A story can only become a story if you allow that story to happen. Face your fear and do it anyway. This is no brave adventure or tale of ‘a feat of derring-do’. Just a story of a simple little road trip up a single road track in the VeeDub. The fear had no trembling or shaking involved or verge of panic attack status. It was based on inherent butterfly gut whirring and worrisome thoughts of going out, finding a spot and recording my voice speaking into a microphone about what a little jaunt to find a beautiful spot, speak of feelings and experiences, strum my guitar and see what help, if any, it brought to well being. Simply that! So I jumped in the VeeDub. No plan. 

Arrived at the entrance of Artist’s Valley, turned right and immediately entered a sharp bend to navigate and so began the start of a steep road climb. The VeeDub Bus, Billie Bud, loved it! Simply purred in first, then quickly second, gear. Stayed that way for quite a while content to meander along. 

This single track road into the woodland/forest, Coed Cwm Einion, at the back of Furnace, Powys is just a couple of miles up the road from my village. So a quick decision made. Whilst beautiful, there was no place to pull in and park to put the kettle on. Little passing areas only. The river, Afon Einion, looked amazing too. Full of stories and had the energy to shout them out loud. Or you could easily, at other points, see and find quieter spots where it could whisper it’s stories gently. Then the single track road gave choice. One led to a road parallel to forestry road and one with a sign saying ‘T’ road. Probably higher and very much leading to a mountain due to the feelings I got from it’s aspect. The T ‘end of road’ situation? A VeeDub doesn’t like that one bit. So…..Nope!

So nice quick ‘blink of an eye’ jaunt along the parallel to forestry road until I reached a Ford, which was rushing along nicely across the road and I wouldn’t dare cross. Looked more deep than shallow. Quite spooky in the shadows too. It should have been a nice drive. And it was. But I was too focused on the steepness of the road, the sharpish bends, the holes in the road, the little drops to the forest floor deep down on the left and cars possibly coming in the opposite direction. One actually did at a point where we both had choice, left and right opposite sides of road, for pulling in areas. Wow! The heavens were in harmony with us. He smiled knowingly. I smiled thankfully back. We were fortunate. Maybe we had both been seen by higher deities as decent human beings after all.

However? No true stopping and relaxing. Turned around at that ford to go home, but with every intention to delve future further into how the area works for VeeDub purposes. And also go back with a SLR camera and black and white film. Also my iPad to record on with propped up support from these books. Pre-read and familiarise myself with the areas visited. Next time hopefully find a place to park up, put the kettle on and take in the wonderful ambience too. Lots of local people know these places and are full of insights and advice. So need to chat to a few old friends and colleagues. They also have tales to tell known from their childhood memories.

As the Tiny Buddha saying goes.

‘I don’t have to take this day all at once, but rather, one step, one breath, one moment at a time. Things will get done when they get done.’

The upshot of the story was that positivity was found in seeking out these books when home. Especially that vintage published in 1939 Barmouth and North Wales (Southern Section) book with it’s unique language (and odour!), fantastic pages on pages of old advertisements with illustrations and fabulous old maps throughout. Knew I would have to hunt it down. Opened the door to ‘under the stairs’ looked straight ahead at eye level and the spine of said book looked back at me! Next to it on the right were the others. The heavens were in alignment it seemed. Something to be said about a Virgo organisational mind set. Collective books in their own collective space. Now I can look at reference material to actually add within the spoken experience from the perspectives of a beautiful old book with it’s own unique linguistics! And how times have changed since it’s publication.

This link below gives insights and plans re: Conservation aspects. Wonderful stuff.

https://naturalresources.wales/media/674993/cwm-einion-sac-plan-english.pdf

Please tap on each individual photograph to enlarge.