Stuff Stuff

The Gallops by Kenmore are a great row of gnarled beeches. Many of them bear the scars of old age, rot, hollows, fused branches, mast (in a flurry to reproduce before they die?). Quite a few have carved names, some by soldiers posted at Taymouth Castle during the war. Corp. Gaston, 1946 must have spent hours carving out his name with an arch of flowers to finish it off. Even though it’s more than 60 years old the carvings still look fresh and raw. The tree doesn’t seem very bothered by it, it just makes a bit of scar tissue to stop the bugs getting in and carries on growing in its own slow and peculiar way.

I have been trying to get rid of stuff and it’s bloody difficult. I try and take responsibility for the junk I buy and the stuff I get rid of but it’s not easy. Recycling in this area is pitiable and there’s so much stuff around it’s even more difficult to give it away. All this stuff pollutes in one way or another, most of it is marginally useful or completely useless and it all needs money to buy it. Electronic tat particularly is a bugbear. Though having said that I’m on my computer just now and have just been contemplating buying a new digital camera! I walked along the Gallops a few days ago with a friend and was feeling in a particularly anti-consumerist mood, hence this picture.

The beech drawing has a carving, stuff stuff, my anti-consumerist slogan!