Tristan has been dry stone walling and generally working hard building things in the south of France. He’s extremely good at this. And he has been working very close to our destination this evening.
We are in Nérac tonight. The brothers drove to Condom. We found a monastery full of art. We looked at it. Here’s a photo of the three of us, plus Jamie. Jamie is only present as a ghost, and his widow. The house was falling in when he got it. He fixed it.
Currently it doesn’t matter how much you spend doing up these ruins all over the south of France, the value of them remains low. Which is good for people buying, but sad when it has been someone’s life’s work. But he didn’t do it for profit. He built a palace for his love before Parkinson’s took him. She’s a friend and bonkers and I adore her and want to see more of her.
Jeremy is the one on the right. His first wife was the person we saw today. She’s in Condom. We arrived at her place and almost immediately three pilgrims walked past the window in her kitchen. “You’re on the St Jacques?”
So yes. You know me and how I love banging on about energy. This path – (zoom in and you’ll see the pilgrims) – this was seminal. So I picked up some stones and other signifiers. This is why I went on this jaunt. I didn’t really know why at first, and connecting with family is part of it. That generation – I’m closer in age to Mia, Jeremy’s daughter than I am to Jeremy. But I’ve always called him brother and that’s what we all are to each other. Dad was powerful in his obsession with family.
I’ll be taking the stones out to Japan. There are kami out there, just as there are with different names in Greece and in England and everywhere else too with lost names. But the walk I’m doing next is the last heart of Shinto so they have power. Animism, but absolutely eaten by commercialism to the extent that I could have walked easily in a straight line if the accommodation hadn’t been booked to resell to American tourists. Nevertheless, animism is nice. Nature positive. Pisses off the Christians. Mischief related. Helping us remember that we are just noisy yark things. “Amma galumba spoot spoot” we all shout as we gumberflate through their burlgams. Irrelevant noises given significance by consensus. Gibble wink?
So I’ll be bringing offerings that I asked the Camino about. “Tell me what needs to go to Japan”. Stone. Bark. Water? “What about disease?” says Donna. Ugh. I guess she’s right though. Maybe no water, maybe water. So maybe when I’m back in London I’ll boil a load of bark and stones in water from a local river. Or will I? Or freeze. How to kill microbes and not arrive with angry kami? Either way things are coming over with me. Lourdes water, desert sand, ancient stones, bits of the Way. I’m not interested in spreading pests. I had to make sure there are dandelions in Japan as I might take a head from the Camino. I’ll have to be forensic and careful though and really look into consequence. I’m not gonna be the Shakespeare idiot who brought starlings to the USA. But I have some communicating to do with some kami. And I’m sure they are fed up of these weird metal discs and paper things that the shoutyface BAmNooise blobs value so much.
What joy though to orient that way once more. Once on Camino the journey never stops. Ultreya et Suseya.
AlBarclay 