when I lived in england, I loved wandering about and dreaming of living one day on a mews. centuries ago, these cobble-stoned streets which are now filled with cottages and flats, were service streets on the backside of people's homes for entry into their stables. their horses had residence here alongside their carriages which were, of course, their form of transport.
it has already been repeatedly established in earlier musings, that I have a deep affection for cobble-stoned pathways and streets. so, it can not be a surprise that I hold this longing to live on a cozy mews someday.
as I looked up the proper history of the mews, I found myself smiling at a memory from when I was younger...
my aunt and uncle have lived in the dallas area for the whole of my life. when I was growing up, most of our vacations were spent in their company in what I believed to be the "big city". I remember telling my mom and dad over and over that when I grew up I would live in dallas. vivid memories dance in my head of trips to the west end to see fudge being made before my eyes, loads of buildings filled with character, and more people than I was accustomed to hustling to and fro. I was drawn in by all the things to see and absorb in such a place. my aunt charlotte and uncle jeff, who played host to us and called home this fantastical world of which I am speaking, also always had food in their fridge I had seen in no other house. they had stories of travel and adventures in places I had never imagined getting to visit.
their house was a fabulous, safe window into the world beyond. I always felt at home, and being with them is still one of my absolute dearest and most favoured settings.
my aunt and uncle met while they were both spending time overseas. my aunt charlotte was doing mission work with the journeyman program, and my uncle jeff was in the military.
is life not so interesting? as a kid in my adventures to the exotic city of dallas (ha!), had I any idea that I would be travelling to spots beyond my own country? that I would have the opportunity to taste some of those "different" foods from their fridge in the countries from whence they came? that for a few days I would wander around the south of france with this aunt (along with another of my aunts and my mom) eating french bread, olives, and cheese taking in the quaint scenery where she and my uncle jeff once lived?
no way. no way I could have known.
why did I start this story about my aunt and uncle in the metropolis of dallas, tx, and how does it have a thing to do with the mews with which I am so enraptured?
oh, yes. I have it.
another of the novelties of life in a city such as dallas that for some reason I noticed and questioned my dad incessantly about was that of the secret network of alleyways that wound in and amidst the backside of houses in my aunt and uncle's neighbourhood. I loved how they seemed like secret passages to places unknown.
when I think back now, I chuckle at my childlike wonder at something so ordinary that literally only allowed people to get to their garages and put their rubbish out on the curb where it did not have to sit on the front path as an eyesore for all to see.
yet again, could I have predicted that one day I would be able to connect childlike fascination of alleyways and deep devotion of mews? nope.
as I think of dozens and dozens of mews that are hidden amidst the main streets I frequented in my home city abroad, I do see them as lovely hidden pathways that add to the cozy factor and quaint history of the city. a city can so often be thought of as a concrete jungle filled with impersonal high-storied structures full of anonymity and coldness. and, yes, that is certainly a piece of the structure of any urban area.
however, if you look closely enough, oftentimes in the cities I have grown to love, you can find a bit of cozy amidst all the concrete. I believe this is one of the reasons I absolutely adore a city such as london or a new fave, boston. we visited charleston, s.c. this past autumn, and it held much of this intersection, as well. old and new combine to allow for character and convenience.
ahhh...lovely. thanks to the designers of historical cities for retaining the old while advancing toward the new. aesthetic is important to this girl to engage the heart in the midst of such practicality and systematic leanings of the head. surroundings definitely have an effect.
as the days pass, I continue to be blessed, humbled, comforted, and touched by how we do not become entirely different people in our affections, preferences, and tendencies. I feel like we simply (and profoundly) have those desires and likings fanned, expanded, and revealed.
for me, it brings to life Scriptures that speak of each of us being knit together and being known down to each hair on our heads. (psalm 139.13; matthew 10.30) we were created on and with purpose.
how personal is our God.
beautiful.
this mews sits very near maida vale tube station on randolph road, just around the corner from where my dear friend, claire, lived. (if you remember, I lived for a bit with claire's family.)
ok, enough reminiscing and daydreaming for now.
I hope your current aesthetic provides an environment of cozy character this week.
cheers,
kb.
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