One of my favourite activities isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, although I wish more people would take it up. Once a week, I join a couple of neighbours and we go litter picking in our local area.
There’s an expression in the UK – “It’s like painting the Forth Bridge.” Said bridge spans the Forth Estuary in Scotland and is so big a structure that, in the days before new tech, painting it was a question of getting to the end only to have to start again at the beginning. It was a task that was never finished and so it is with litter picking.
Have humans become more thoughtless with their rubbish over the years? It does seem so. There’s more packaging on everyday purchases too, and people eat fast food on the go. When did everyone start taking bottled water and cans out with them wherever they went? What is the mentality of fly-tippers who are happy to make their rubbish someone else’s problem rather than dispose of it responsibly themselves?
Litter isn’t just unsightly; it poses serious danger to wildlife and the environment. Broken bottles can injure dogs’ paws and start forest fires. Plastic can holders trap and strangle animals – they should be cut up before disposal. Plastic that is loose in the ecosystem breaks down into tiny fragments that enter our food and water and, eventually, our bodies.
In past ages, rubbish was biodegradable. Forest floors were littered with dead leaves not crisp packets. Broken clay pottery returned to the earth from which it was made. Textiles were mended and reused. Leftover food items became compost to grow more food. There were no cigarette ends ground underfoot, no plastic bags taking flight over windswept fields.
So, my neighbours and I do our bit to clean up the detritus of modern life. We have fun doing it – you’d be surprised what we find! It’s a satisfying pastime because we can see that we’ve made a difference to our neighbourhood, and it sets a good example to others – litterally! Imagine if everyone just kept the area outside their own home litter-free, wouldn’t that be something!
The characters in my epic fantasy trilogy The Elwardain Chronicles would be horrified to see the rubbish-strewn vistas of the 21st century. They would be appalled by our carelessness and lack of respect for nature. Their 6th century world is unspoilt and unpolluted. If you would like to escape to a cleaner, simpler time, why not take a trip through my trilogy and walk into a world of beauty and magic.
The journey begins now with Book 1, The Exile of Elindel, available in eBook and print.
Banished from Elvendom and forced to seek refuge among the Saxons, young Elgiva faces a grim future – until she crosses paths with Godwin, a Briton enslaved by the people she must now call allies.
When a dark power rises to claim dominion over Elvendom, Elgiva and Godwin set off on a dangerous quest for the legendary Lorestone: the only thing that can stop the looming darkness. With a reluctant elf boy as their guide and a stubborn pony by their side, they must navigate the treacherous land and harness ancient magic before it’s too late.
As battle lines are drawn, Elgiva must embrace her true heritage, and Godwin must learn to wield the secret power he possesses. But can they find the Lorestone in time – or will Elvendom fall forever?
An historical fantasy adventure set in 6th century Britain, THE EXILE OF ELINDEL is the first book in Carol Browne’s The Elwardain Chronicles series.
Once upon a time a little girl wrote a poem about a flower. Impressed, her teacher pinned it to the wall and, in doing so, showed the child which path to follow.
Over the years poems and stories flowed from her pen like magic from a wizard’s wand.
She is much older now, a little wiser too, and she lives in rural Cambridgeshire, where there are many trees to hug.
But inside her still is that little girl who loved Nature and discovered the magic of words.
She hopes to live happily ever after.
Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
