Monday 7 January 2008

I'm just a map geek

We went on a lovely walk yesterday through the deer park at Ashton Court, and my goodness, those beasties have some fearsome antlers.

Sadly, I didn't take a camera, which was very foolish. So, instead, I thought I'd post some pics from another walk we went on a while ago with the Newlyweds, at the Forest of Dean Scultpure Trail.

Here we are at the start of the trail. That wooden structure behind us in the first sculpture - a sort of giant chair thing.

Note how excited I am about being in charge of the map. Mrs Newlywed is more enthusiastic about her orange squash... and Mr Newlywed looks rather peeved, but don't worry about him: he soon cheered up when he found out that we had slabs of cake in our pockets.

Here we are at another sculpture (vaguely gravestone-esqe thingies, meant to symbolise deforestation, if memory serves):

Mr and Mrs Newlywed are having a meaningful conversation about the sculpture. I'm still engrossed in the map.

Just like I am here...

... and also here...

Honestly, maybe it would have been better if the map had just been printed with the words, "look up, you silly bint!"

I think I got my nose out of it eventually; certainly for long enough to take piccies of this:


and this:

But I think my favourite sculpture was this one:


The artist had taken a dead tree, and cut it into lots of different-sized cubes, and reassembled it into one massive cube that stood on the spot where the tree once grew. Poetic, innit?

I like to think that if I hadn't spent all that time studying that map so scrupulously, we might never have found it. That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it :o)

10 comments:

Monkee Maker said...

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. While it's obviously simply smashing to see a photo of you, the ones where you are intently studying the maps are definitely my favourites :)

Having studied the first picture closely (as I do), I think it's apparent that

a) that's not excitement at being in charge of map-reading duties, that's nerves

and

b) Mrs Newly did indeed look enthusiastic about her "orange squash". I'm thinking possibly "vodka and orange squash"?

Which brings me onto

c) and why Mr Newly looks so peeved. It's obvious really ..... he's having to drive .... AGAIN!

Was I close?

Sorry about this inordinately long comment that you had to trawl through .... what I really meant to say was .....

Cool tree cube.

:)

Random Reflections said...

Ah, so that's what you look like. I think we now need to see what you look like in your new monkey hat! (Your readers can be very demanding...)

lauren bergold said...

OMG!!! LOOK AT YOU!!! you're *gorgeous*!!! holy moly you are modest--if i looked like that my blog would be PLASTERED with my visage! and yes, you do seem really REALLY excited by being officially named navigator for the excursion. even lovely husband jeff (who enjoys a good map, i tell ya!) has never looked quite as pleased as that...but then he has never had a map of the forest of dean! (btw, is it the forest of letitia or peter dean? do the other eastenders have forests, as well? ...just wondering...) :)

ps: i can't help but think that if mrs newleywed were a TRUE FRIEND she would not have been gulping down orange squash during the Great Teabag Superabundance of '07...i'm just sayin'...

pss: speaking of teabags, perhaps you could glue some of your many boxes into geometric shapes and assemble one of those neat rubik's cube type sculptures in your garden??! i bet the satchi's would be swarming round there in NO TIME!!!

Mrs Moog said...

Seeing as I now know you're all tall, blonde and slim and v purdy there is no bloomin' way anyone's ever going to see me!!! At least not 'til I've lost a substantial amount of weight and acquired a decent haircut ;)
I go on walks with Moogsdad like that. Walk a bit, stop, look at map, walk a tiny bit more, stop again, look at map - I'd be the one lost in the woods at dusk whilst he's be the one studying contours to ascertain the lie of the land.
Going now as a certain young man is ona mission to produce a brace of sock monkeys.
Lesley xxx

Mama said...

It's the unveiling of VC! And aren't you all young, beautiful, blond, thin, AND map-centric.

ps: do you really live near a park that's dedicated to the livelyhood of regular old DEER?

Melissa J. Lee said...

Yay, VC! It's very
nice to see you. I second random reflections notion - we need a photo of you in the new monkey hat.

(I quite like that big block, thingy, too.)

Locket Pocket said...

Now Vicious Chicken that really just isn't fair. Not fair at all. How can you be so tall, thin and beautiful and still be mad, funny and creative? And seeing as you are so tall, thin and beautiful how come it has taken so long for us to see you?

Anyway, not fair at all! (did I say that before?)

Patti said...

Great map reading there.

I can read maps too, just can't seem to relate the map to the real world around me.

Love the "art" too.

Kitty said...

Hello. Thank you for visiting my blog - I came over here expecting to see a woman with the visage of a vicious chicken. You look nothing like a vicious chicken. Or any kind of chicken at all. I think you could be sued under the Trades Descriptions Act.

I've enjoyed reading through some of your blog - hope you don't mind if I bookmark and make a general nuisance of myself on a regular basis?

:-) x

Mrs Moog said...

Dear Mrs Map Geek,

Just to let you know I've awarded you a 'You Make My Day Award' - if you pop along to my blog you'll see what it's all about.

This post swung it heavily in your favour by the way :)
Well, that and the sprouts card!!
Lesley xx