September 28, 2013

A vardo adventure & childhood dreams . . .

Autumn crept up on silent feet whilst i was distracted elsewhere, I turned around and found a landscape beginning to glow with fiery colours.  Autumn, with its rich hues & smoky scents,  the  season I was born into and to which I feel most deeply connected. It is a  time for  looking back over the disappearing Summer and savouring the memories.
And I have so much to savour from those summer months,  such an adventure I had.
Since childhood I had held onto a dream to stay under canvas in an old gypsy vardo.
This Summer my dream came true and I found myself whisked away down South to spend nights curled up in a deep feathery bed  being  lulled to sleep by  the song of owls hooting in the forest and the gentle rock of a wee house on wheels or reading quietly whilst rain pattering on the old felt roof of a gypsy caravan that had once travelled the roads.

 Evenings we spent sat upon the steps of the sweetest Summer house watching a tiny kitten playing amongst the flowers, the heron coming in to land or the deer grazing at the edge of the forest.   Quiet times, healing times, memories to cherish.


 Our days were spent re-visiting places filled for me with childhood memories, the  Cornish lanes & byways of Tavistock, Calstock & Bude. Places I travelled to as a child on long Summery holidays staying with my Grandparents. Days spent with my siblings ploshing in the streams, building dams, hunting for jewelled caddis fly cases or evenings spent exploring the fields for plants & flowers, Grandad teaching us their names & the old country uses. Nights spent listening to old folk songs & stories that fired my childish imagination.  Visiting these places was such a lovely, very emotional trip down memory lane.

All to soon it was time to head home, filled with the new experiences & remembering old ones. On our way back we collected my daughter & granddaughter & they came to stay.  Three whole weeks for gathering the clan, my three children all home together & at times all four generations of us  catching up and getting to know our precious  new little addition to the family.  Making new memories. 
I sit here now on  this Autumn tinged evening and see this Summer was filled with childhood hopes & dreams & memories.  Where do the years go to I wonder? It seems moments ago I sat and listened to my Grandmother singing, only moments since I sang to my own children and now here I am a Grandmother singing those very same lullabies again.
So another season begins, life moves on and I cherish all the golden edged moments for they have left me with a  heart filled with love & a head filled with the memories.
 

16 comments:

  1. Ahhhhh, a life full of riches and precious moments :)

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    1. Blogging them is such a lovely way of keeping a record of al my blessings Valerianna, and so lovely to look back over them.

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  2. What lovely memories. Thanks for sharing them with us.
    Jacqui x

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  3. So lovely, you put things down so well, Ruthie

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    1. thank you Margaret, I enjoy doing it too.

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  4. Lovely post Ruthie,thanks for sharing your memories and beautiful photos.

    Have a wonderful week!
    Ruby

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  5. so lovely to hear about your summer
    your photos are lovely
    and
    inspire day dreaming
    i am happy for the good times you got to enjoy

    lovely autumn to you ~

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    1. thank you Tammie and a lovely Autumn to you to.

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  6. Anonymous29/9/13 20:44

    Summer memories that will stay with you, beautiful photos of happy moments and family...
    Thank you for sharing
    Thea x

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  7. Doesn't time fly Ruthie.
    It looks as though you've made the most of this wonderful summer we've had. Cornwall and Galloway have so much in common. A Celtic people, a kingdom in it's own right and a coastline the envy of it's neighbours where the sea was the supreme master.
    I love the big hug you're giving your mum (Jean)

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    1. Jim, time does fly, I can hardly believe its Autumn already.

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  8. What a beautiful , inspiring and fantastic post...gorgeous images and pictures...deeply meaningful and heart-warming! Wishing you all many blessings!
    Victoria

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  9. Looks like you have had a lovely summer. Wonderful photos of your holiday and family. Precious moments captured in time. Oh, and the gypsy caravan holiday looks magical.
    Warm wishes,
    Jo. xx

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  10. such beautiful autumn colours in the first photocollage.

    How nice to spend time in a gypsy caravan, specially with such a cute little kitten visiting

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  11. This was fantastic -love it!! I live in WY right now and we just had a pretty good bout of snow....which I disliked greatly for Fall. I was born in Autumn as well and this season has always called to me the strongest.
    Unfortunately, here in WY I am not being able to 'experience' the season quite like I use to when I lived in NY or MA...or even TN, even longer ago. But this blog entry definitely helped me to 'feel' Autumn again, even if just for a short while.

    Thank you.:)

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  12. how beautiful...i did a double take when i saw the kitten...the double of my little leveret!

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