In Search of Selkies

On the rim of the wild wild sea - 4

Friends,

This week’s post is the last in the series about the wild sea edge of Wales and my search for grey seals. I finally found them, phew! If you’ve missed any of the series you can find links to the stories below. I’ve very much enjoyed working on this, both the writing and photography. This story has felt particularly good to work on as the first piece of non-fiction I had published was about the seals of this area.

I’ve recently discovered the term Horizon Goal, which I’m finding helpful. Horizons, of course, are unreachable, so the term is koan-like. Horizons make for unachievable goals, but the journey towards them is where the work (and adventure) is. My own horizon goal is this: to create art and books which celebrate and defend the wild. I hope to do this for the rest of my life. There is a Masai proverb I remind myself of constantly: If the lion has no praise singer, the tale of the hunt will always be told by the hunter. I’ve printed it in several of my publications. These past few weeks have been a time of dread for those of us who orientate ourselves to wild places. The governments of the world seem to be slipping into the hands of borderline lunatics with no interest whatsoever in correcting the imbalances we’ve imposed on earth. The conferences dedicated to climate change and protecting nature seem to be run by those who seek to do the opposite. So it feels important that even quiet people like myself praise lions, snow leopards, spirit bears, river otters, blue herons, red-tailed bumblebees, luna moths - all the myriad of species and the wild places they occupy - as loudly as we can, while we can. It’s a way to share the wonder and mystery that surrounds us always. And it’s a way out of despair.

Living on an island which has been civilised to death, we often have to travel to the edges of places to rediscover the wild. The Welsh hills, mountains and coasts are where I head to whenever I can. They’re my horizons.

There are two printable downloads at the foot of the page - one of the view from the hill fort at Garn Fawr, and the other of a grey seal painting I’ve finished recently. Both can be printed up to A3 size and framed.

J