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| Farewell Home Sweet Home! |
Monday 9th July 2012
Well the big day has finally come and today I headed off for distant lands, departing from Home in Rhosllanerchrugog, at 7.20am and arriving at Manchester airport at 8.30am courtesy of a friend, who dropped me off at Terminal 3 for the internal domestic flight of 150 miles in the capable hands of British Airways. Flight departed promptly at 10ish and I touched down at London Heathrow 1 hour later. Weather grey, overcast ….what has happened to our British Summer?!
Olympics
fever was much in evidence at Heathrow airport, which was awash with London 2012
memorabilia, with various shops selling replica GB kits, designed by Stella
McCartney and souvenirs also sporting the Union flag in many adapted forms. It will be strange to miss a big chunk of
this epic event, but also interesting to see it from a foreign perspective.
Transfer to Terminal 5 went smoothly, and I found myself
sitting on a Jumbo jet waiting to take off for Tokyo, Japan by 1.30pm. The aeroplane that was to be my temporary Home for the journey was very
comfortable, with pillows, blankets, headphones
and entertainment for each passenger. Those
in First class even had beds, which as the 12 hour flight unfolded I became
increasingly envious of!
So, as I leave Britain, the country of my birth far behind,
I have the chance to ponder on the very long flight about what does Home
mean to me? Roots, security, a refuge from the pressures of life, a place that
expresses my own identity, cultural influences and aspirations; a resource to
share with family and friends. My garden
is an endless source of pleasure - a microcosm of the natural world that I have
lovingly shaped and moulded to create my
own version of Eden – a habitat for
beautiful plants, animals, birds and insects that delight the senses, and as an
artist, inspire through their endless variety
of colour, shape and texture, that changes with the seasons and the march of
time.
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| The herbacous border last weekend- frantic last minute weeding! |
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| The final cut before I leave - Ruskin Strong assisting! |
My home, Oak Bank, has taken 25
years of hard labour to develop from a near-derelict shell, in the midst of an
overgrown jungle, to what you see today
– THOUGHT…. How about using my Home as a resource for you all (dear students)
to come and draw and photograph this December?! Here are some photos of my Home
at Christmas-time, the most celebrated of festivals that we engage with in western
culture, although its religious, Christian meaning seems to have got rather
overshadowed with all the tinsel and commercialisation.... myself, I love the tinsel, but it must be in the best possible taste darlings!
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| The kitchen at Oak Bank |
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| The lounge with my collection of Staffordshire flatbacks and blue and white china, with complementary Christmas baubles |
Anyhow, back to my Home from Home Travels - my next post will tell you about what happened from when I touched down in Japan... my new Home-to-be!
Well its been raining and Karen, Sheena and myself (Gail)are all here looking at the photos and we wish we were there with you. Rosemary has just come in and she hopes you will have a fantastic time. Where are you now? We are all looking forward to the photos of Japan - will log on soon - Lv all xx
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you all and have a very happy holiday! I'm now in Melbourne having survived tropical floods in Japan and near drowning on the Great Barrier Reef (look out for my oncoming account 'My Great Barrier Grief!' Certainly not at home in that water!! Internet problems in Oz - am now in a public library in Melbourne but hope to enter more posts soon. Much love to you all
DeleteJulia
xx
Julia, i'm extremely envious of your garden! I bet its brilliant to relax in during the summer;I could could spend hours drawing it!
ReplyDeleteHi there Julia,
ReplyDeleteIt’s Martha from your Level 2 Art & Design class! After reading a few of your adventures I find your ‘leaving home’ post very interesting. I can relate to that feeling of sanctuary and pride in your own home, I also enjoy seeing other people’s homes and learning about them as well, the way people look after their homes and the way they fill them can tell you a lot about them. I like how you begin your journey of visiting other homes in other countries by first appreciating your own. I think you can only accept new ways of living when you are comfortable with your own.