Day 22, we left Aroumd for a little while today 😀 Brahim, myself and Alan, the other traveller that had stayed behind due to also liking the Cos lettuce leaves walked up to Sidi Chamharouch to meet the rest of the group as they descended. We would get to about 2400m which was a bit of a challenge but a good easy challenge for two walkers who were recuperating. We took it slowly and paused often to let mules pass on their way down or up and also for Brahim to chat with the stream of people that he knew generally coming down the mountain or running the little cafes along the route.
I was quite taken by the sun on the Juniper trees on the walk up and also the stream of new plants (flowers mainly) that I was seeing as this was a higher altitude to the little bits of botanical exploring I had done round Aroumd.
Eventually after we had waited a while at Chamharouch, we started to see members of our group stream down the zig zag path to the cafe that we were waiting at. After a pause, the majority of them rolled off down the hill back to Aroumd, Mum & I though had a slow, leisurely walk back down, stopping to look at plants, admire the valley and the animals. Also, I was still sick and getting my strength back but still eating mainly bread & vegemite so I was not about to go full pelt down the hill home!
When we got down to the wide flat river bed above Aroumd, we happened to walk past a builders waste rubble pile and I was of course on the look out for tile pieces. I walked round it and found a stack of glass!!! I was in 7th heaven and then some. The only question was how many pieces could I safely take home? The answer to that is more than I did actually take home!!!
The pretties were washed when we got back to the guesthouse and put on the windowsill to dry. They were then carefully packed away, to be taken home to Australia as a lovely little memento of this wonderous trip that we were on.
When we got home, the glass was checked carefully to make sure there were no breaks – of course there was. I should have picked up more from that rubble pile :D. The glass then sat there, waiting to be turned into something.
Earlier this year, I came across Ivy from Glass Cottage who was doing a bush fire fundraiser and I loved the work that she was doing. After following her for a few months, I reached out to commission a piece with my salvaged glass. I had looked round the internet for ideas of what could be made with my little collection of glass that I had salvaged from that building rubble pile and other little bits I had picked up along the way, I had a few ideas but was pretty open to Ivy coming up the design. We had a bit of back and forth but she had made a few Hamsa before and I was sold. When I packed the glass up to send to her, I also included a little Hamsa charm for her to add to the piece. I only wish I had brought home more pieces of glass from that pile of rubble! I know that when I go back, there will be more glass coming home with me 😀 This Hamsa is one of my most treasured items from the trip even though it was made in Townsville 😀
enjoyed the post. loved the Hamsa that you got made.