A Meander Through Memory Doodle Pages

 Hello again, lovely reader!

 

      Thank you so much for joining me again - your visit makes the day shine!  I have so much that I would like to share with you and so much to talk about, but today I thought you might like to share a little peep into my life - the me of the past that created the me that is now.

 

   
These are my 'life doodles' - a way to record a whole host of memories on one little page. Each part represents a place, person or event from my childhood, helping my mind recall the precious moments that can often prove elusive to my post-stroke brain (with all its weirdnesses!) They are tiny, I know, but when I look at them I can walk a path through the journey that is my life and each step is a spark - a firework burst - which helps me relive the smiles that have signposted the way for me.

       The page above represents my days out on the Wirral Peninsula, in Leasowe and New Brighton, on the banks of the River Mersey. There's my mum dancing on the stage at the Floral Pavilion.... There are my grandparents taking in the sea air. There's Leasowe 'Castle' and the lighthouses that mark the distance along the coast - and the circuses that visited and brought the smell of sawdust, the flash of colour and the tastes of rare delights like candy floss and toffee apples. Swimming in the freezing shallows of the open air baths, and riding fat donkeys along the sands as the famous ferries carried their human cargo across the waters to the bustling metropolis of Liverpool....

  
     Traveling around the peninsula to Bidston, with its famous "Hill", housing the old observatory and a disused windmill surrounded by woodland, ancient stones and mystical fairy rings of bright red toadstools. There's the little Tam O'Shanter farm, now an animal rescue centre with a petting zoo, teaching new generations to care for the wondrous world around them There are my grandparents again, walking the dog along the newly born pathways of a nature reserve that is now, years later, abundant with protected wildlife and lush growth atop reclaimed landfill. The ancient Hill and the new reserve, together a legacy for the future.

      There's the village cross in Moreton, the church and my old primary school just past the mushroom fairy house that represents my Grandparents' home, a place of sanctuary, the oak that my uncle planted there as a child and me, a very little girl, lifted almost to the moon by the enormous balloon which found its way into that very tree, grown tall and strong with time... And there's that circus, moving memories from one page to the next, like the waters that flow around the peninsula, shaping the land.

    
      The last of today's little offering....Continuing that walk around the coast, there's the promenade along the River Dee on the other side of the peninsula, separating that enclosed little world from the ancient grandness and beauty of Wales, with Hilbre Island standing remote and resolute between, grey seals basking on the rocks. On the way there, we'd stop and collect blackberries along the then quiet roads of Saughall Massie, collected to become jar upon jar of my Grandmother's bramble preserve. West Kirby Hill - ancient viking land now gorse covered with surrounding heaths of purple heather crowned with a column - a monument looking down to the river. Ice creams from Tottey's (the best in the known universe) then off to Raby Mere and a rowing boat ride of peril from my Grandfather (far too large for such a tiny vessel), damson scrumping in Willaston (more jam) and a trip to Thornton Hough to see how 'the other half lived'. Sunshine, sea air and green fields - happiness and the simplicity of childhood.

      I make art for many reasons. I journal for even more. When I combine the joys of both life hobbies I create something which becomes a gift from me to myself, a way to relive happy days and remember loved ones who have long since moved on to rainbow meadows beyond my reach. I would encourage you, dearest reader to try something similar - something that will work for you.... a journal, a doodle, a poem, a scrapbook, anything that will capture an elusive part of you that is precious and fragile so that you might enjoy it every day and maybe share stories with those you hold dear, allowing them to join you along those well-trodden footpaths in time.

      I hope you've enjoyed my rambling journey and even more rambling words! I enjoyed every minute and look forward to seeing you again. May your sun shine for you and warmth surround you, and may you now enjoy a really good cup of tea or coffee and the perfect moment that is now. - Shroo xxx