Growing up in Barbados, my life was all to do with the sea. I swam for Barbados- butterfly and marathon. Marathon was a mile and a half in the sea – (but the Caribbean – how bad!). My boyfriends were all surfers – girls didn’t surf in those days, although I would have loved to. Dad had a small fishing boat and my sister and I were allowed to take it round the coast and stay overnight – such adventures! We also had a mirror dinghy and often went for a sail after school.
In Barbados, my favourite driftwood is skeletonised sea fans. I use them in my raku menagerie – like branches on a bonsai tree. When I visited the Pacific coast in US, I sent myself home a box of hardwood driftwood – probably not allowed to do that anymore.
Here, I get most of my wood between Ahakista and Bantry – secret locations! Sometimes, I can go on the kayak to beaches inaccessible on foot – treasures to be found…
I have boxes and boxes – all sorted into their re-purposing uses – hangers for my raku fired ceramic fish and seahorses, straight bits for framed skeleton fish and Christmas trees, chunky bits for wreaths, strong narrow sticks for masts on driftwood boats.
I have been making wreaths and now will have to wait for the next storms to deliver more to the beaches. The 8 wreaths are on my web shop .
If you are missing the sea and getting out to the beach, why not have a wreath from West Cork in your home to remind you?