I was told that there was a mouse hole at Talliston but it took some seeking out, crawling round on the floor and peering under furniture but voila! Much like everything else in this house, this is no ordinary mouse house. He has a carved oak bed, a chest of drawers, wall carvings and a library of mouse related literature. There is nothing that has not been throughly thought through in this house, carefully considered and well and truly loved. There is love oozing out all over the place (not in a dodgy way you understand). Apparently there is a rabbit hole somewhere as well but, so far, I’ve not been able to find it. I’m not going to divulge where the mouse house is, in case you come here and will need to do your own seeking. It’s on floor level is all I’m saying but, by the time you come here, it could have moved out and a zebra moved in. Anything is possible.

Another portal to another land, the portals are plenty and accessed in so many ways using all of the senses. There is music in each room, blue grass in my cabin, classical music in the Welsh watchtower, beautiful Spanish music in Alhambra. I wonder what our own personal playlists might be to our own different portals as music transports us to other lands and other places. There are actually a number of areas across the world known to be energetic hotspots – from ancient megaliths to Ley Lines, these are actual physical portals to other dimensions and scientists have found hard evidence of portals created by the interaction between the Earth and Sun’s magnetospheres. Apparently these portals are extremely volatile and unpredictable, opening and closing in the matter of an instant. It makes perfect sense to me but the best portals are the ones created by our imagination, the ones that connect us to others, no matter where and when we are. Stories are portals to other lands and Once Upon A Time are the words that open the door and invite us to go on an adventure.

Being here has really made me think about how we might use all of our senses in our homes to transport us or, at the very least, make it an enjoyable experience being at home. Do we focus a great deal on the visual and forget the smell and touch and sounds? And what great joy there is in making our homes the most beautiful that they can be as a place to be in, especially over the past year when so many of us have been confined to the homes that we have created. It’s alright for some, you may proclaim and I’m sure that many people have scoffed in the face of John’s dreams as he has created Talliston. The fact is that it has taken 25 years to bring together as John was doing it all from his own wages and learning all the practical stuff along the way, with help from friends and family, and never have the words ‘oh that will do’ passed his lips I imagine. John lives by the words of William Morris, designer, that you should never have anything in your house unless it is beautiful or functional, preferably both. As I have been left with an altered sense of taste and smell, following my tussle with Covid Kevin, being here has inspired me to make the best of what I do have rather than bemoan that which is no longer. It has inspired me to make the very best of everything that I already have, which is a great deal, rather than focusing on not being able to do what I could previously do prior to this tumultuous relationship with Kevin. That’s a pretty cool bonus isn’t it.

At Talliston, you are actively encouraged to nose around and have a play. All of the things in this house are here to be interacted with, they are not just pretty ornaments, sitting bored out of their lampshade minds. Most of these objects would never have met one another if it hadn’t been for John bringing them all together. There are the five senses that are loaded up at every corner but the other sense that has not been forgotten is the sense of humour. It’s fun! It’s meant to be fun. Each room is not an exact replica of what might have been but it is what John has brought back from each time and place. There is enthusiasm everywhere and I am reminded of stomping around the story hut at the School Of Storytelling in Sussex, chanting ‘Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm.’ Picture much swirling and stamping at each syllable and frenzy making. It can be so easy to get stuck watching other people live their lives and not believing that we have gifts to offer the world, that we do not have what resources we need to start out lives. We need to follow the sparkly breadcrumbs that are scattered everywhere if we were only mindful enough to look. The sparkly breadcrumbs of what makes us smile. I am a massive fan of laughter and the wisdom that is gained through laughter. It is connecting, laughter shrinks the world to a manageable size and there is great learning to be had through laughter rather than simply being the frivolity that it is sometimes seen to be. I leave you with a favourite short ditty…

A little nonsense now and then,

Is cherished by the wisest men.

And truth in merry garb may teach,

Where solemn wisdom may not reach.

Right, i’m off to go and chat with the mouse, there might even be a little tipple left out nearby so I can go and have a proper look…