Mystery of the haunted baby

Today some of us went and cleaned up a beach in Balandra. Photo shows my gloves hanging on the tree and Mitch walking by with a large piece of rubbish.

My friends Keshia and Dara drove up in my car. We left earlier than everyone else, as I had to head back up East for a particular time. On the way back we saw this rather life-like baby doll on a stick, 'guarding' a banana and vegetable patch. The doll was obviously functioning as a scarecrow ... I think ... I hope.

It was kind of odd, so we stopped to take a photo of it.

Keshia took a photo of it from the passenger seat where she was sitting. I got out and walked up to it and took this photo. I was then zooming in to get a closer shot when suddenly I heard a noise like a baby crying (one cry). I looked up, thinking it was a large bird. I was not sure because I had never heard such a cry coming from bird, but Keshia then said: "It's a bird."

I positioned my camera again and as I was about to press 'click' the sound like the baby's cry happened yet again. It was a strange kind of "Whaa" noise. I looked at the car, thinking it was Dara making the noise, but it was not. She and K looked as confused as I did.

We decided it must be a goat in the bushes. I was about to press click again when ... "Whaa". It was too uncanny! We all looked at each other with eyes wide open and I turned to walk away.

Keshia suggested: "Try it again ... just to see. If it happens, then it's not a bird or a goat."

I went to press click and the noise happened again. "Whaaa." I got back into the car and we drove off.

Later on we discussed it and arrived at the conclusion that someone might have been hiding in the bushes making that noise to scare us away. Maybe that's their technique for getting rid of vegetable thieves.

Know yourself

(Canada chronicles continued)

To see

To feel

To know

Found Objects: The haunted typewriter

I couldn't think of anything to write, yet felt like writing something ... so decided to close my eyes and click on the list of 'labels' I've created so far. The mouse landed on 'Found Objects'.

What can I say about found objects? There was a time when most of my art was craeted from found objects. Then when I got more into photography and video I stopped picking up things.

Once I picked up an old typewriter from the side of the road going up to Mount St. Benedict. I thought it could be used as part of an interesting piece. When I picked it up, it was surprisingly much heavier than it looked. I washed it out under the standpipe and noted with disgust the human hair being flushed out from under the keys. Upon seeing that, my feeling to use it diminished drastically.

That night as I slept I was awoken by the sound of the rapid click-clack of trypewriter keys just by my bed. Even with my eyes open I was still hearing it, but the sound faded as my consciousness became clearer/I became more awake.

The next morning I took the typewriter down to the garbage disposal point at the corner of the street. I was cautious about what I picked up after that.

Inspiration

This week's Sunday Scribblings prompt is Inspiration

Some of the heart shaped stones (and leaf) I found at the silent retreat this weekend. I usually find lots of heart shaped natural things, but this weekend in particular they jumped out at me everywhere as I walked on the beach, the grass or the road. There were so many that after a while I stopped picking them up. Even on my walk this morning, practically every time I looked down there was a heart-shaped something ... a stone, a leaf, an oil stain on the road, a hole, a dark spot of pitch ...

The thing that inspires me is Love. At the core of everything I do or am drawn to is Love in some aspect - the presence of it, the seeming absence of it, the quest for it, the desire for it, the finding of it, the feeling of it (or not), Love of self, love of someone, love of something, love of Spirit, etc etc etc. The list could go on. Both subconsciously and consciously Love is what drives me because at the core of me is always the desire to be it, have it and know it. I find it difficult if not impossible to do something meaningful and true without it.

Smile

People have different things to say about what position to put horeshoes in for 'good luck'. Someone told me once (and I've seen it written), that a horseshoe turned with the open part up (as in photo above) will collect blessings. I favour that reasoning. Turned that way it reminds me of a smile. But then again, you could also say that if the open part is turned downwards that it is showering blessings. I would say it's easier to just think of it as a symbol of blessings regardless of which way it's turned.

The shoe in the photo - I can't remember where I found it. Either in Lopinot (although I think the ones I found there are smaller, as though for donkeys or small ponies) or in England. The horseshoe on my bedroom door is much thicker and heavier and kind of crusty. I found that one near Stonehenge in 2004.

(I haven't got used to putting posts into categories yet. Some posts are easy to find a category for - e.g. Poems or Animals. But what about a post like this. Miscellaneous?)