Chapter 43
Lesson 42: No matter what they tell you, people can change.
Bridget Jones Tally:
souls searched—1
thoughtful gazes into the middle distance—200
muffins consumed during deep contemplation—6
August
In August I found myself applying for a UK Ancestry visa. I don’t know how it happened. I just came to with the pen in my
hand. I swear.
But I’d never use it. It would just be a nice thing to have as, say, a memento. Or in case of a North American zombie apocalypse.
Or if it turns out I need fish-and-chips to stay alive and my doctor demands that I move immediately.
One morning I received an email from Robbie. The subject line said You’re my inspiration . The only thing inside was a link, which brought me to a new page of the Boadicea Adventures website: New Tours for Accessibility. I scrolled down, and my heart leapt into my mouth at a photo of a brand-new bus—with a wheelchair lift.
“Boadicea Adventures is proud to offer new audio equipment for the hard of hearing. We are also in the process of planning
wheelchair accessible tours for both women and men, boys and girls of all ages.”
He was doing it. He had taken a risk, made the leap, and was planning for his future. My heart flooded with bittersweet pride.
It made me miss him all the more.
I clicked through the website and found another new offering on the tours list.
Boadicea Adventures: History of Music and Folk Culture
Join us for a three-week musical voyage across Scotland and Ireland, where we’ll scour every pub, festival, and ceilidh in
search of the world’s best craic!
As we travel across these remarkable landscapes, we will discuss the role of music in folk culture, investigate the history
of Celtic music in centuries past, and learn about how traditional song has preserved an invaluable oral narrative of colourful
stories.
Folk music today is a noisy, hip, thriving scene, growing daily with new innovations on century-old traditions and attracting
listeners and musicians from all over the world.
Get ready for lively sessions! We warmly encourage you to bring along your whistle, bow, tipper, or set of pipes, to learn
to sing a few songs or dance a few steps. There will be plenty of opportunities to sit in on tunes between sights and pints.