9 Comments

Beautiful reflections on ‘place’ and the way we pluck ‘information from the air’ to invoke our memories. The ‘counter culture’ of edge lands appeals. One person’s ‘ugly’ is another’s treasured repository of thinking and ideas and lives lived. The writer in me loved how the line appeared and you kept it safe until it could be woven into longer form writing. Lovely nudge to process. Thank you for sharing. Barrie

Expand full comment
Jun 2, 2023Liked by Katherine May

I love your beautiful images, especially of nature reclaiming man-made environments. I’m also drawn to places like that - to retreat from the noise of the developed world. These quiet abandoned places coax the relaxation, reflection and restoration of my soul which I truly need to function in today’s world. In the absence of human intervention, Nature reclaims what was destroyed in the name of ‘progress’, restoring balance beauty and equilibrium.

Thank you for sharing!

Expand full comment

Love that you prefer the unexpected place. The outcast. And that you find the beauty in its solitude. ❤️

Expand full comment

I really like what you say about how the land inhabits us. I have lived my life between 2 countries (England and New Zealand) and I'm always fascinated by how these different landscapes bring forth different aspects of my personality. Your words evoke homesickness for the motherland (England)

Expand full comment

This is beautiful. Looks like a dream. It has me thinking of the places that have a hold on me, that pull me back.

Expand full comment

Your first paragraph blew me away - I love it so much. My soul is filled with my places, and the essence of them are my touchstones even when I haven't physically been in decades. Also, I have not yet been to Dungeness since I moved to the UK, but I have had a mystical craving for some reason to go there. I'm pretty sure based on how you describe it I know why. Thanks so much for this essay.

Expand full comment

Love what you wrote about introverts looking for time with kind souls

Expand full comment

Love what you said about " the land inhabits us". It's true and I truly feel it. I love torn between northern Italy and the south and it's incredible for me to see how these two completely different regions prompt me to be a different person almost as if instead of different regions, they spoke different languages to me and my heart.

Expand full comment

I love Dungeness. We used to fly racing pigeons from there when I was on holiday at my aunt's as a kid. Everyone else wanted to go to Hastings or Bexhill. I used to plead for Dungeness. I've visited more recently too - that space, the crunch of the shingle, Jarman's cottage and his garden, the wildflowers! It's a real treat.

Expand full comment