Heavenly Eloquence

"Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to just to reach you... 

When I cannot sing my heart, I can only speak my mind..."

It's been some time since I last posted, and I've been quite busy in the past few weeks. From Friday until this afternoon, I've been at Gregynog Hall in Wales. Gregynog is a beautiful manor house, completely isolated in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by 750 acres of exquisite landscapes. We were there as part of a "writer's retreat", with plenty of time to be spent exploring the woodlands, rolling fields and glorious pastures that fringe the house. On Saturday night, we all dressed up for dinner and everyone looked lovely in their finest clothes. I wish I'd got some pictures while I was there, as it really was the most enchanting time. Gregynog is also allegedly haunted, and has been featured on ghost-busting television shows, but disappointingly the spooks decided not to come out for me.

For me, at least, one of the most magnificent things about Gregynog was an experience I had in the grounds, directly in front of it. I walked through the grass, past a halo of curly branches waving intertwined to create Carroll-esque havens, then underneath the most whimsical, ivy cloaked bridge and was transported into another time altogether. I floated into a scene of opulence and grandeur. Pretty ladies in panniers waltzed with their suitors, and I am a nobleman's daughter. In reality, I was just walking under an old bridge into a vast lawn, hemmed with perfectly pruned and almost regal hedges but it was the most vivid thing my imagination had ever conjured. It was more tangible than a mere hallucination or daydream, I was only traces away from actually being there.

In other news, there was no mobile phone reception, nor seemingly any WiFi. However, products of our generation as we are, we waved around our phones in the air, walking around the manor until we found a spot by the fire that had access!

While there, I came to acquire the nickname Dot! Apparently, my outfit on the first day reminded several people of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (the red shoes, perhaps?), so they christened me Dot!

(image source: http://www.uncg.edu/)