

I may not have had breakfast on the beach but I discovered a take away that makes the most glorious sticky ribs that brought memories flooding back. I didn't get to disappear for days amid the trees gathering wood but I have been gathering, of sorts.

An unexpected little financial boost meant we could sort out all those little things we've been meaning to do for a while, like finally getting a phone that works. That's a novelty!  We've also been on the hunt for many of those little things that make a place home. My wife hates to buy anything new. Why go to a big store to buy the same stuff as everyone else when with a bit of imagination and leg work one can uncover something different, something with character for a fraction of the price and give it a new lease of life?

And so it was that I found myself having to overcome my shopping aversion to visit just about every charity shop, flea market and boot sale in Cornwall....and ohhhh did I find some treasures!

My work room now has quite a plentiful supply of wood but this time it has been rescued from old, unloved bits of furniture and decor. I'm having fun dismantling it all and identifying the beautiful hardwoods hiding under the peeling paint of a tatty chair or table. It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I will still be making wands and staffs gathered under my self imposed rules of never cutting wood from a living tree, but now I will also be producing a 'recycled collection'.

I'm not sure where this will take me yet but I'm looking forward to uncovering the inherent beauty in wood that has been hidden or neglected for many years and allow it to breathe again, to know it will be loved again.

I'll post some pictures when I've finished a few pieces; for now I'm taking my time, slowly peeling back the layers to find the life within.