The needle moved. A little. I poured a lot of effort into my various projects, and they evolved significantly.
Unfortunately, they’re not very exciting to write about (yet).
I can reveal that I submitted a proposal to speak at a virtual Jung conference being held in Wroclaw, Poland, that I attended several years ago when we were dog-sitting in Germany. It was a hairy experience!
I left Robin behind with two dachshunds we were caring for and took three (3!) trains to Wroclaw. It was nerve-wracking to change trains in a foreign country when: 1. I don’t speak the language; and 2. I’m not familiar with their train system. But I did it! It sure felt like a big, exhilarating rite of passage to pull that off all by myself.
The conference was great fun—I hung out with some terrific people, among them John Beebe, one of the keynotes for the event. It was a precious time we spent together, and I treasured it.
I also met Robert Segal, who had rubbed me the wrong way with some of his posts in an online Jungian group I belonged to. I was prepared to dislike him on the spot. But instead I found a lot I liked! Of course, it helped that he was complimentary toward my presentation, and we found a number of areas of agreement about it. But that’s not the only reason. I easily “vibe” with introverted thinking types, probably because my dad was one.
That conference was more than two years ago, and I’m still waiting for them to publish the book with its proceedings. I heard the pandemic threw a big monkeywrench into the matter, including some of the editorial team contracting Covid.
I received a call for papers from them not long ago, and—had it been in person—I would have passed. But since it is virtual, I can’t resist throwing my hat in the ring to speak again under their auspices. Stay tuned, and we’ll see whether they accept my proposal!
The proposal abstract was one of the many projects I moved forward with while we were holed up in our AirBnB for the week. We did no sightseeing!
We looked into visiting Bletchley Park, home of Alan Turing and the WWII codebreakers, and site of the National Museum of Computing, but they had wonky hours that simply didn’t mesh with our schedule. We are planning to be back in that area later this year, so we’ll squeeze that mandatory pilgrimage in then.
I also wanted to seek out the site of a demolished cottage near Cranwell Farm where Jung stayed one time and, after encountering a ghost, insisted the place was haunted! (He tells the story in a chapter of Spuk. Ein Rätsel der Menschheit (Hauntings. False Belief or True?), a 1950 collection of case studies of hauntings and poltergeists edited by a researcher of paranormal phenomena, Fanny Moser. You can read the excerpt of it online here: https://www.forbiddenhistories.com/2013/10/c-g-jung-haunted-house/ ← be sure to scroll all the way down.)
I had a lot of enthusiasm for finding the original site of the cottage, but my projects won the day, and the cottage had been demolished anyway.
Robin went off to the grocery store a couple of times, but I never left the premises… and it was relaxing not to worry about taking care of someone else’s home or pet(s) for a week. Instead we enjoyed a simple, pleasant week in the country with ample sunshine.
Which is not to say there were no animals! While I was slaving away on my hot computer one day, a petite doggie walked by and poked her head in. I welcomed her, and she snooped around a bit and hung out with me some before moving along. We later learned her name was Beanie.
I told Robin to buy some dog treats next time he went to the grocery store. (He did.)
The next day, a different curious dog showed up to sniff our open door. This time it was a black labrador.
I suspect she was a rescue dog because I’ve never met such a skittish dog in my life. Every little sound startled her. Robin found out her name was Mylie, and, after a great deal of coaxing I finally got her to eat a dog treat out of my hand—a triumph!
Mylie and Beanie checked in on us intermittently throughout the week, and between the two of them they finished off an entire bag of treats.
A third dog appeared on our last day. She was a black cocker spaniel of some kind who burst into the room unexpectedly, caromed all over the place, snatched one of my fuzzy slippers, and took off! Robin had to visit the owner’s house and beg for help retrieving it from the furry thief. Luckily he was successful, and the slipper had not been chewed up and ruined. The incident gave us a good chuckle.
On Thursday we said goodbye, packed up, and headed out. But not before getting an eyeful of what lay just beyond our front door. We had enjoyed the sheep, the cows, and the green fields seen through our patio doorway. But on the opposite side of our unit the view was dramatically different.
We were astonished to learn a group of enthusiastic military vehicle restorers are renting large barns on the farm to house the vehicles they’re renovating. Apparently their work is highly sought after by producers of historical movies and TV shows. WWII trucks, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and various other pieces of old military equipment were in evidence all over the place.
Perhaps that’s why it felt so peaceful there: we were suspended between a tension of opposites—peace with the cows and fields just beyond the back door juxtaposed against military vehicles and weapons of war just beyond the front door. Peace and war—and us in between.
It wasn’t far to reach our next sit, and we had a pleasant drive. Now we are currently in Haslemere, once again situated in a comfortable two-story house with 4 bedrooms. It is spacious and lovely, with a remarkably open kitchen. The homeowners publish a glossy cooking magazine, and we are surrounded by tantalizing back issues and cookbooks.
We are caring for 3 little border terriers while their owners are off to Canada to visit their son and daughter. From left to right, the dogs are named Ivy, Bullitt, and Rocket.
Bullitt and Rocket are 13 and 14 years old, respectively, while Ivy is a bundle of 6-year-old energy who is already joining me in the bed (which helps fill the hole left by Moose).
We all adore one another already…
Here’s a short video of Robin trying to play fetch with Ivy: https://youtu.be/Aic9QJAq7D0
They all like carrots, so I am the bountiful Carrot Queen once again.
This sit is close to Winchester Cathedral, but since we did a lot of sightseeing in Winchester and the Cathedral when we were at a different sit, I’m going to continue keeping my head down and try to move the needle even further. It will require sitting on my hands somewhat, but sacrifices must be made.
Psychological Perspectives just dropped 17 articles on my plate for me to proofread for an upcoming issue, so I’ve got my hands full there too... not to overlook my usual coaching clientele. Some folks are making big breakthroughs—eeeekk!
It is Father’s Day in the U.S. today, and even though I am in the UK I would like to acknowledge my dad… This is my second Father’s Day without him.
The temperatures are beginning to soar up into the 90s, and we hear the UK recorded the hottest days of the year—for three days in a row so far. Of course there’s no air conditioning to be had…
Well, at least I don’t have to walk the dogs in the rain.
warmly, -Dr. Vicky Jo