A haunting in Hitchin UK

Staying in a town that reaches back to the 7th century can be an interesting study in past meeting present. Wandering the cobbled streets reserved mostly for pedestrians is a welcome relief from my car centered world here in Ontario,Canada . The sloping roofs of medieval structures lean in to survive -and are offered support and life to remain as they are. Listed buildings are structures that are deemed to be of importance and historical, architectural value which are wisely protected .

the wonderful buildings of Hitchin ,UK

a sketch from one of my last visits

Where I live in Canada fewer buildings of historical value are protected from demolition -often given the lame explanation of being “too expensive” to salvage.

The little BnB we stayed in was a refurbished small former out building -remaining mostly the same on the outside and tucked into a small laneway. The downstairs of this little home was furnished with modern amenities -yet there was still a feeling of the past trying desparately to peek through.

We had travelled across the ocean to be present at the birth of our daughter’s twin babies in the UK. It was an emotional time and caused me to reflect and consider the often puzzling passage of time . We are not the capable nimble travellers we used to be and there were a few hurdles along the way -but thankfully we made it in good shape and humour . It humbled me to be present with her just after this miraculous event. (More to come re the new Grandma role!)

I often comment on how aging impacts my body and with the risk of sounding boring this trip was no exception. The five hour time difference had major impact on my sleep - and caused me to wake up at latest 6am each day (which was more like 1 am in Canada )

While sitting in the kitchen/living space downstairs I settled into place with some comforting tea and sketching .. The sun was already rising in the sky and I could hear the birdsong which was joyous and exuberant . There was a gentle little knock on the outside door-almost childlike . I ignored it . (too early for visitors)

I continued to sketch until I was stirred and a little shocked by the kettle suddenly clicking on to boil . This was the sort of kettle that requires one to manually press the switch down! Yikes! My early morning reverie was broken!

We had experienced the downstairs as quite chilly in periods even when the heat was on but attributed it to uneven heat distribution. Also a short time later my partner’s eyeglass case clicked closed on its own while on the couch.

Whether or not you are a believer of “the unexplained “ or paranormal it was certainly pause for reflection! We were situated on such historic territory..with generations upon generations of people having lived their lives here.

As it was my 3rd visit to Hitchin I made sure I visited the North hertfordshire museum which is a special place to view local history so lovingly preserved and curated ..It is definitely a highlight of this little market town not to be missed.

an earlier visit to the Hitchin museum..

while in the UK I sketched a little in my mini travel book

I’m certain we had not paid attention to other signs while staying in this interesting little place while being distracted by our new unfamiliar environment and our family happenings.

Have you ever experienced unusual , ghostly or paranormal events while travelling?

I have appreciated your readership in Substack so far and welcome your participation and comments along the way. If you are in my narrow definition an Ageless Artist (50 and over )then bravo to you for your contribution to creative content for the world. If you are fortunate enough to have time to create due to retirement or otherwise then I hope you will continue to find community and solidarity in this newsletter. I feel extra cheered by the Artists who contributed to our comments thus far as they offer another dynamic to understanding how diverse we all are as artists, creators and makers at this time of life ! As always, Ageless Artists is a free publication - which will travel to your inbox if you are subscribed (at least once monthly.)Artist get your jetpack on is yet another free publication for working artists ..Enjoy! If you are interested in belonging to a smaller interactive community of ageless artists - with zoom meetings,art challenges and live drawing experiences then you might wish to subscribe to Artist jetpack club . (I have offered this opportunity to belong at as low of a cost as Substack will permit me :-) with bonus discounts.)

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my shop

I update fairly regularly and currently have a few new original works on paper using mixed media collage/printmaking

Cheers Heather