Personal Map Making!
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Maps!
How Mr Bear and I love them!
On our trips, we would spread them out on the table at night and say to each other, 'Now where do we want to go tomorrow?' Each day brought us new adventures, especially when we wandered off the beaten path!
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Just by opening out the Road Atlas Great Britain 2005, brings back such wonderful memories of that particular trip; truly a road atlas is our journey enscapsulated between dotted lines.
Mr Bear's great joy on these trips to the UK was trying to find Old Roman Roads and follow them (which can lead you to interesting encounters with cow pats, bulls, stinging nettles and incomprehensible directions from the locals!)
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As for the Compass Rose: It not only combines two favourite images for me (a compass and a rose) but has figured largely in my various journeys over the years, and on one of our trips, I was fortunate to walk a 'real' Compass Rose at the Sagres Fortress, Portugal.
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My dear friend Marguerite often remarked that 'God writes in crooked lines' to which I would add, the Creator also seems to enjoy placing me in a Labyrinth!
I can see the Goal, but the Way to it, twists and turns back upon itself many times before I get to the Centre and gosh I wish I had a MAP!
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Thinking on this latest ArtPiece bubbling away in the slow cooker of my brain, I remembered seeing a wonderful BBC Documentary called Map Man.
Each episode recounted a particular tale in the history of British cartography, with a particular emphasis on the individuals whose dedication and ingenuity led to the production of some of history's most ground-breaking maps.
Each episode recounted a particular tale in the history of British cartography, with a particular emphasis on the individuals whose dedication and ingenuity led to the production of some of history's most ground-breaking maps.
The show was presented by explorer and writer Nicholas Crane, each week travelling some distance by bicycle, water or on foot to recreate the often treacherous journeys taken in the creation of that episode's map.
It was here we were first introduced to Ogilby's Strip Maps.
Unlike our modern day maps, these are not oriented North or South, but are read from bottom to top in a one long strip.
This particular piece of cartography (Oxford-Chichester) is not only surprisingly accurate, but a Work of Art in itself!
It was here we were first introduced to Ogilby's Strip Maps.
Unlike our modern day maps, these are not oriented North or South, but are read from bottom to top in a one long strip.
This particular piece of cartography (Oxford-Chichester) is not only surprisingly accurate, but a Work of Art in itself!
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So if you don't hear from me for a few days, it is because I am on a 'walkabout journey of discovery' in personal map making, involving copious amounts of cutting, pasting, gluing and COFFEE! (not to mention chocolate!)
I hope to have something to share erelong with you patient soul journeyers out there, who peek in now and then.
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Blessings on your journeys!
Shanti
2 comments:
My dear Lady North -- I learn so much from you each time I visit your blog. The strip map is gorgeous. I've never seen them before. When I find myself walking in circles here in the tree house I refer to it as "walking the labyrinth." This tends to happen when I haven't had my coffee yet for the day.
Love the post. Can't wait to see more!
{soul hugs}
k
wow...a strip map...that is so cool! thanks for showing us another variation on the map theme. Enjoyed my visit and your writing!
Dianne
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