Yesterday I went to Sligo to run a few errands, to get the car serviced and to give myself the treat of having a Shiatsu massage. Fabulous!! It was wonderful to be walking about enjoying the sunshine.
After lunch in a busy river side cafe, I walked over a little pedestrian bridge to the other side of the river. Half way across I was struck by the grace and beauty of an old willow tree growing out of the bank and dipping its branches into the river:
It was probably self sown. Notice where it's lost a couple of limbs over the years. This old willow adds character and charm to the urban riverside walk and brings a touch of wild right into the heart of the city.
While I love to see landscaped trees in an urban environment, – it’s trees like this willow above that really stir the soul. I whipped out the camera, took the photo and moved on to collect the car.
While waiting in the office for the bill, my eye fell on the desk calendar open on this page:
Right on! I paid the bill and headed out from Sligo taking the Manorhamilton to Blacklion road so that I could drop off on the way and visit my favourite sculpture at the lake edge near the Blacklion swimming jetty.
If ever you are in that area be sure to stop and go see this striking ‘Imagine’ sculpture. If you don’t have time to drive there, then check out Louise Walsh’s website and read about the project. It was a great project with a great message – ‘Imagine an island where all could live in peace’.
The Sculpture is made up of three stones in line with the holes matching up to make a monocular effect.
But the real impact comes from the experience of peeping through the stones which make a huge monocular, and discovering for yourself this captivating scene below:
The mystical stone sculpture by Louise Walsh and students near Blacklion.
To me, the artist has achieved something wonderful here. The material she has worked with is ancient of course, and when you peep through the holes in the stones the view seems to hold the sense of ongoingness and it brings the tiny island with its lone tree into sharp focus. The area in which it sits is so often rich in bird song and somehow that, coupled with the background silence of the place gives the viewer a physical sense of the message itself. I can never pass by without stopping.
So it was a day away from the forest, where trees were very much ‘in focus’.
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Tags: Urban trees
