Memories

I have been reminded today about the importance of memory and how the memories we have can be real treasures that enrich our lives. The things that happen and the things we do throughout our lives can shape us and help to define us and so it is important to hold on to important memories as far as we can.

Sometimes events or moments from our past might seem lost but they can actually be buried deep just waiting for a little prompt to bring them to the surface.

Today's pictures are just that. prompt for me. As a child I read a book called The Children of The New Forest by Captain F Maryatt. The book was first published in 1847 and the copy that I read as a child had been a book prize awarded to my mum in school some time in the 1950's. I loved the story of children growing up in the New Forest in the midst of the English Civil War, learning to become independent while their father was away fighting for the King. It ignited an interest in English History and it also touched something in me because I was lucky enough to live close to the forest and visited it regularly so I felt a connection with the children in the story.

I haven't thought about the book for a long time until this evening when I was selecting these images. While these shots were taken at Dunham Massey and not the New Forest they sparked a memory of the book and I can picture the children living in a cottage something like this deep in the forest with deer regularly visiting the garden. How idyllic!