Another Time Another Place

By Noelle Sherrard

Another Time Another Place is a story about six souls drawn together through many lives. We follow the Old Lady, the twins; Little One and Little Two, Twinkle, The Weaver and her husband as they begin their journey in Scotland. From their first meeting, a bond is formed and continues into new incarnations.
It is a story about getting on with life, overcoming challenges while learning new skills to survive and nurturing animals and children.
As the author says in her own words -
“The people you and I have known for a very long time are the ones with whom we feel the most comfortable. We have a feeling about them; it is not that we recognise the shape of their face, the colour of their hair or the sound of their voice; it is an inner knowing that attracts us to them and them to us. You might say - We are on the same wave length”.

Noelle Sherrard lived and worked in the Hills East of Perth. She was interested in energy medicine and qualified in Homeopathy, Magnetic Therapy, Magnets, Crystals, Kinesiology and Radionics. Her interest in the Esoteric led to her collection of more books than many libraries. She was also talented in other areas such as photography, silver smithing and mosaics among others. This book was Noelle’s retirement project which she managed to finish before she passed away in November 2018. We, her many friends are now publishing it in her honour.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Noelle Sherrard
• Release date: Jan 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463918401

Noelle Sherrard

Noelle Sherrard was a practicing naturopath, herbalist and homeopath for more than twenty years. Her interest and commitment to the health industry led her, in 2010, to write her first book – Crystal Clear, a book describing the harnessing of the combined potential power of crystals and water. She was co-founder and principal of a college for traditional medicine for seven years and latterly lectured at an indigenous college educating Aboriginal people in the combination of traditional bush medicine with traditional western herbal medicine. This terminated when, at the age of seventy seven, Noelle was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This prompted her to put pen to paper again and in Cancer or Chemotherapy, she describes her ensuing journey.

Book preview

Another Time

Another Place

By

Noelle Sherrard

Copyright ©2018 Noelle Sherrard

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

Cover illustration by Jeremy Albertson

Foreword

If you believe in the world of fairies, little people, pixies and elementals, understanding this story will be easy. You will know why and how it happened and how everyone lived happily ever after. Let us begin by saying once upon a time because stories of this magical nature always begin this way.

Table of Contents

Old Lady in the Woods

The Arrival

The Donkeys New Home

Piper’s Concert

Meeting the Owls

Not Black Cat’s Time

Here We Go Again

Saving Twinkle

A Life Goes, A Life Comes

Resting in Another World

Arrival in Scotland

Being Born

Black Cat and Roderick

Maighread as a Mother of Twins

Growing Up

The Grove

The New School Room

Making Plans

Boat Building Plans Put Into Place

Back To Routine

Boat Building Resumes

Work Begins on Model Making

Escaping School

Finding Donkeys and a Cart

The First Fishing Trip and First Patient

Another Trip To the Loch

A Rite of Passage

A New Routine with Raven and Serious Study

The End and the Beginning

Old Lady In The Woods

Once upon a time in a magical land called Scotland there lived, by the edge of a loch , on the edge of the forest, an old lady. She didn't have a name; she was known as the old lady in the woods. It seemed as though she had always lived there, in a wooden hut made from logs. Some people who lived in the town thought of her as evil but this was not so because when ever any of the Forest animals were sick they would come to the clearing and she would treat them with herbs and poultices, singing all the while as she did so. Sometimes they would stay around for a few days, depending on how sick they were. In the winter if the animal was very sick she would take it inside her hut for warmth and protection. I don't think she could have been evil if she treated animals in this way. What do you think?

The inside of the Old Lady’s hut was not very comfortable by today’s standards but she had everything she needed and it kept her warm , snug and dry. Suspended from a beam on three pieces of chain was a large deep cauldron which was used for making delicious stews which had everything in them and were extremely flavoursome. The Cauldron was also used for boiling up herbs, if one of the donkeys was lame, herbs were cooked up and a poultice was made and applied to the offending foot. Sometimes under cover of darkness people would come out from the town requesting herbs for their cough, their gout, their tooth ache, and so on. They always came under cover of darkness because they didn't want the neighbours to know the Old Lady in the woods was healing their ailments.

The cooking end of the hut, which housed the Cauldron, was used to store herbs which had been collected. The Old Lady had managed to screw large hooks into the log walls from which were suspended bundles of herbs tied with some sort of twine. This accounted for the spicy aromatic perfume which was in the hut all the time.

The fire place was not against a wall but rather, in the middle of the hut. This was a good idea because the threat of a fire was lessened. The floor was earthen and the actual fireplace was sunken; lined and surrounded by the stones of various shapes and shades. You may think that the smoke was everywhere in the hut but it wasn’t. It glided through the cracks between the logs and escaped to the wider world and the Old Lady’s elemental friends saw to it that the hut was indeed habitable.

The other end of the hut was where the Old Lady slept and if she had visitors they slept there too. There were no beds but rather bundles of straw which were use as mattresses; blankets consisted of animal skins. Sometimes if the Old Lady was out in the woods and an animal had died she would offer up a prayer to her God, skin the animal and return home with the skin. The flesh was left where it was for other creatures to eat and the remaining juices to return to the earth. That is the way it was.

Over the years the Old Lady had experimented with the use of herbs as a means of tanning the various hides. For this purpose she had discovered a particular shrub which grew in the woods in a northerly direction from where the hut stood. It was a favourite place of the Old Lady because animals collected there from time to time and provided she was not too noisy or boisterous they would come and greet her. It was as though this was a meeting ground for all of them; there was no fighting or territorial posturing, everyone, including the Old Lady was welcome. After all there was little difference between the animals and the Old Lady: they all had two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, two lips and mouth. The only real difference being the animals walked on four legs, the Old Lady on two. The animals all had a fur coat of one sort or another which they could not take off, the old lady had a fur coat made of the skin which she took on and off at will. So you see every creature was as good as the one next to him or her. Each had special talents: rabbits could dig holes and burrow underground, foxes could hunt and build themselves a lair for shelter, otters loved to swim and tunnel into the side of the stream or loch to make their home, deer did not burrow or dig their home, they lived within the protection of the mountains ; magnificent creatures who could read the wind with all of their senses; unlike humans who used only their eyes to read deer used everything they were born with: eyes to see, ears to hear, mouth to taste, nose to smell, feet to feel and above all a set of antlers which were for physical protection as well as acting as antennae. For all their size and strength deer were gentle creatures and had been known to lower their nose and nuzzle into the old lady’s hand.

There was a stream which flowed through this clearing, gradually winding its way to the loch; a regular supply of fresh pure water which was available all year round. It seemed as though the area was a haven for the creatures; fresh water, herbs for food and medicine and plentiful supplies of fresh grass. No wonder they all loved being there. Some days when the Old Lady had the time she would go to the clearing with her pipe. The instrument looked somewhat like a flute but not quite as elaborate. She would stand and play; the sound would float on the wind, oh so soft so thin and reed like. From nowhere the animals would appear; watching, waiting and listening. Not afraid; a sign that indeed all was well. It was almost as though the clearing was sacred and that in times past it may have been a place of secret ceremony. There was a peace that pervaded the surrounding woodland and it felt safe to be there.

The Arrival

It was in this magical clearing that the Lives of three people would change forever. The Old Lady came in to the clearing checking as to whether the particular herbs were ready to harvest. It was late morning and the sun was well up but what you would call a soft day; gentle breezes that were going nowhere, wispy clouds floated slowly across the sky and in the background the stream was gurgling on its way to the loch.

The Old Lady delicately checked the herbs; they would not ready for harvesting – another two weeks would see them ripe for picking. Slowly she selected a place to sit looking towards the stream. She removed her pipe from her belt and commenced to play quite softly. Gradually the animals came into the clearing two foxes, several hare, a family of otters appeared from the stream, badgers and some wood mice. A pair of deer made their way slowly into the clearing. The Old Lady continued playing but the animals seemed disturbed. She cast her eyes towards the stream and could not believe her eyes. There, sitting down by the age of the stream were two small children. The Old Lady continued playing; she didn't want the animals disturbed by these new arrivals. After a period of time the music faded and slowly the animals disappeared back into the woods but the children remained seated by the stream. The Old Lady carefully tucked her instrument back into her belt, stood up and slowly walked over to the children who still remained seated.

No one spoke for what seemed a timeless moment. The Old Lady sat down in front of them and asked how they came to be here. It was difficult to get a reply because the children seem to speak a different language to the Old Lady. She realised they spoke a different dialect so was able to change her own. The children came from another part of the country; people from the town had advised them to see the Old Lady and told them if they followed the stream they would most likely find her.

From what the Old Lady found out, the children were twins who had run away from home; their mother had died and their father had treated them unkindly. The townsfolk were kind but no one wanted to take them in because they were afraid of the father. The Old Lady had a reputation for being kind and helpful but she also was known to be quite strict. The townsfolk knew that if the children behaved in a way that suited the Old Lady, more than likely she would take them in and make a home for them. Their father was unlikely to search for them in such an isolated part of the country.

Everything turned out the way the townsfolk wanted; the children followed the Old Lady back through the forest, chattering quietly to each other. The Old Lady was quiet; absorbed with her thoughts to such an extent she was unaware that they had indeed reached her wooden hut. She knew that task she was to undertake was one of great importance; perhaps the greatest in her life: a mission assigned her by the gods. Taking responsibility for raising twins was colossal. Would she be capable of this and strong enough?

Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder and a down pouring of rain and the Old Lady knew intuitively this was the sign she had been waiting for. She could do this and she would, she knew that the God's had chosen her and she would not disappoint them. To disappoint the gods would mean death.

Once inside the hut and out of the rain the children, they came to be known as Little One and Little Two, just stared: they had never seen such a tidy snug home that smelled so wonderful. The Old Lady asked that they remove their clothes which she then draped over the stones by the fireplace. There were a few embers which still glowed red and these she poked with a long stick. Some dried twigs were then put on the embers and in no time the fire was crackling. The children huddled down on the warm rocks while the Old Lady went looking for suitable skins from the other end of the hut. She knew she would have to produce something better but these would do for now. Each skin was made from four rabbit skins, that was what they looked like and they were worn inside out; the fur being on the inside provided warmth which was needed. The Old Lady had nothing for their feet but in her mind she had already solved that problem: she would make them boots that came to the ankle and would be tied up with very thin strips of leather. Little One and Little Two were delighted with their new capes and to wear them inside out was exciting and different. The Old Lady explained to them that these capes were for wearing indoors, she would make them capes for wearing outdoors where the fur would be on the outside. In this way they would blend in with the other animals in the forest. The Old Lady was enjoying the challenge and the company of the twins; there was something special about sharing with other humans. She knew there would be difficult times but there would also be rewarding times.

She found three clay pots and proceeded to ladle some stew from the cauldron into each pot. The children sniffed the contents carefully, like cats, before deciding to eat. They were encouraged by the Old Lady who gave each child a piece of crusty bread to dip into the stew. That made it easier for them. They could suck the stew off the bread. Like kittens or cubs, once their bellies were full and they were safe and warm, sleep was what they needed. Taking each other by the hand they wandered off to the other end of the hut where the straw mattresses were waiting. Without further ado they sank into the pile of straw. The Old Lady followed, spreading the skins like a mantle across their little bodies. And so it was that the first night was spent together.

Over the next few days the Old Lady had been given over to thought: what would she teach the twins, how would she clothe them? Did she want to teach them the ways of the townsfolk? Was it best to teach them her ways? Having decided she was not capable of coming to any conclusion about their future the best way to go was one step at a time. These little creatures deserved the very best she could give them. That decided the Old Lady set about planning as to how she could make some clothes for them. The twins were quite small barely reaching just above her knees but she knew they wouldn’t remain that height for very long. Some of the herbs would be ready for harvesting; she would pick the greatest amount her donkey could carry, take them into the town and exchange the herbs for some cloth which she would use to make garments, which the twins could wear next to their skin. The thought flowed comfortably with her so she knew it was the right way to go. One of the townsfolk spent a lot of time weaving; her husband had a small flock of sheep which he spent time with up on the high ground. The couple had a small child and the wife would be able to give the Old Lady some advice as to how to make the garments.

One aspect of the plan eluded the Old Lady; what would become of the twins while she was away? She didn’t want to take them into the town for fear they would be seen by their father. It was necessary to have another plan, not that planning was always a good idea, sometimes things worked out better when done spontaneously but in this instance where the safety of the twins was involved a plan was necessary.

What the Old Lady decided to do was to ride one of the donkeys and lead the other which would be loaded with the herbs. They would ride in to the town. The foal, less than one year old and quite small, would be lead by the twins to the clearing. At the eastern end of the clearing where the stream curved, the twins would wait with the foal and it would be their responsibility to look after the little creature until the Old Lady returned. The particular part of the stream where they were to stay was where the Old Lady had found them several days ago. Although the twins were very young they would know approximately how far the Old Lady would have to travel before reaching the town and it wasn’t as if this was foreign territory to them.

That night while sitting on the warm rocks eating their bread and stew, the Old Lady told the twins what she wanted to do. They were excited, firstly to have a new garment, secondly to see a donkey; they didn’t know what a donkey looked like and thirdly to go on such a journey which carried with it so much responsibility. Later that evening as they lay on their straw mattresses the Old Lady heard them chattering excitedly about the prospects of the following day. The Old Lady smiled; here was another plan that worked. Everything had flowed smoothly so far – even the implementation, she knew, would be smooth. The Old Lady had learned in Life that if the motive for doing something was of the purest then success was assured – the welfare of the twins was her priority. Success was assured.

Eager to begin the day, the twins were awake before dawn; they were up and moving about before the Old Lady.

They had the fire going before the Old Lady had her outdoors cape fastened! Today was the first day they would wear their new capes – with the fur on the outside just like the Old Lady. Breakfast was a chore this morning; it needed to be disposed of rapidly. Not that it wasn’t enjoyed, but there was no time for talking. The Old Lady produced their outside fur capes and showed each how they were fastened.

Soon they were ready to catch the donkeys; the Old Lady had introduced them to the twins the day before and with a tempting bunch of herbs as an offering the donkeys were easily harnessed. They too, seemed excited about the prospect of an outing. The Old Lady used them for trips to the town when the harvest of herbs was too big for her to carry; so a trip away from home was not a daily occurrence for them. For the foal to be a little timid was understandable. This was to be her first outing. The twins were very gentle with her and soon she was following them everywhere but the foal’s mother was protectively watching every movement; she didn’t understand these little people, they were unpredictable and her offspring could be in trouble. The Old Lady, sensing possible problems, beckoned the twins over with the foal. The donkey proceeded to sniff the twins and gave them a playful nip. Little One and Little Two leaned against the Old Lady’s legs for protection. The donkey nuzzled her foal and everything settled down. The rules had been established. The Old Lady explained this is what mothers do to protect their young; human beings were not the only creatures that offer protection to their young.

The convoy left the precincts of the hut, the Old Lady riding one donkey and leading the other while Little One and Little Two having tethered the foal brought up the rear. The children were familiar with the path because they had been brought this way by the Old Lady several days ago. They maintained a steady speed and in good time arrived at the clearing. The Old Lady issued a few instructions and some advice to the children. She let them know she would be back by the time the sun was overhead. She emphasised the importance of keeping the foal on a lead at all times because if she escaped they would never catch her. With these few words the Old Lady and the two donkeys disappeared downstream. The foal was upset and braying for her mother, she was quite inconsolable. Faintly they could hear the mother’s response but soon her calls faded away on the wind; the children and the foal were alone.

At first there was an element of fear within each but neither spoke of it; the foal sensing the fear became a little fidgety. It was the foal however that restored harmony. As the twins began to fondle its face and ears, talking softly all the while, the little creature responded: agitation vanished and it became the playful animal that it was. Any fear the children had dissipated; it was time for exploring the surroundings, they soon found they were not alone. Some of the animals who entered the clearing when the Old Lady played her pipe were there; the otter family popped their heads up over the bank soon to be joined by several rabbits who were interested only in food. One fox glided past; it too in search of food. The foal too was hungry so were the twins. This gave rise to forage along the bank. Little One was successful in finding some berries which were sweet and edible. Even the foal was tempted. Little Two took the rope while Little One picked some fresh grass for the foal. They could tell by the position of the sun that they were about half way through their vigil. If they lay down with the rope tied around one each of their legs and fed the foal the grass they had pulled they could play a game of reading the clouds, the foal could eat and everyone would be happy. This is exactly what they did. Little One was better at reading the clouds but Little Two was skilful at identifying bird calls. Time passed quickly and before long the foal could hear her mother, responding with an excited bray. While the twins knew the Old Lady was at least fifteen minutes away never-the-less they were excited as well as relieved knowing she was within easy distance. Soon the Old Lady and the donkeys were within view; the Old Lady seemed excited waving to them, relieved that everything seemed to be as she hoped it would be. The twins ran towards her still holding the tether with the foal on the other end. The Old Lady slid to the ground while Little One and Little Two ran to her, pressing their little bodies against her legs hugging her. What a home coming! The Old Lady couldn’t believe these little souls had attached to her within such a short time. There were things to do, the most important being to let the foal drink from its mother. The twins let go of the tether and with a huge tug the foal broke free and nuzzled into its mother, bunting her belly. The Old Lady knew the children would be hungry; she had managed to obtain some oat biscuits from the cloth-weaver. Without further ado she produced these much to the twin’s delight who happily devoured them, asking for more. Hunger having been successfully staved off it was time to complete the journey and head for home. There was a feeling of excitement amongst the little group, the Old Lady was ecstatic because she had obtained the cloth she needed, the twins were elated because the Old Lady had heaped praise on them for completing the task she had set but above all everyone was safe. The Old Lady sang to herself as she sat astride the donkey leading her small convoy triumphantly back to the hut.

Once safely in their enclosure at the back of the hut, the donkey family was rewarded with a bundle of straw, some fresh grass and an affectionate hug from the Old Lady. The twins did not participate in this ritual; they watched knowing that one day this would be one of their responsibilities. It was just on dark as they made their way inside the hut, Little One asserting herself by poking the embers with the long stick which was always by the fire-place. Little Two found the pile of dried leaves and twigs, heaping them on to the now glowing embers. Before long the contents of the cauldron were bubbling away and to three hungry noses the aroma was delicious. The Old Lady produced the remainder of the oat biscuits with three pots and proceeded to ladle the stew into each. The twins remained quiet while the Old Lady attended to their needs. The Old Lady offered a blessing to her God before eating. While the twins hadn’t seen her do this before, they did not need to touch one another or make eye contact to know that this was a sacred rite which demanded their respect. The Old Lady was quick to notice this.

Once the meal was over the Old Lady produced the bolt of cloth murmuring and measuring as she did so. These garments initially were what the twins would wear at night; they would be more comfortable for sleeping than animal skins because the fabric was softer. If there was enough cloth she would make two each; one for sleeping and one for wearing outside perhaps with skins worn over the top. The Old Lady insisted the twins went to bed – she did not want to be distracted while she used her sharp knife to cut the cloth. The twins however, were not to be persuaded, almost demanding they be allowed to help. Compromise was reached; they could hold the cloth while it was being cut but they were not allowed to talk, the Old Lady needed all of her concentration focused on the cloth cutting, the endless chatter could, at times, be distracting. The twins understood, here was a time when they were left in no doubt as to what the Old Lady required of them.

She had already worked out the type of garment she wanted for them; something easy which would provide warmth for their back and belly. Naked arms were alright, they were used to that, and coming down to their knees would also provide warmth for their upper legs. That decided, it was now time to actually cut the cloth. The Old Lady wound the cloth around Little One’s body, put a nick into the cloth then measured four times. Great! There was enough for two garments each. Each garment was easy to cut because it was straight; much like a hospital gown in today’s world. That done, the twins decided they had seen enough for one day and were now more than happy to let the Old Lady usher them off to bed. They snuggled down into their straw mattresses they didn’t even feel the Old Lady cover them over with their skins.

The Old Lady worked on until after midnight cutting and sewing, the candle casting long thin