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On Tenerife, our house had walls so thick and uneven it was impossible to hang pictures on them. In Portugal, we rented a house on a sheep farm and could only put up pictures where there were already hooks. It was the same when we returned to Britain – another rented house on another sheep farm.

Now, for the first time in twenty years, we can put up pictures wherever the hell we want. And we like walls adorned with paintings, prints, and photos.

We had a plan when we moved into this house two years ago. It was this. Mostly, we’d try to put up pictures with some sort of a connection to us – the areas where we lived, what we did, people we knew, anything that had relevance.

So far, this is how we’re doing.

The Forge

The Forge

This is what started it, these images of items related to a blacksmith were already on the wall of the stairs when we moved in, no doubt left by the previous owner as they would have no relevance to where they moved to. The house is on the site of an old forge, a renowned one which made iron gates for the National Memorial Park in West Virginia.

Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago

In the weeks before returning to Britain, we walked the Camino de Santiago from the border with Portugal to Santiago de Compostela during the Covid pandemic. We were the first people to cross a bridge between the Portuguese town of Valença and the Spanish town of Tui when the border reopened in May 2021, after being closed since the previous January. There were so few pilgrims walking the route that the number handed to me when we turned up at the Oficina del Peregrino in Santiago to collect the certificates above was 007. I guess I can say I achieved something I’d dreamed of since I was a boy. Normally, around 1500 pilgrims attend this office daily.

Los Indianos

Carnival in the Canaries

When we lived on Tenerife, Carnival in the Canaries was one of the highlights of our year. The sense of excitement and anticipation in the days before it started was palpable – locals in our town would spontaneously break into Latino dance moves in the street. From our house on the border between Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava, we could hear the drum beat from the town once Carnival started, beating out a tribal rhythm which had us eager to join the all-night street parties. This poster is from Carnival on our favourite Canary Island, La Palma. It is more than just a snapshot of Carnival, it gives an insight into an important aspect of the Canary Islands’ history. For the eagle-eyed, it also reveals a connection with one of the most famous shoe designers in the world.

Stockport Music Map

This one has several connections. Andy is a Stopfordian. I lived and worked in Stockport. Andy’s brother John was involved with the music scene in Stockport in the 1970s. My niece Emily’s fiancé Myles is one of the musicians in chart-topping Stockport band Blossoms. Best of all, it was my niece who created this fabulous Music Map of the town.

Rothesay Harbour

Sweet Rothesay Bay

This is a recent addition, only received as a present this Christmas. It is of Rothesay Harbour on the Isle of Bute, the place where I grew up. Funnily enough, on Christmas Eve, as we were walking back to my sister’s house from one of the local pubs, Andy stopped to gaze across a bay as still as a millpond to comment on how beautiful it looked with the lights twinkling on the water. Next day, we were given the picture as a present. It has an extra special meaning for me. One night, in my early twenties, as I wandered homeward after a night in my favourite pub, The Struan, I paused awhile to watch the lights shimmering on the water. It was at this point I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would leave the island.

The Cottages

The Cottages

I loved living at number 3 Mill Cottage in Stockport. It was an oasis – a pair of former mill workers’ cottages hidden away in a suburb. So hidden away that local taxi drivers didn’t even know they were there. It was a place of great happiness, a house of fun which hosted many wild parties. Andy’s brother John and his partner Karen lived next door, so it was like a little commune, especially when their three children, Liam, Tara, and Emily came along. Although we never had children of our own, we benefited from having the next best thing. We found this print while looking for Christmas presents at Stockport market this year. It shows a time when the cottages were surrounded by countryside.

Fitzhead

The Village

And then there’s where we live now – a tiny village in the heart of the Somerset countryside – yet another print of a map on which I can identify our house … just about.

It nice that every so often, one of the above will catch my eye and prompt a warm and happy memory.

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Jack Montgomery

Jack is an author, travel writer, photographer, and a Slow Travel consultant who has been writing professionally for twenty years. Follow Jack on Facebook for information about his writing, travel tips, photographs, and tales of life in a tiny rural village in Somerset.

2 Comments

  • Rebecca Samuel says:

    Putting your joy on display is an important part of life. Renters usually can’t. Canarians do with a deep drill. But settled souls can’t help themselves. Thanks again for another interesting post.

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Welcome to my Canvas

Some of the items on this site won’t be to everyone’s liking, I get that. Basically this is my place, my wee studio to mess around in – experimenting with words and thoughts. I’ll be chuffed if you enjoy it, but if you don’t, c’est la vie. As a friend used to tell me “it would be a boring life if we all thought the same.”

Jack Montgomery
A wine press,
On a farm at the end of the dirt track,
The Setúbal Peninsula,
Portugal
E: jack@buzztrips.co.uk