A Sense of Place

For me, places are living things. Authors make their books have universal appeal through atmospheric scenes, which are set in locations that seem to be familiar to the reader.

Seaside locations are evocative for me, since I spent my early childhood in a seaside town - Aberystwyth, in Wales. Many summer days were spent there, on the beach, and in autumn and winter, the family walked along the prom.

“Aber” is a windy town, and I can still remember the changed personality of the resort, and the sea, during the latter part of the year. In winter, the place seemed deserted, but more exciting because of the dramatic ocean, and colorful skies during storms. I got to know the sea in all its moods.

Often, in spring and summer, the family visited nearby Borth. The round boulders on the beach fascinated me, and I believed that a giant had put them there! Who else could carry such heavy rocks? The rock pools, which teemed with crab, and had limpets, and razor shells, were like miniature worlds to me. Who needs bubble-wrap?
Dark green seaweed festooned the rocks, and was plentiful. Resplendent in a seaweed necklace, I was the Hawaiian girl of Wales!

During the summer, the family went further afield, to Pembrokeshire. We visited lighthouses and castles, and went on nature walks. The taste of salt on my lips, the sound of singing in the chapel, the sight of cattle coming home, a fisherman’s catch hauled in, a pretty harbour, with fishing boats, a bowl of leek soup, or striped sticks of rock, all bring back my childhood place.

My Wales is The Big Country, mentioned in the opening chapter of “Johari’s Window,” my first novel. As a girl, I knew the majesty of the hills, and the music of its rivers.On horseback, the country opened up to me, and revealed its hidden secrets. I remember when once, I discovered a deserted village. Shells of houses, uninhabited, in recent times, suggested an Atlantis, that was now unveiled.

Wales is a country, with an ancient heart. I will celebrate its beauty in my writing again.

Copyright, Suzy Davies, 24/06/2017.