Saturday - Spring Cleaning and Sea Glass

On Saturday we should have been chugging down the M5
on our way to Butlins at Minehead for Spring Harvest
in the company of several thousand other Christians.
Afterwards we planned to spend a few days somewhere quiet and peaceful,
and hopefully have time to wander on a beach or two...
However, because of lockdown, Spring Harvest and all other holidays have been cancelled
and we, like many others are at home.

After days of delaying, I reluctantly decided to start spring cleaning our bedroom.
The KHT soon joined me
and spent a good hour or so timetravelling through decades of old photographs.
Then I noticed the boxes of unsorted sea glass that have languished on the bedroom window sill,
probably for a year or possibly more.

Glass waiting to be sorted

Downstairs in the hall sideboard were several more bags of sea glass that had been gleaned over various holidays.
I collected together
that which I had squirreled away
and placed them in the bowl of water
to remove the salt and other detritus.

Looking down the neck of the repurposed gin bottle

On another window sill stood an empty gin container
(which once contained Apple Gin and was brought over from the USA)
and cider flagon
(from the Lost Gardens of Heligan)
both of which I had saved from recycling
and awaited repurposing.
Unbeknowst to them their moment had arrived!
Soon gentle plinks and plonks could be heard as green sea glass dropped in to one bottle,
and white in another,.
(Brown, red, yellow and blue glass was set aside for a future project...)







Over the years I have often been asked
"What do you plan to DO with the glass?"
Not all of it will end up in these large bottles.
I quite fancy trying to decorate candle holders with some,
and, if I find any really nice pieces,
I might be brave enough to attempt to make some jewellery.

In this time of unexpected stillness
when many events and meeting have been cancelled
It some how seems quite appropriate
to quietly sit and marvel at all these pieces of glass, manufactured by man,
but shaped and smoothed by the sea.
Each piece is a different shape,
some are rough, others smooth
some clear, others translucent.
The odd pieces of pottery, has crept into the collection
easy to spot and set aside.
Stone and shell also infiltrates
If I am stuggling to decide if it is glass or not,
I hold it up, and look closely.
If it allows light to pass through, then it is glass.

I look forward,
post lockdown
to the day when it will be safe to gather together,
to travel
to walk once more along by the sea
and maybe pass some sea glass
and reach down and collect the treasure
once more.