Last week Morag and I travelled to Wigtown to run an oral histories workshop at the annual community festival. We drew into Wigtown square around 7 o’clock, in time to see a game of Bowls taking place in the green, and, just a few metres away, local children spilling out of the library – a lovely introduction to rural town life. The unique Reading Lasses bookshop kindly provided us with overnight accommodation. Neither of us could believe the rare calm that surrounded us as we slept and arose the next day – no car alarms, no drunken wails, no slamming doors, and no morning frenzy! Instead, we enjoyed the Reading Lasses organic breakfast and took a stroll by the misty coast before heading to the Baptist church to set up.
Within the first half hour, several women had stopped by the church hall to lend a helping hand: moving chairs, buttering scones, providing family treasures for display, and encouraging other women to join in. I was struck by everyone’s generosity; how much time they were willing to give, how keen they were for our workshop to be a success. The day only continued to get better.
We listened to the funny and quite extraordinary reminiscences of Lesley Robinson, a farmer’s wife and mother of 10, whose children were out milking cows as soon as they could walk. We saw beautiful homespun quilts and heard the remarkable stories of their creation; we were moved by the intimacy and flowing devotion expressed in letters between young lovers during the Second World War; we looked at many intriguing old photographs and heard the histories and memories of many wonderful women from around Wigtown. A giggly gaggle of young girls attended the workshop in the afternoon, entertaining us with their cartoons, poems, and descriptions of their best friends and favourite grown-ups. By the end of the day, I was full to the brim with coffee, Reading Lasses’s delicious cakes, and everyone’s affecting stories.
As we packed up and reflected on our short trip, Morag and I discussed the benefits of living in the countryside as opposed to the city: the fresh air, the starry skies, the overwhelming sense of community spirit, the silence and the space needed to think and work… And driving back home to polluted, rambunctious Glasgow, a golden eagle soared magnificently above us – thanks Wigtown, but we really didn’t need another sign!
Thank you to Renita, Nanette, Gerrie and Bex from Reading Lasses, Ailsa, Wigtown Baptist Church, and everyone who came along and made it such a fantastic day.
