Week 29

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon I set off to walk on the shore and to collect for week 29.   I had a wonderful surprise,  the steam train was about to pass through our village.   Along with many other people, many armed with cameras and video recorders, I took my position on the railway bridge hoping for a great view.  The smoke billowing and a loud hoot hoot had everyone excited as we all watched the beautiful old steam engine approaching  and then pass under the bridge.   It seemed so appropriate to see this after talking about the railway line last week.  I have a photograph,  for the moment trapped in my camera,  due to a lost connection lead!  It is quite an attraction for tourists, locals and the train enthusiasts,  everyone gathers to watch as we have such a perfect view as the train snakes around the estuary.
It was a lovely bright day.   I walked my usual route and  timed it to see the tide pouring in and quickly filling up the wide tidal river.   I was amazed at all the feathers I saw,  there seemed to be hundreds. Then I found the place at the edge of the bank where the geese have returned to,  the evidence left was the many pellet shaped poos, small fluffy feathers and the flat edged larger goose feathers scattered all around.  We heard the geese one morning through the week so I  knew they had returned although there was no sign of them now.  Each morning we hear their familiar calling.
The sheep are also back with the lambs now grown to a teenage size,  soon they will catch up to their parents as they eat the lush grass.  I kept thinking of my Dad, seeing all the sheep muck which we used to collect with a garden trowel and place in a sack to make a fertiliser for Dads tomatoes.  It also reminded me of the mushrooms which grow on this grassy shore in the summer months.  A pastime we enjoy each year collecting them.   I don't like them to eat but love to draw them. They grow tall in the grass and have such lovely patterns on the underside.   All alone on my walk I had lots of thoughts of the past,  as a child in the school summer holidays  when I spent lots of time on this shore, we all did.
Just as I was leaving the shore with my collection of objects...feathers, sycamore, snail shell, a crab apple, a piece of china and some plants .....there it was,  a single mushroom.  I bent  down and picked it,   yes,  that will go nicely on my page. 
I sat outside in the garden on Sunday and drew it in pencil and then added white ink with a paintbrush. I have tried to capture this lovely opening flower head picked by the railway line, using black ink.  I  placed it in an old bottle found on the shore last year at low tide.   A few other little finds on the page  were drawn in pencil and then painted with acrylic ink.  Hope you like it.  Mean while, I have been washing some of my feathers and drying them in the hot sun today.

Thank you for your lovely comments.                                 Millyx