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?
Your time travels and mine would be similar. Our great-auntie was in the Orient and India from 1917-1924. She didn't dine with Maharajahs, but her journals are fascinating to me. They tell of having a home built in Bangalore which they named Fernan (after the town/part of Idaho where they came from). She told of the New Year's celebrations, the struggles when they went on visits in their open car with their two "boys" (servants). Her husband was the Eastern Manager for Singer Sewing Machine Company. I would love to have been at a temple in India with her - rather than being there with friends years and years afterwards and having to settle for pictures in my album of her there and me there, too. But i have lovely memories and hope to be an old, old lady one of these days and will definitely share my stories with my great-grandsons just as yours did with hers.
Posted by: ardi | Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at 15:53
Wow, Roz. I'd be honored to travel with you, especially if I can wear an evening gown in the jungle. It is fascinating to me how a simple prompt can stir creativity. Great pictures, too.
Posted by: Fran | Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at 16:19
I have added the contents of "The Art of Bookbinding 1897" to my website if you would like put it in your bookbinding links.
Thanks
Mark
http://www.aboutbookbinding.com
Posted by: M Harbert | Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 14:03
Sometimes i'm thinking about the time travel.
I'll verry happy if i'll can to travel in time, i'll have enough time ever :)
We talked about the time travel with my girlfrend, we founded a way to know the answer of the question: we will can travel in time sometime in the future in our life?
If in the future i can to travel in time i'll come back at the moment of the talking (2002 July 10 22.00)
nothing happened, nobody knocked the door at this time :)
:)
greetings from Budapest
Posted by: mg | Saturday, May 05, 2007 at 20:32