I have been releasing books to curate my collection and was considering how some of them speak to the soil in which I’m rooted. The peoples and cultures that existed on this land long before me. Originally inhabited by the Dobunni tribe (a group of early Britons), Roman occupation followed around the time of Emperor Hadrian (117-138). The Anglo-Saxons created the kingdom of the Hwicce, in 577. Continental Celts passed through – nomadically – as it was fertile and temperate hunting ground. Eventually it became part of Mercia, then in modern times, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and parts of the Midlands and Warwickshire.
In years past, I explored this island’s history. Here are some of the books I read:
Seahenge: A Quest for Life and Death in Bronze Age Britain – Francis Pryor
A Brief History of the Anglo Saxons – Geoffrey Hindley
Ancestral Journeys: The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings – Jean Manco
Blood of the Celts: The New Ancestral Story – Jean Manco
Flag Fen: The Life and Death of a Prehistoric Landscape – Francis Pryor
A Brief History of the Vikings – Jonathan Clements
I love the woods and beaches. The winds are not as fierce as some countries face, though they are diverse… polar air from the north and continental air from the east. Tropical air from the south and maritime air from the west. It’s often warm, cold, dry, wet, foggy and clear in the same week. I like the diversity of light – it’s inspiring for writing. It makes us champions at eating an icecream or bag of chips, before we end up wearing (or losing) them, to a gust of wind!
I recently gathered all my creations onto one page, where you can read a little of what inspires me and download freebies. A quick thanks and hello to new visitors that downloaded short story Tree and Bee, or the journal of growth Optimal. I hope that you enjoy and find them helpful. What aspects of the lands you are connected to, inspire you?
Happy wandering 🙂
All photos copyright © Louise Ann Knight
Louise Ann Knight 