Some more unpacking. After putting my children (Brenda, John and Arthur’s) portraits where I could see them, I felt a lot better.
Later, I put the roc
k that my sister-in-law (Mavis) had painted for me, on the window sill at the top of our stairs. Whenever I pass it – which is a few times a day – I am reminded of this lovely lady, I realized that , surrounding myself with familiar things makes living in a strange place feel less strange.
k that my sister-in-law (Mavis) had painted for me, on the window sill at the top of our stairs. Whenever I pass it – which is a few times a day – I am reminded of this lovely lady, I realized that , surrounding myself with familiar things makes living in a strange place feel less strange.
Steve and Maureen and I spent about an hour this morning cleaning the schoolroom in preparation for tomorrow’s service. While cleaning, we chatted about various St Helenan things. Steve answered my unspoken questions about why there is such differing vegetation on such a small island.
When the island was first discovered in the 1500’s, it was completely wooded and lush. When the settlers wanted to move inland, the trees were so dense that they lopped off their tops in order to see further. At one stage there was a large patch of trees with chopped off tops – hence the name “Half Tree Hollow”. The settlers then brought in goats. These did such a good job of clearing the undergrowth that they left the top soil exposed. The rain and wind then dealt with the top soil, and those areas are now almost desert-like.
When the island was first discovered in the 1500’s, it was completely wooded and lush. When the settlers wanted to move inland, the trees were so dense that they lopped off their tops in order to see further. At one stage there was a large patch of trees with chopped off tops – hence the name “Half Tree Hollow”. The settlers then brought in goats. These did such a good job of clearing the undergrowth that they left the top soil exposed. The rain and wind then dealt with the top soil, and those areas are now almost desert-like.
Arthur was only a little boy when he found that rock and brought it to me to paint. It was a rock treasured by him. Never in my wildest imaginations would I have expected that it was destined to sit at the top of the stairs in the Baptist manse in St Helena!!! ha ha
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