So this trip to Wales and Cornwall is one of those things that just happened. I needed to move out of my digs for a couple of weeks and stayed elsewhere for half of the time. Instead of another sofa I thought why not go someplace I've never been... On the cheap and see what happens.
Life has thrown me a bunch of curve-balls and some downright foul ones over the last several years as many of you know. Things are looking up in the near future - Therapy will finally be starting when I return, some long overdue dental work and I'll be looking for a new flat and a new studio to work in and still trying to sell some art. It also means I've got a lot of soul searching to do. Questions to ask myself, decisions to make, dreams to implement / enhance / delay / cull and all the things one just thinks about when about to turn 50. Why not do that on the Southwest coast of Britain?
The train ride from Paddington to Cardiff was beautiful although a little bit diverted... and very wet. Cardiff
City Centre is busting and I can't wait to explore it in the next few days. I'm staying at a BnB that I can touch opposite walls at the same time. But on a beautiful street just round the corner from the castle.
Tonight I went to a charity concert for a homeless shelter held by a Brass Band and a Welsh Men's Choir. You can't get more Welsh than that.
I've been gone less than twelve hours. What I didn't expect to be doing on this trip was spending a great deal of time remembering Mom and Dad. We have no connection with Wales. But they love to travel. Then loved scenic places. They loved music. Little reminders of them and their love and lives have been hitting me all day - Looking out over a rich valley as the autumn leaves are turning, the band playing one of dad's favourite songs and the choir singing several songs that I cleared out of my mother's piano bench not three months ago.
So who knows? I'm hoping that this might be at least a comtemplative journey - it might be a little bit healing as well. I'll Keep you posted.