Magic happens

Posted on June 28, 2017

Last week I took a few days out, around an event at The Master’s House in Ledbury. On the way Robin and I called in to see Nicola. It was hot when we arrived so we headed straight down to the river to visit stones, if they were still there. And we found one, still snugged in its tree stump over a week after it had been placed, protected from view by the dappled light of leaves.

After supper we went to the yew tree behind the church to watch the bats in the dusk. We are so easily pleased.

Inside the church is a window made from fragments of medieval glass, a patchwork.

After Nicola’s we drove to visit my parents in Broadway, then on to The Nest, near Ledbury to sign books and then to Mike and Tamsin’s where we would be staying. I love staying with Mike and Tamsin. I wrote a book or two there once, but this time my mind was empty, but the air was beautiful. We had supper with Sue and Kenji from Blue ginger, Mike lit a fire, Sue looked through Mrs Noah’s Pockets, Tamsin and I talked of Blodeuwedd and The Owl Service and with Kenji about The Mabinogion, for we are all working around themes from this ancient tale.

Tamsin’s studio is like something from another world and her glass work is so beautiful. Mike makes chairs, and teaches people how to shape wood to make the most beautiful chairs, and we spent most of our time there in the garden.

At night Robin and I went to sleep with a lullaby of tawny owls calling, calling.

And we walked, and we watched as an owl flew over the meadowsweet and it echoed Blodeuwedd’s story and shivers ran up our spines.

Tamsin had invited Graham Arnold for coffee. He had something in his car for her he said. It was heavy. It’s her birthday today.

So, magic happens. On the stone, words about Blodeuwedd, from The Mabinogion. How very wonderful.

And The Master’s house, well. What a wonderful place to sit and paint. Thanks to all who came. Mrs Noah had her first public reading. The paintings looked magestic against the wooden panels.

We drove home past Nicola and the window in Book-ish. There’s more about this in an earlier blog post.

Back home, Hannah and I walked the dogs and took Pi swimming at Pothmelgan. I need to get in the water with a gopro and some stones. Love the texture of water over Little Pi’s back.

And now I am trying to settle to paint, edit two books, do a piece of writing and finish the christmas card for Help Musicians and I am wondering when I am going to start this mythical sabbatical and if it will be before the publicity for The lost Words begins, with launches and talks.

But watch out for owls, flying over meadowsweet, because magic does happen.

5 responses to “Magic happens”

  1. Bernie Bell says:

    You are a very fortunate woman.
    Not only do you have this life, to live, but you see that you have this life, to live.
    Magic is there, all the time – all around you – it’s LIFE.

  2. Barb Rogers says:

    So wonderful to share your journey here. Thanks.

  3. Shammy says:

    aaahhhhh…. beautiful.

  4. Jane Dorfman says:

    I like to think people are admiring them and putting them back in place, though I don’t know that I would be able to do it.

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