Yesterday, immersed in a city of international ambition; today, standing in deflated disappointment by the B6351. Is there no cultural experience we won't bring to our children in the name of learning?
My scholars of life, simply accept it as the mission of your parent. It'll make it easier on all of us.
Now, here is Ad Gefrin. Anglo Saxon town. Yes, without the reconstructed houses, explanatory walk, or visitor centre. In other words, a field.
But this is wonderful, my mini students! It shows that no matter where we stand, we are surrounded by history. We must simply look to see it, in the lumps and bumps of our landscape, in our imaginations, and in our empathies and understandings of those who shaped this space before us.
Then why need we a visitor centre? We have our intuitions and thoughts to guide us! Although I agree it would be nice to have a cup of tea and a toilet which is not a prickle bush. So here is a useful site the ipad turned up.
Now, further back in time! To Northumberland's famous cup and ring markings. Past that ugly sheep, the one who is growling and looks a bit suspicious, and over the hills to Doddington. Stop complaining. It's only a few miles, a few hills, and a bit of trespassing.
Yes, a bit of crawling around on all fours up hillsides, looking for a rock. That too. Aunty Dee says there's a cup and ring here somewhere. She remembers it from a school trip c.1959.
Ta-dah! Finding it only took three hours!
Called cup and ring because they can't call them cup and saucer, these markings are mesolithic to neolithic, take your pick. No-one knows what they mean, so your interpretation of the past is as good as anyone's. Use your intuitions, Squirrel! What's that? Could be marks to identify where the rocks are? Sounds reasonable.
Like I say, simply look at the landscape to know how people lived in the past, what they did, and who they were. They'd probably behave just like you. Only with less shoving of their sisters on the way down.
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