Half way through this mornings walk I decided to make a detour and find the abandoned old car that is hidden in woods. I discovered this with my previous dog in 2008. I have taken photos of it over the years and even drew on it with pastels once! In 2015 I made a map called ‘A Walk To Find An Abandoned Car’, which I didn’t have with me and it took a while to find it. Its never straight forward as there are no pathways, it is literally just walking through the woods there are no useful references. Fallen trees, holly bushes I say to myself but there are dozens of holly bushes and countless fallen trees. I will say it is harder to find in the summer, and now than in the winter when there are les leaves on the trees it is easier to spot it.
Fred is much more interested in things more organic than a rusty old car. He is darting around and out of sight. I have grown more confident and as long as I whistle loudly now and again I know he can locate me. I don’t use a dog whistle as I can curl my tongue slightly and tighten my lower lip, and rip out quite a loud sharp whistle this works as a communication system between us. Its a bit one way as I get nothing back until I see him galloping to catch me up. But it has never failed yet! I did test this system out once and hid in the wood and made no sound at all to see if Fred would find me? He looked for a bit I saw him run past along the path a couple of times quite close to where I was hiding, but he just went back to the car and waited for me there. However: when I whistle eventually, he comes crashing through undergrowth and dead bracken to catch me up.
When I finally do locate the car Fred’s really not interested in the fact that it looks like squirrels or rodents of some description have chewed the aluminium parts of the engine and the rims of the wheels. He’s not interested that the spark plugs are visible or an enormous ants next has engulfed the rear of the car. The cam belt has long gone but the pulleys wheels are visable and I can tell it was a front wheel drive car. The oil filler cap is rusted and can’t undo it, Fred’s not interested in these, he’s interested in sniffing at the base of an adjacent tree, he is even licking the leaves. He’s found traces of things that interest him clues to what’s going on.
The location is closer to the road than I remember as I can hear traffic moving past in the distance. So what I think might have happened is: The car was stolen in Canterbury driven out the woods by 3-4 drunken guys on Friday night. They turned into the woods along a short stretch of track made by maintenance vehicle, which has become long overgrown now. They stopped when the trees got too thick or possibly a fallen tree halted their progress. They got out and ritualistically set it on fire. Human sacrifices in Aztec South America are cloudily coming into my mind through fire and smoke, chanting to make something change or happen. These four guys back in the mid noughties are singing/shouting raucously throwing bottles at the car. Disaffected youth protesting, but not quite sure about what using the property of others to vent their anger! Were they selfish alienated youths citing the rights of individuals, hoping in some way to change their futures?
The car I thought back in 2008 might have been a Renault! In 2018 I’m thinking it might be the start of a series of wood or lino prints?
