Thursday 12 August 2010

Coincidence?

Where to begin?

In June I received a lovely package from Amelia at 101 Bird Tales which was principally a guerrilla stitch kit.
I still haven't used it, but of course I had to share it with my sister Janet when she was here this week.  When she reached this page, she took a gasp and said ' look this map is of the Denbigh area!'
I don't know why I hadn't taken this in when I had looked at this page before,  perhaps it was because I was just taken up with the whole thing, but Janet used to live near Denbigh.  We peered more closely to spot names we knew, and there under the wing of the the bird you can see the name Llannefydd. The tiny hamlet where Janet used to live, this gave us a very shuddery feeling.

 Janet's life in Wales is very significant to us. When she got married her husband got a job in the Wirral and they decided to live in North Wales, Martin's job took him all over the place, so the long commute held no worries for him. They found a very large, rather rundown Victorian vicarage in Llannefydd at a bargain price. This was in 1985. Here is a photograph of our first visit there.

That is Janet and Mr T in the doorway.
It was a bit of a drive, but an easy one if you don't mind motorways, and certainly worth it. On a clear day you could see Snowdon in one direction and Blackpool tower in the other. It looked down on Rhyl where the sun was often shining whilst it was rather cloudy up in the mountains. It was never warm, in winter we used to sleep in fleecy joggers and thick socks but this snowy Christmas we spent there was magic.
The view from the back door.

Janet and her husband Martin worked hard on the house, decorating and furnishing it beautifully. Janet became a dab hand at wallpapering and curtain making with a 12 foot drop. I raced up the M1 and the M6 on a very foggy  December weekend when her eldest son was born - the first baby in the family, and then again a couple of years later when my second nephew arrived, this time more thoughtfully in May. But things were to change tragically when Martin was diagnosed with leukaemia and declined very rapidly. Janet left him behind in the churchyard at the bottom of the Vicarage garden. That was in 1997. 
Her boys are now young men of 16 and 18 and she is beginning to get a life beyond motherhood, but you can see why the Llannefydd means so much to us, and why this coincidence is particularly poignant. 

Something else which is also rather 'spooky' is that before she looked at the book Janet was telling me about a walk she took on Tennyson Down on the Isle of Wight last Sunday where she watched a pair of peregrine falcons flying along the cliffs - and that bird hovering over the map...well it could be.


14 comments:

Marigold Jam said...

Life is full of such coincidences isn't it but it's still a little strange! I hope that you sister wasn't upset by the reminders of other times and that she enjoyed/is enjoying her time with you?

Hope Mr T too is doing well?

Jane x

Jill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jill said...

Jane, she wasn't upset - but we usually have an emotional moment or two when we get together - but more often we have a good laugh. She's back on the IOW now.
Mr T is doing well. Thank you so much for asking.

WrightStuff said...

I think it's interesting. I love a bit of serendipity. Maybe if you try to create something with this piece of map the story will tell itself... Who knows, but do keep us in the loop!

Leenie said...

Coincidence or reminder. Or both

webb said...

What a lovely, peaceful place. It occurs to me that I don't believe that I have ever looked at pictures of Wales before. How geographically challenged I am! And a good likeness of Mr. T (I'm sure!) Glad he continues to mend well.

LAC EMP 2020 said...

Jill,
I'm a great believer in fate and coincidences etc etc. What an amazing one for you and Janet and the catalyst for some great reminiscences. That can't be bad can it. Lesley

flutterbycrafter said...

What a moving post Jill, got goose bumps, and what a beautiful house. I believe there was a reason for the all that has happened. Glad Mr T is on the mend.

Linda Vincent said...

I've just sent you an email Jill and happened to mention that I've been spending time with my sister this week. Then I came here to your blog and found you were doing the same! Hope you're having a lovely time together....we are!!

Jane said...

It's a bit eerie when you get a whole chain of coincidences, isn't it, but I'm always surprised at how often it happens. Someone told me the other day that a photo of their childhood home fell out of a old book belonging to her late mother, and the same day she saw the house advertised for sell in the Sunday Times - sadly, she couldn't buy it. A few weeks later, a cousin phoned to say they'd bought a new house and it turned out to be this very house. Her cousin had no idea of the family connection. Cue eerie music! Always liked the concept of serendipity..

menopausalmusing said...

Absolutely AMAZING coincidence! Uncanny..........

harmony and rosie said...

Goodness, spooky indeed. So glad Mr T is doing well!

JP said...

I love coincidences - it makes the world seem not so random - glad HE is making good progress!

Amelia said...

I realise I was away when you told me about this and now I've just read it and can see how poignant and coincidental it all really is. It is strange how things like this happen in life and obviously I had no idea. Many things happen like this to me and I really love the amazing places and links it leads too.

Amelia.x