Garden Gnome Has Worldwide Adventure

If you’ve ever seen the French film Amelie, you can probably recall your own envy towards that garden gnome, whose round-the-world adventures caught on camera would certainly dwarf most people’s international travels. Well, another traveling lawn ornament has just followed in his footsteps.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on August 12 2008

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If you’ve ever seen the French film Amelie, you can probably recall your own envy towards that garden gnome, whose round-the-world adventures caught on camera would certainly dwarf most people’s international travels. Well, another traveling lawn ornament has just followed in his footsteps.

Seven months ago, when a real-life garden gnome named Murray went missing from English grandmother Eve Stuart-Tesco’s front lawn, she chocked it up to childish vandalism, and figured she’d never see the ceramic imp again.

But to her surprise, Murray recently reappeared on her doorstep - along with a shopping bag carrying a photo album of the gnome’s worldwide travels. Murray had been busy during his time away from home: he’d traveled to much of Africa and Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. In some of the photos, he’s posing on a mountain top, swimming in the ocean, and even posing in the mouth of a shark.

In a letter that came with the photo album, Murray’s reason for leaving is announced: “There’s more to life than watching daily commuter traffic and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.”

Stuart-Tesco had long since forgotten about the missing gnome, and was shocked by his reappearance. “It was the strangest gift I have ever received,” she told the Telegraph. “I just keep thinking how funny it is. It makes me smile to see all the people he met on his travels. It was a wonderful surprise.”

She hasn’t a clue who might have taken Murray on his worldwide adventure, but she’s hoping her gnome’s captor may be willing to reveal himself, and claims she’d be delighted to meet him. “I thought the album was wonderful,” she said.

Filed under: General Interest, Weird,

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