CHAPTER 1
Part 1
Bowerhill
It was one of those wintery grey January days when Rob, my future husband, and I set off to view a cottage for sale in an area that was completely new to both of us. As we drove through the countryside that day, I was in awe of the beautiful landscape that lies close to Avebury, Wiltshire. The tall trees stood so strong with their branches gently swaying in the cool breeze, and the green fields resembled a patchwork quilt that seemed to stretch on forever. It served to remind me of the peace and beauty of God's creation. I don't think I'd ever felt such a sense of calm as I did at that moment.
Some years earlier, I had often been "shown" a cottage in my mind's eye when I'd been meditating, and I had described it to Rob many times. Although we had never discussed moving away from our home in Swindon, I instinctively knew that we would one day move into a cottage. However, I had no idea how, why, or when; I just knew that it would happen. I have been psychic from an early age, but I didn't really understand it back then. I always seemed to know certain things, but I was confused by how I knew them, and it made me feel different from others. For many years, I chose to ignore it, which was difficult at times, as the words just came out of my mouth. It was as if they belonged to someone else.
In 2001, I met a lady named Louella, a gifted psychic, and she helped me to understand my ability. It was such a relief to speak to someone similar to me and who understood me. It was my first step in accepting that I had been given a gift. Speaking to Louella made me feel like I had come home. After that, I would often just know things, and Louella would validate that what I was seeing came from spirt. It made me aware that spirit had given me a pathway to follow.
One day, I had spoken to Louella about the cottage I'd been shown, and I was not surprised when she described it. It felt amazing that Louella could see what had been shown to me, and we both were aware that I would be guided to the cottage in time. Twelve years later, by sheer luck, Rob had noticed a cottage for sale on an estate agent's website, yet it was in an area of Wiltshire that I had never before visited. It was an opportunity out of sheer curiosity that neither of us felt we could allow to pass us by, and almost immediately, we requested a viewing. We were both looking forward to the viewing, especially me, as I was in anticipation as to whether there were any signs of familiarity with this cottage to the one I'd seen in my own mind.
As we continued on our journey, I gazed longingly out of the window at the lovely chocolate-box cottages surrounded by the great outdoor space. Everywhere looked so tranquil and beautiful, just as nature had intended. I instantly felt a deep connection with the land and all that it sustains us with. It was becoming very clear to me that this was something that I very much wanted to be a part of. We had lived in a town for some years and were more used to the built-up areas of concrete buildings, busy traffic, and everyday noise that comes from living in a town. This, on the other hand, was just heaven, and I could envisage living among the countryside with its quiet leafy lanes, birdsong, and tranquillity. It seemed like a place where the pace of life was slower, where it appeared normal to bid someone good morning or make pleasantries as you pass one another by and where folk looked out for each other. All of these things hold importance to our well-being and humanity.
Soon, we had arrived at the cottage, and I could feel the excitement rushing through my veins. Rob and I looked at each other and smiled before I let out a big gasp of surprise. Already, I could see some familiarities between this cottage and the one that had been shown to me. I had described to Rob in detail that my cottage was not standing alone – it was in a village. However, it was not like the usual villages with a High Street. It was close to a town but had a country setting with fields and landscape at the back. We were looking at the building from the front, but from the estate agent's website, it showed a landscaped setting at the rear of the cottage. Once we'd walked through the gate, though, I was mesmerised by what we were witnessing. The field and landscape beyond practically jumped out at us, and it made for a beautiful picture of all things natural and scenic.
We looked at one another in complete amazement as we realised that this was the cottage that had been shown to me, the one that Louella had described, and the one that had been a part of me over the years. Now, here it was, in reality before our very eyes. Already something told me that this was special, and after that first viewing, we both knew that this cottage was meant to be. It already felt like our new home. On the drive home, we were both excited and had already began making plans, and that was before we'd even put an offer in. I just felt certain that we were going to live there and never doubted it for a second.
When move-in day arrived, we could hardly contain our happiness or excitement. I don't think I'd slept properly for weeks prior to the move, and it was if I'd been hit by a huge adrenalin rush. It was mid-April 2012 when we moved in, my favourite time of the year. Spring has always been the season I look forward to the most. It's a time of new growth and the reproduction of our wildlife, and a new cycle for all things connected with nature and new beginnings, which for me is a most positive time of the year. The cottage was everything we could have wished for and more; it had a lovely warm energy, and the original features made it feel even more comfortable and inviting. It has the added bonus of a big garden. Rob, who had grown up on a large farm, was in his element at the prospect of growing all of our own vegetables and perhaps selling some, too.
We had discussed the idea of Rob starting his own gardening business as he really enjoyed working on the land, while I had made plans to turn my hobby of making graphically designed spiritual cards into a business after we had put the final finishing touches onto our new home. Almost immediately, we earnestly began decorating and getting a few other jobs done, too. The days were long, and we were often exhausted come evening time, but we still had big smiles on our faces and a sense of deep contentment and appreciation of being blessed in finding our home.
It was a further five weeks before we had completed the decorating, and at that point, we were able to sit back and admire the fruits of all that hard work. The cottage seemed to have come alive following the makeover. There appeared to be an added glow about the place, and when the sunshine poured in through the windows, the beautifully carved wooden mantelpiece took on a sheen all of its own. We would both sit up in bed in the morning and gaze across at the fields and the landscape beyond it and literally pinch ourselves. We were both so grateful to be living amongst nature and could hardly believe it had happened. It all felt so surreal.
We had frequent visitors of both family and friends, from daily visits from a...
