Part 1

Bowerhill

It was one of those wintery grey January days when Rob, my future husband, and I set off to view a cottage for sale in an area that was completely new to both of us. As we drove through the countryside that day, I was in awe of the beautiful landscape that lies close to Avebury, Wiltshire. The tall trees stood so strong with their branches gently swaying in the cool breeze, and the green fields resembled a patchwork quilt that seemed to stretch on forever. It served to remind me of the peace and beauty of God's creation. I don't think I'd ever felt such a sense of calm as I did at that moment.

Some years earlier, I had often been "shown" a cottage in my mind's eye when I'd been meditating, and I had described it to Rob many times. Although we had never discussed moving away from our home in Swindon, I instinctively knew that we would one day move into a cottage. However, I had no idea how, why, or when; I just knew that it would happen. I have been psychic from an early age, but I didn't really understand it back then. I always seemed to know certain things, but I was confused by how I knew them, and it made me feel different from others. For many years, I chose to ignore it, which was difficult at times, as the words just came out of my mouth. It was as if they belonged to someone else.

In 2001, I met a lady named Louella, a gifted psychic, and she helped me to understand my ability. It was such a relief to speak to someone similar to me and who understood me. It was my first step in accepting that I had been given a gift. Speaking to Louella made me feel like I had come home. After that, I would often just know things, and Louella would validate that what I was seeing came from spirt. It made me aware that spirit had given me a pathway to follow.

One day, I had spoken to Louella about the cottage I'd been shown, and I was not surprised when she described it. It felt amazing that Louella could see what had been shown to me, and we both were aware that I would be guided to the cottage in time. Twelve years later, by sheer luck, Rob had noticed a cottage for sale on an estate agent's website, yet it was in an area of Wiltshire that I had never before visited. It was an opportunity out of sheer curiosity that neither of us felt we could allow to pass us by, and almost immediately, we requested a viewing. We were both looking forward to the viewing, especially me, as I was in anticipation as to whether there were any signs of familiarity with this cottage to the one I'd seen in my own mind.

As we continued on our journey, I gazed longingly out of the window at the lovely chocolate-box cottages surrounded by the great outdoor space. Everywhere looked so tranquil and beautiful, just as nature had intended. I instantly felt a deep connection with the land and all that it sustains us with. It was becoming very clear to me that this was something that I very much wanted to be a part of. We had lived in a town for some years and were more used to the built-up areas of concrete buildings, busy traffic, and everyday noise that comes from living in a town. This, on the other hand, was just heaven, and I could envisage living among the countryside with its quiet leafy lanes, birdsong, and tranquillity. It seemed like a place where the pace of life was slower, where it appeared normal to bid someone good morning or make pleasantries as you pass one another by and where folk looked out for each other. All of these things hold importance to our well-being and humanity.

Soon, we had arrived at the cottage, and I could feel the excitement rushing through my veins. Rob and I looked at each other and smiled before I let out a big gasp of surprise. Already, I could see some familiarities between this cottage and the one that had been shown to me. I had described to Rob in detail that my cottage was not standing alone – it was in a village. However, it was not like the usual villages with a High Street. It was close to a town but had a country setting with fields and landscape at the back. We were looking at the building from the front, but from the estate agent's website, it showed a landscaped setting at the rear of the cottage. Once we'd walked through the gate, though, I was mesmerised by what we were witnessing. The field and landscape beyond practically jumped out at us, and it made for a beautiful picture of all things natural and scenic.

We looked at one another in complete amazement as we realised that this was the cottage that had been shown to me, the one that Louella had described, and the one that had been a part of me over the years. Now, here it was, in reality before our very eyes. Already something told me that this was special, and after that first viewing, we both knew that this cottage was meant to be. It already felt like our new home. On the drive home, we were both excited and had already began making plans, and that was before we'd even put an offer in. I just felt certain that we were going to live there and never doubted it for a second.

When move-in day arrived, we could hardly contain our happiness or excitement. I don't think I'd slept properly for weeks prior to the move, and it was if I'd been hit by a huge adrenalin rush. It was mid-April 2012 when we moved in, my favourite time of the year. Spring has always been the season I look forward to the most. It's a time of new growth and the reproduction of our wildlife, and a new cycle for all things connected with nature and new beginnings, which for me is a most positive time of the year. The cottage was everything we could have wished for and more; it had a lovely warm energy, and the original features made it feel even more comfortable and inviting. It has the added bonus of a big garden. Rob, who had grown up on a large farm, was in his element at the prospect of growing all of our own vegetables and perhaps selling some, too.

We had discussed the idea of Rob starting his own gardening business as he really enjoyed working on the land, while I had made plans to turn my hobby of making graphically designed spiritual cards into a business after we had put the final finishing touches onto our new home. Almost immediately, we earnestly began decorating and getting a few other jobs done, too. The days were long, and we were often exhausted come evening time, but we still had big smiles on our faces and a sense of deep contentment and appreciation of being blessed in finding our home.

It was a further five weeks before we had completed the decorating, and at that point, we were able to sit back and admire the fruits of all that hard work. The cottage seemed to have come alive following the makeover. There appeared to be an added glow about the place, and when the sunshine poured in through the windows, the beautifully carved wooden mantelpiece took on a sheen all of its own. We would both sit up in bed in the morning and gaze across at the fields and the landscape beyond it and literally pinch ourselves. We were both so grateful to be living amongst nature and could hardly believe it had happened. It all felt so surreal.

We had frequent visitors of both family and friends, from daily visits from a weekend to a month. Everyone had remarked at how the cottage had a lovely feeling to it, and many didn't want to leave, claiming that it gave them a sense of peace and calm. Rob wasted no time in starting work on the garden and set about digging up the lawn on the side garden. It was to be turned into a vegetable patch, and there was a lot to do. He had already started off a variety of vegetables in pots, and since they were now ready to be planted, there was no time to waste. Besides, the weather had turned very rainy and continued for weeks on end, so it was more of a case of him getting out there in between the downpours.

Meanwhile, I had started to make designs for my cards and worked in my office as much as I could. It soon became a favourite room of mine, as it always felt like a relaxing place to be. The views outside the window helped to calm my mind and give me inspiration to both design and write. Often, I'd be distracted by the deer that frequently grazed on the field, and I would simply have to stop what I was doing just to gaze out of the window at them. I thought they were the most beautiful of animals, and I was transfixed by their gentleness and beauty. I had never been so close to them before, and it always became one of those "ah" moments when they appeared. The wild birds had also stolen my heart since we'd put up a bird table, along with all the nuts, seeds, and suet balls in the hopes that more birds would feast in the garden. It wasn't a disappointment, as soon there were many birds of different varieties that visited on a daily basis.

I confess that coming from a large town; I was familiar with only the usual sparrows and robins. With a bird book in hand, I soon got to know all of the other varieties of birds. There was no other joy for me but to be having my morning tea while watching birds nibbling away on the feeders. I would stand and watch them all day if I could, just for the sheer joy of it. Since then, we have had the delights of seeing wrens, woodpeckers, a sparrow hawk, and a family of starlings nesting in our bird box. There is something to be said of listening to the birdsong on an early morning and observing the shrills of happiness. For me, this was without a doubt our destined journey and one that filled me with a deep sense of belonging. Rob and I settled well in Bowerhill, and almost straight away, we felt as if we belonged here. As I previously mentioned, Bowerhill doesn't have the normal village High Street of convenience shops, but it lies on the outskirts of Melksham our nearest town a few miles away. It does, however, have quite a few farms nearby, and on our many a walk down country lanes with our dogs, it would not be unusual for me to talk to the cows, chickens, and horses. I'd always loved animals, but living in the country strengthened that tie in me, and I began to wonder how I'd managed to live in a bigger town for all those years.

It wasn't too long before we began to meet a few of the locals while on our walks, and with that came the good mornings and pleasantries about the weather, village life, and much more. In no time at all, it felt as if we'd already lived there much longer than we had. The vegetable garden was coming along well, and that year, we'd had a good crop of runner beans, carrots, tomatoes, parsnips, potatoes, broad beans, and onions, Rob was quite rightly very proud of what he'd achieved, and I was proud of him, too. A local fete was coming up in the village of Seend, and Rob had decided to exhibit some of his produce. Imagine our delight when he won first prize for his runner beans, second prize for the broad beans, and third prize for the longest bean category. We were both so thrilled. I also did my fair share of gardening, and it wasn't long before I'd had a beautiful flower garden in the making. There was a vast display of colourful cottage-style flowers that brightened borders alongside of the path. I grew honeysuckle and clematis on the garage wall and watched as they grew tall and flourished in the warm summer sun. There were a good many of purple foxglove and old-fashioned lavender growing wild and free, and different varieties of heather dotted around amongst the black-eyed Susans and poppies, with the sweet smell of jasmine filling the air.

Soon, a number of butterflies like the garden whites and meadow browns ascended into the garden, turning our outdoor space into a nature habitat of pure joy. The bees came in droves and seemed to delight in having so much nectar to choose from and the bright blue and green dragon flies that hovered above the fish pond were truly a spectacular sight. The hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful came to my mind more than once, and I thanked the universe for all the beauty we had been blessed with. It's so easy to lose sight of what nature has blessed us with. We live in a fast-paced world, rushing around coping with all the demands that life puts upon us, so it's not surprising that we sometimes lose sight of the natural beauty we have access to – be it a walk in the park or a stroll down a country lane. It all helps to reconnect our souls to nature and the peacefulness that comes from within.

On warm sunny days, I would sit outside in the garden with a cup of tea and my notepad and write words for my cards. Sitting there listening to the chirping birds high in the trees and being mindful of the great outdoors awash with the different colours and sounds of nature, always seemed to inspire me. At this point, I had almost completed all the words needed for the cards that I had been working on, and it came as much of a relief. I was still working on some of the designs, but it meant that I was getting closer to getting this particular group completed, which I was really pleased about. I had sent the odd one or two cards to friends to find out what their thoughts about them were, and everyone loved both the designs and my written words. I was optimistic that soon I would be able to make a start on my business venture, and with so much around to inspire me, I could hardly contain my excitement. As much as I believed that spirit had guided me to this cottage, I was fully aware that it was more than just that. I knew that spirit had more for me to do, but as yet, I didn't know quite what that was. I had been a natural healer for over ten years, and it comes as second nature for me to be empathetic and to show kindness to others. I had learned that spirit wanted me to help people, but even I didn't know at that particular point which direction that would take me. However, I was very aware of the fact that I had a job to do. I had been shown a book title numerous times, and it just kept appearing in my mind. This was followed by a book cover that was as clear as if I were already looking at the book. I first thought that it was something that I was meant to read, but it was only after doing a thorough search and finding that there was no such book that I began to understand what spirit was guiding me to do. It became clear that spirit was asking me to help others. It filled me with such inspiration and determination to follow spirit's wishes.

Part 2

New Beginnings

We had been living in the cottage for about three months when a friend asked when Rob and I were getting married. It was something that we had always planned to do and had in fact said that we'd get married in 2012, but with the house move and Rob's gardening venture, it didn't seem an appropriate time to discuss a wedding. However, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we'd set the date for October 6th, only a few months away. Once again, I put my cards on hold and set about planning the wedding. We didn't want a grand affair or anything like that and had chosen to keep things simple and more in line with our lifestyle. As with most brides, I set about planning the day. We both wanted to get married in our new area. It was all so exciting, just like when we moved into the cottage, and I looked forward to it very much. A month or so before the wedding, my son, Stuart, came to stay on a long visit from Sweden along with his partner, Jonna, and their little boy, Rocky, who was almost two. We were so looking forward to them coming. The cottage, which we had named Horseshoe Cottage, was suddenly a very lively place to be. It was wonderful having them with us, and listening to Rocky's chattering and laughter made it all the more special. He and I had lots of fun together, and I'd enjoyed it immensely. What a year this had turned out to be. I could hardly believe my luck and was so very grateful for all the good things that were happening. It all seemed so incredible. The week of the wedding came, and I said a special prayer asking that our day be a beautiful sunny day.

On the big day, I woke to beautiful sunshine and a lovely blue sky. It was also quite mild as I sat in the garden in my dressing gown with a cup of coffee feeling very calm. Inside, my bridesmaids were getting themselves ready, with a few nerves starting to show. The wedding ceremony at St Michael and All Angels in Melksham was conducted by Rev Barry. We had always wanted a church wedding, and it was important to me to be married in the eyes of God with family and friends there to support us and celebrate our special day. We were both so happy, and I don't think either of us could believe we would be so fortunate to have found each other. After the wedding, Rob had booked a surprise honeymoon in Antigua for a few weeks. I was excited to be going as it was not a place I'd been to before, but at the same time, the thought of leaving our lovely home and all that was familiar to me made me feel slightly homesick. The cottage was in good hands, as my family was staying, but it wasn't that as much. I am a real homely person, and after a week away anywhere, I begin to miss my home and dogs. Now, though, I'd be missing the birds, squirrels, deer, as well as this place I'd grown to love. It sounds completely silly, but that's just the way I am. As it happened, we had a great time in Antigua, and two days before we were due to depart for home, I did start to feel the pangs for green pastures and my personal environment, but as Rob later said, that was good going for me.