Hi Tanya--I have only driven through Wales many years ago. I need to go back. I used to be a big fan of Escape to the Country. (I was addicted.) And I loved all of the locations they featured in Wales. I have come across the concept of Hireath and have found it fascinating. THanks for the link!
If you ever need a little tour around South Wales just let me know. I’ll take to an enchanted Welsh castle hidden in the Vale of Glamorgan. You’d love it. It’s a writers paradise 👌
My friends Fiona and Graeme Ambrose live on Loch Ness in the Highlands....they would love to meet you and show you around. Inverness is my favorite city in the world! We want to live in Scotland but can for only 6 months at a time as GB has very strict rules about that. Still I hope to do it someday, Scotland is my heart’s home.
Hi Martha--How wonderful! It would be delightful to meet your friends when I'm in Inverness. Can you email me at anneboydrioux@gmail.com? Thank you so much!
This is a too, too wonderful letter. I found the hairs on my neck standing up in places, it seemed so "right." In another, I was teary with the connections that seem there for the taking. Finding keys is just too much for a believer in magic and in the phrase "there are no coincidences." I think you're wise not to overthink them, but in my head, they're leading you somewhere. That photo with the path leading up to an as-yet-unseen vista at the top of the mountain is pertinent. And the bees swarming. Goodness! You're in the right place right time, girl!
When the pandemic hit, my desire to connect with Ireland got a lot stronger. Looking for stability in the past when the future seemed so unsure. Ebbs and flows of historical processes, and a reminder that stability, in fact, is ephemeral, a myth made up by twentieth-century Americans. I am looking forward to checking out Blackie's book, If Women Rose Rooted.
Ha! I love what you say about stability. Looking at my ancestors' birthplaces and where they married and had children, it's clear they were moving around a lot even within Scotland. I wonder if rootedness is just another word for stability, or a form of it. And I wonder if it too is a myth. Or perhaps rootedness doesn't necessarily mean staying in just one place. I must say, though, that with all of the travel I'm doing, my body and mind have a hard time keeping up sometimes. For the first week I'm in a place, I'm in a kind of fog. And I need to sleep a lot.
Anne, I'm glad that Scotland is resonating so deeply with you! I remember you were a little worried about Scotland after sunny Sicily. I haven't read If Women Rose Rooted, but I'm looking forward to it (and I love "word-of-mouth bestseller"!). I read Maud Newton's Ancestor Trouble recently and found her explorations of genealogy and ancestors to be fascinating. Her sister even randomly moved to the same small town where their ancestors originated without even knowing of the connection. She just felt at home there! Maud's mission was very different from yours, but she did find some peace through the process.
Hi Anne, thank you for sharing your journey through Scotland. I was hoping as I read through your essay you’d mention Wales.
I was born and bred in God’s country 😉 and after living in almost 30 houses in my 49 years I resonate with Hiraeth.
You maybe interested in this essay written by Pamela Petro an Author, Artist and Academic from North America
https://www.littletoller.co.uk/the-clearing/essay/hiraeth-and-hwyl-an-introduction-by-pamela-petro/
Hi Tanya--I have only driven through Wales many years ago. I need to go back. I used to be a big fan of Escape to the Country. (I was addicted.) And I loved all of the locations they featured in Wales. I have come across the concept of Hireath and have found it fascinating. THanks for the link!
If you ever need a little tour around South Wales just let me know. I’ll take to an enchanted Welsh castle hidden in the Vale of Glamorgan. You’d love it. It’s a writers paradise 👌
Sounds lovely. Thank you for the offer!
My friends Fiona and Graeme Ambrose live on Loch Ness in the Highlands....they would love to meet you and show you around. Inverness is my favorite city in the world! We want to live in Scotland but can for only 6 months at a time as GB has very strict rules about that. Still I hope to do it someday, Scotland is my heart’s home.
Hi Martha--How wonderful! It would be delightful to meet your friends when I'm in Inverness. Can you email me at anneboydrioux@gmail.com? Thank you so much!
This is a too, too wonderful letter. I found the hairs on my neck standing up in places, it seemed so "right." In another, I was teary with the connections that seem there for the taking. Finding keys is just too much for a believer in magic and in the phrase "there are no coincidences." I think you're wise not to overthink them, but in my head, they're leading you somewhere. That photo with the path leading up to an as-yet-unseen vista at the top of the mountain is pertinent. And the bees swarming. Goodness! You're in the right place right time, girl!
Right?! So many things happened on that day. It almost felt weird to write about it, but it all really did happen.
When the pandemic hit, my desire to connect with Ireland got a lot stronger. Looking for stability in the past when the future seemed so unsure. Ebbs and flows of historical processes, and a reminder that stability, in fact, is ephemeral, a myth made up by twentieth-century Americans. I am looking forward to checking out Blackie's book, If Women Rose Rooted.
Ha! I love what you say about stability. Looking at my ancestors' birthplaces and where they married and had children, it's clear they were moving around a lot even within Scotland. I wonder if rootedness is just another word for stability, or a form of it. And I wonder if it too is a myth. Or perhaps rootedness doesn't necessarily mean staying in just one place. I must say, though, that with all of the travel I'm doing, my body and mind have a hard time keeping up sometimes. For the first week I'm in a place, I'm in a kind of fog. And I need to sleep a lot.
Beautifully written and so moving. I feel as if I’m on the journey with you.
Awww. Thank you, Sharon!
Anne, I'm glad that Scotland is resonating so deeply with you! I remember you were a little worried about Scotland after sunny Sicily. I haven't read If Women Rose Rooted, but I'm looking forward to it (and I love "word-of-mouth bestseller"!). I read Maud Newton's Ancestor Trouble recently and found her explorations of genealogy and ancestors to be fascinating. Her sister even randomly moved to the same small town where their ancestors originated without even knowing of the connection. She just felt at home there! Maud's mission was very different from yours, but she did find some peace through the process.
Thanks, Kari. How interesting! Thank you for mentiong Newton's book. I'll look for it.