Autumn Cottage Diarist

September Song

I attended a wonderful lecture by Ted Bowman last week, entitled
"Talking about Tough Stuff". Its themes were both how we talk about
difficult things to others and support them through difficult times -
but also how we, as carers, support ourselves.

I asked this same question - how do we support ourselves, how do we feed
our Souls when we are extended to our own limits in supporting others,
on a list that I run - and virtually everyone said that, in some way,
they turn to the natural world to find peace.

The photo essay that follows shows how I do the same. As these early
autumn days arrive, and for various reasons, particularly today, I seek
respite, I go into nature, immerse myself in Her, allow myself to be
healed by Her.

When you feel world-weary - where is it that you go,
what is it that you do to restore your own Soul, Dear Reader?

Coltsfoot seed heads, blowing in the wind

Hills and valleys, rivers and streams - this bark is furrowed with the world on its surface and draws me to it again and again

Inquisitive and friendly Welsh Black cattle - two mothers and two calves.

The last few weeks logging work on Forestry Commission land. Clearance has been going on in several areas - with good wood harvested, but so much debris left on the ground that could supply many cottage homes through the winter just with the effort of collecting it up.

The most beautiful colours of autumn, appearing in abundance now............But still, I am surrounded by this cathedral of  greenery as I walk the sunlight-dappled road back home

Travels in a Time Machine

My friend Fran has postulated a fascinating question on her blog today - if you could travel in a time machine, where would you go - and who would you take with you? Well, Fran, I'm  the same place as you right now - loads to do and procrastinating, so thanks for giving me a good excuse to while away even more time!

I would, of course, LOVE to go in the time machine. Oh, goodness, how I would! Its hard to know where I would want to travel first (I couldn't
just go once, could I?) - in fact, your question has fallen serendipitously, as I have recently been contemplating past life regression. Just thinking about its validity before even thinking of doing it myself.

So I think my first trip in a time machine would have to be back to the
time of the British Raj in India, because for some reason, I have a
great fascination with that time. I have no idea why - my grandfather
was there for a short time, (see photo below) I believe, in the early 1900's, but I do not have a great historic family bond with the country as many people here in the UK do.

Not in this life, at least - it is suggested that one reason we have
fascinations with a particular time or culture is because we lived
within it in another life. Is this possible? I'm easy on the idea of
reincarnation, for the same reason as I am easy with contemplating other
parapsychological phenomena - - many, many people have had experiences
which are unexplained. I am very open to their investigation - I just
wish that it was taken seriously, sometimes - not just as it is on endless "spook
hunting" programmes, with "der-der-der-der" music and creepy lighting.
Bah!

But I digress. I would delight to hop in the time machine and travel
back to, say the 1880's? Up to the hill towns - Shimla?, Mussourie?
Kalimpong? It would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall of Alec's
Granny's tent, when she was there in the 1900's, to see her - out in the
jungle but still dressed in full evening dress for dinner. Even better,
to see her dining in magnificence with the bejewelled Maharajahs up in Shimla, as she used to recount to the boys when they were tiny. (a hundred year old lady telling true adventure stories to her four year old and six year old great grandchildren was enchanting to behold).

I digress again - but I suppose that is part of the pleasure of
following a prompt, isn't it? To allow your mind to follow its own path
from a common starting place? And what it has done is to help me to
formulate a theme for a possible talk to give at next year's Lapidus
conference - in Canterbury, on the theme of travel writing - Inner ond outer journeys.

Now, I wonder what sort of time machine I could import to that event, and who I
would take with me on the ensuing journey? I would take my cousin Brenda - an adventuress, if ever there was one - and I actually think I would love to take Fran along with me as well. Another woman of infinite curiosity who lives life to the full - and who could want for better travel partners than that - to ANY time or place?

Visiting Distant Relatives

(Above - Chimpanzees at Monkey World investigating their frozen fruit juice iced lollies)

Aren't digital cameras sometimes a curse as well as a blessing? I've
vacillated for a week, trying to decide which photographs to share here
from my visit to Monkey World last week. Once I have the ability to take
a hundred photographs, I always feel that I want to share 100 - and oh,
the age it takes to decide which ones to discard! In the end, there are
just a very few from very many, but as always, I hope that the give a
flavour of the day.......

Wednesday 7th September
These are our near relatives - and these creatures in these wonderful
surroundings are the fortunate few, from the many, many thousands that
are abused world-wide, that have been given a new opportunity to live
out their lives in the most carefully planned environments, with every
last thought given to their welfare.

Today we visited Monkey World, a Primate rescue centre in Dorset, that has
become very well known on our TV screens, as several series of
documentary programmes have been made featuring the animals and
the founders of the Centre, Alison & Jim Cronin (who have risked their
lives on more than one occasion to bring animals at risk out of their
dreadful living conditions) and their staff.

The TV programme is called "Monkey Business" - which for a long time quite
put me off watching it, as I was convinced that it would e yet another
"cutesy" programme about funny monkeys doing oh, such funny things. Well
- in a way it is, but it is much, much more than that, and totally
uncontrived.

Each week  half an hour of the most acutely observed animal behaviour
is shown, which time and time again astonishes me. I heard so many
people today comment -"they are so much like humans, aren't' they?" -
but my response is always how much our own behaviour still contains
components of that exhibited by the apes - much more how WE are like
THEM! Today I was able to just stand and watch and absorb all this at
leisure. Here are just a very few images taken during the day - for more
information, do visit the website of this fine enterprise.

The blanket saga...."they are MY blankies - and nobody else is going to play with them!"

Ex laboratory Macaques, learning to live a normal live again after being used for experimentation on Asthma - during which time, those under investigation were kept in solitary confinement, balooning to twice their natural weight.