Monday 30 January 2012

Memories and city life........

Eleanora was sitting under the shady leaves of an enormous Aloe Vera plant on Hector's balcony. They had been reminiscing about growing up in the wild north of their homeland and some of their earliest escapades. 'What a handful of mischief we must have been for our poor Mother' said Hortensia. Hector stroked his beard for a little while (he favoured a very short clipped variety of beard - far too dangerous in his opinion to have a long beard when out and about on a motorbike or abseiling on a regular basis). 'You know I think she was always proud of us, I think she knew that we would be alright - as long as we came home for tea I don't think that she worried too much'.

Hortensia suddenly burst into giggles 'Do you remember the time that you made a raft out of pine cones and we landed on the island in the middle of the river and couldn't get off again? We ate so many blackberries that we had sore tummies for days.' Hector grinned, 'I remember Archimedes coming for us in his boat and giving us a stern lecture about the proper way to build a boat and to steer!' The two gnomes settled in for a good memory weaving session - aided of course by Eleanora's delectable honey and oatmeal biscuits and Hector's elderflower cordial. For as all gnomes know, after all it is one of their favourite mottos - 'good memories make a good heart'!

Eleanora always felt extra cheerful after spending time with Hector. As dusk fell the two gnomes set off to tour some of Hector's more recent projects. Hector was explaining to Hortensia about the ever increasing number of surveillance cameras and how they had to always move at great speed to evade being caught on film. 'It's alright when you are in a garden, plenty of places to blend in with - bit more exposed here in the city'. Hortensia loved how he relished his life, some of his latest and most daring projects involved growing plants out of drain pipes and guttering. They both marvelled at how many humans had started to grow gardens in some of the empty spaces. 'It seems they are at last rebelling and claiming the land back for gardens, I always give their plants extra encouragement and tell the birds to help too, they have even started gardens on some of their roof tops and walls! ' said an ever enthusiastic Hector.

To celebrate their time together (for visits were a rare treat) Hector and Hortensia planted a small oak tree in a moist and perfectly aspected place at the edge of a park. Hortensia's thoughts had turned to her journey ahead and to the gnomes who were expecting her guidance in a difficult time. She felt deeply grateful for her visit with Hector and for their treasure trove of memories, 'you are a tonic and strength to me Hector, please come to visit soon once I am home again'.

Hector watched his beautiful and serene sister set off for the South and wished her well on her onward journey. 'Must plan a little jaunt to the Great Trees, time for some proper dream time', and with that Hector rushed off to help some of the tips of daffodil burst through the soil in his local park.



Monday 23 January 2012

Eleanora prepares to go visiting......Hector!

Eleanora was debating whether to stop off on her journey down to visit Hortensia and the Gnomes of the Forest and to spend some time with Hector. Visiting Hector required quite a lot of courage and stamina, and she wasn't quite sure that she could face what was involved in visiting him. Hector was her remarkable and somewhat unconventional brother - especially in his choice of home - for Hector lived in a city.

Of course we all know that gnomes can live happily in cities, but for a gnome with a wild and free way of life to voluntarily choose to go into the density of a city, requires a lot of independence of thought. Eleanora always visited at night, as just the thought of all the noise and dangers of surveillance cameras and the general speed of everyone rushing around - without anyone seeming to listen with their feet - well it could all be too much during the day. As it was, even at night she felt the crush of the sleeping humans' dreams lying densely in the air, 'no room for them to even dream freely ' she often thought.

Once when she was younger, she had hidden in a park until nightfall rather than risk become overwhelmed and confused. Hector had chuckled and come to rescue her from under what was a particularly beautiful camellia bush - people had remarked for weeks afterwards that they had never seen a camellia bush stay in such glorious flower for so long -  a legacy that of her visit that Hector was still proud of.

Hector was an expert at abseiling and his merge and flow skills were second to none. He loved keeping his rhythm as he dashed about amongst all the different currents that he encountered on his daily rounds. He relished his job of encouraging nature, wherever possible, to flourish in abundance in the most unexpected places. He thought of himself as a front line Gnome Warrior, preserving the rights of nature amongst all the chaos of city life.

He lived on the balcony of a block of flats amongst a collection of cactus and geraniums (all gnomes have a soft spot for geraniums), his human was a wiry and gentle man who always dressed in black leather and rode a gleaming motor bike through the city traffic. Several times when going on longer trips with other humans on motor bikes, Hector had been tied onto the front of the motorbike and had enjoyed a thrilling escapade into unknown territories.

Eleanora decided to yield to her instincts and to have a brief stop for tea with Hector on her way South. In her heart she deeply admired and loved him in all his difference and courage. She packed some of her smoked cheeses and a new stone or two in some fresh moss in her basket. Blue stones, if used frequently, sometimes needed to return to their home and be renewed in the clear waters of the mountain pool. Over the years, Eleanora had become used to always being prepared with extra supplies. She also brought some twists of paper with the seeds of mountain gentians as presents. The vibrant blue of their Spring flowers always inspired hope in the hearts of winter weary gnomes.



Monday 16 January 2012

Eleanora in the moonlight....

Eleanora was walking in the moonlight, she loved the feel of the cold as it settled on the trees and earth. Below her feet she knew that animals were safely sleeping in the warmth of their burrows and dens, so the beauty of the frost - glinting white and sparkling as it settled on the firs and the rocks - seemed like a dream. 'No matter how many times I see this' she thought 'I will never forget what a gift it is to live here and to see such beauty.'

She was walking to the edge of the river, to her favourite place by a pool of still water. She folded a shawl on a rock to cushion her from the cold and sat still in the silence of the moonlight, staring up at the stars. Carefully she held the blue stone up to the light, it was her way of feeling what baby Harriet was up to and to send her love and guidance. 'To be so brave so young - take care, life is long and your time now is to grow and enjoy your time as a child, so much for you yet to learn when you are ready'. She turned the stone in the light and back in her cot in Persimmon Heights, baby Harriet smiled in her sleep.

Eleanora was very proud of Harriet's courage, she was also aware of the worry that she would have picked up from her parents and family to encourage her to take such an extreme course of action. To voluntary chose to befriend a human at such a young age was a sign of her wisdom and also of her lack of experience. 'I must go to visit soon' she thought 'time to stock up on Aunt Mildred's foot balm and Hortensia's wild strawberry jam'. For all of her wisdom, great learning and kindness, Eleanora was still a gnome, and all gnomes have a longing for comfortable feet and tasty treats.

Walking home she felt excited by the prospect of an escapade to the south, to visit her great friends - the Gnomes of the Forest and most especially of all - to spend time with her special friend Archimedes. Much as she loved the wild beauty of her home, a winter visit was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with news and relish the warmth of old friendships as they all prepared to face the changes ahead.



Tuesday 10 January 2012

The Beginning of Hope.....

The Old Lady (Harold's Mother) was watching her son with suspicion. Since he had come back from his morning walk he had taken to pacing up and down the garden, shaking his head and muttering to himself. She had offered him a cup of tea and a sandwich for lunch, but he had just smiled at her and carried on walking. She knew then that something most extraordinary was happening. For it seemed an age since Harold had last smiled, she felt a flutter of hope in her heart - perhaps, just perhaps there was a way forward.

She thought it best to leave him to his thoughts and to be busy with her own plans. So putting on her glasses, she set to sorting out her seed packets and making plans for her Spring flower beds.

Feeling tired at last, Harold sat down on the bench, 'it's just not rational' he thought as he gazed up at the sky, 'but it's true I do remember something, I do remember having friends in the forest when I was younger - perhaps I am going mad after all.'

For what neither the Old Lady or the Gnomes of the Forest knew, was that Harold wasn't just on his summer holidays, he had been asked to take time off because he had been acting so strangely at work. He was very worried that he might lose his job because try as he might, he couldn't seem to care any more about his job, the company and the turnover. His mind was always drifting away - and then there had been the mistake over the year end accounting figures which he couldn't take seriously, and all in all. he felt his life was unknown prison of duty and joylessness. That was when he had had his desperate idea of selling the Forest for timber and to apply for planning permission.

'What an idiot I've been, lost my way trying to prove myself, forcing myself on and on. What am I going to do now? If I go back to the Forest tomorrow I might go mad - nobody else talks to gnomes.' Harold sat on the bench and began to gently cry - now this was no bad thing because crying was the beginning of him feeling again, and feeling again was the beginning of hope.

The Old Lady, who had been keeping an eye on him out of the window, came out and sitting down next to him asked, 'from how you are, I imagine you have met some of the Forest Gnomes? Most strange My Dear, when you first meet them - but such a delight when you get used to them. I never mentioned to you that I had made contact with them - I was frightened that you would think I'd lost my marbles!' For the second time that day Harold gazed in stunned amazement, 'you talk with them too?'




Saturday 7 January 2012

A moment of tension and the cracking of a heart...

Well there it was - a miracle of sorts, but in the most dangerous of circumstances. Harold gazed into the violet blue of little Harriet's eyes and smiled. To most of us a smile is not such a big event, but to Harold, a human who had lost his joy and given over to bitterness, a smile was the cracking open of his heart.

Hortensia's heart was in danger of cracking too, but for very different reasons. Gnomes do occasionally allow humans to see them, confident in the knowledge that will forget or imagine that they have been dreaming, but never do they allow their precious children direct contact. Hortensia was almost consumed with anxiety and protective fervour.

She quickly climbed up onto Harold's jacket and raced to hold Harriet in her arms. Harriet though, had other ideas and true to her independent nature, she crawled into Harold's outstretched hand and held onto to his finger to steady herself, as she continued to smile back and gaze into his eyes. Later Hortensia would describe to Archibold how Harold seemed to have violet blue eyes too for a while, instead of his usual pale watery ones.

Harold let out a long breath that he had been holding in his wonderment. 'Who are you, Little One, haven't I met you before, what is your name.' Harriet gurgled and Hortensia, who was unable to bear her feelings of anxiety anymore, rushed to explain. 'Her name is Harriet and she is my daughter, she is only a baby and can't speak yet - she seems to have taken a real shine to you.' This was true because Harriet had taken to sitting upright in the palm of Harold's hand and was blowing kisses at him. This was all very embarrassing, but Harold seemed charmed and gently bringing his hand closer to his face exclaimed, 'Well Little Harriet what a brave and beautiful baby you are.' Harriet of course blinked gently at him, Hortensia began to wonder if her small daughter was going to continue with her escapade when Harriet suddenly turned around and held out her arms to be picked up by her Mother.

'We have to go now, it is time for her tea,' Hortensia paused and then gathering her courage, quickly added 'what you remember is meeting all of us before when you were a boy, we used to play with you, you even knew all of our names - you were our friend. We have been trying to remind you of the fun we used to have together so that you wouldn't destroy our homes'.

Harold gazed at Hortensia in a daze, the truth was he did sort of remember something, except he thought that he had read it in a book. His scepticism was returning, but Harriet and Hortensia continued to look directly at him and he was faced with the reality that whatever his doubts, he was having a conversation with a small and feisty being with a most beautiful baby in her arms. 'I don't know what to say or think - will I remember this, meeting Harriet and you?'

At that point, Aunt Mildred, Uncle Humperdinck and Archimedes stepped forward followed by many of the other gnomes of the forest who felt brave enough to face a human who was awake. 'If you promise a solemn promise to tell no one, we can meet again tomorrow here in this glade. There is much we would like to tell you and to discuss with you. Harriet has chosen you as a friend and trusts you, we will abide by her choice and honour you.' Archimedes stood as straight as he could and put his hand on his heart, 'will you agree to come and to tell no one?'