The ramblings, happenings and meanderings of Ratty Golightly.
Hello Friend
Thanks for dropping by for another little ramble. This time we're talking mud; playing in it, digging in it and metaphorically wading through it. The latter is something I'm sure we've all felt. Is it me or has life suddenly become very full-on again? And so we turn to mud. This pic was captured a few year's ago and it remains a favourite. They couldn't understand why people were pointing and staring at them! Read on to discover why mud is great for reducing anxiety, discover the intriguing pastime of mud-larking and get a first glimpse of a brand new Ratty Golightly print celebrating the glory of mud.
The Rat’s 5 great things about mud…
1) Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud
A brand new print to add to the Ratty Golightly collection. Anyone who's ever holidayed in North Norfolk or spent time around a riverbed will know that the squelch of mud between toes or under wellingtons is impossible to resist. For us it's part of almost every coastal adventure and it was time to capture it in print.
I really enjoyed creating the linoprint block with the stars shooting out of the puddle to represent the unadulterated joy of mud.
The print is perfect for boot rooms, entrance halls and anywhere you store your wellies as a reminder that there's always fun to be had, whatever the weather. Click here to shop.
2) Mud to help anxiety?
Time outdoors in nature has long been proven to help reduce stress levels and keep anxiety at bay. There's an enormous amount of health benefits linked to playing with mud that are not just for children.
According to natureplayqld.org.au we have a built in need to play with mud because our bodies know the benefits for us. The friendly bacteria found in the soil offers a heap of protection from reducing susceptibility to depression to keeping allergies and asthma at bay. The very act of immersing yourself in nature helps to reduce stress too. Click here to read in full.
Perhaps it's time to stop worrying about the washing and join the smalls in the mud!
3) What is Mud-larking?
Have you heard of it? Have you tried it? Mud-larking is the term given to the pastime of digging for treasure in the banks of the Thames. To join the hundreds of mudlarkers wading about in London's past requires a special permit - mud can be very serious. To discover more, I recommend this podcast with Dan Snow. The Thames, according to Dan is full of "2000 years of dumped rubbish" - a mine of information about London's social history. The specific mineral content of the Thames mud means that it is perfect for preserving artefacts and mud-larkers find items that date back into time, revealing stories from the past.
4) Getting rid of mud
I love a tip and this one's a keeper (for the adventure backpack). A very wise friend, Kate, gave me this one and I'm happy to pass on. Sand and mud, however much fun, soon become tiresome when it's time to get into the car/tent.
Clever Kate told me to use baby talc sprinkled liberally between the toes (and anywhere else the sand sticks). The talc absorbs the moisture making the sand and mud easy to brush off. Genius!
5) A muddy read.
Another great Kate, is Ms Morton. I've devoured all of her literary offerings over the years and The Distant Hours definitely deserves a share on here. For those unfamiliar with Kate Morton's works, she's utterly brilliant at weaving different stories together and taking the reader on journeys through time.
The Distant Hours tells a fabulous tale of an evacuee who goes to live with the family of an author. As the story unravels we discover more about the sinister inspiration behind the author's classic work, The True History of the Mud Man.
The results of this week's social survey:
"How do you feel about mud?"
To take part in future Ratty Golightly Social Surveys join me on Instagram
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Thank you for reading, see you next time.
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