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| West Kennet Long Barrow |
well an article grabbed my attention this morning, forget the Salt Path. So what was this all about. It was an article in The Telegraph, not a paper I read, but it sung the praises of this latest book release on the 19th of this month. Stone Lands by Fiona Robertson.
The story line has the same sad pattern of illness in the husband of the writer, as in The Salt Path written by Raynor Winn only this time it is incurable cancer with only a few months to live. Both were in their 50s and a loving couple. So Fiona Robertson has written about an abiding passion of hers which are the old prehistoric stones and of course her love and life with her husband. So yes it is sad.
Also for me it was the turning point of Avebury that has focused my life, and in both our lives, the stones, the long barrows and Silbury Hill, still one of the biggest prehistoric mounds in Europe, are the same places we would visit. Once bitten by the intrigue of this monument, it becomes a lode star in one's life. I, on my journey to Wales to find somewhere to live, stopped and wondered and then bought a house in the town of Calne about 6 miles away. Life unfolded, I met my second husband and took up archaeology and then 30 odd years later met the love of my life there. So Avebury is important.
I am not going to recommend the book though, because it is not only a love letter about her husband but goes into detailed account of the archaeological history of the place. You may want to hear about the 'marmalade king' Alexander Keiller and his reconstruction of some of the stones but unless you are acquainted with the stones and their folklore and history it may flow over one's mind without leaving an impression.
Almost forgot. I am listening to it on Audible.
Sounds like the perfect book for you, Thelma!
ReplyDeleteYes it is Ellen, I am now on the Prescili landscape with her.
Deleteoooh sounds far too sad for me to go anywhere near it...... glad you're finding good info in it that ticks your boxes.... i am sure not many people would enjoy the moss book i'm trying to work through
ReplyDeleteMosses are very old and in Japan they are used in gardens to landscape. But each to his own is what I say.
DeleteSounds like a fascinating read. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. Mostly I put things up on my blog for reference, which often becomes useful at a later date.
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