My Midsummer Morning
Seasoned adventurer Alastair Humphreys pushes himself to his very limits – busking his way across Spain with a violin he can barely play.In 1935 a young Englishman named Laurie Lee arrived in Spain. He had never been overseas; had hardly even left the quiet village he grew up in. His idea was to walk through the country, earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas.The book Laurie Lee wrote – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – inspired Alastair Humphreys. It made him fall in love with Spain – the landscapes and the spirit – and with Laurie's style of travel. He travelled slow, lived simply, slept on hilltops, relished spontaneity, and loved conversations with the different people he met along the hot and dusty road.For 15 years, Alastair dreamed of retracing Laurie Lee’s footsteps, but could never get past the hurdle of being distinctly unmusical. This year, he decided to go anyway. The journey was his most terrifying yet, risking failure and humiliation every day, and finding himself truly vulnerable to the rhythms of the road and of his own life. But along the way, he found humility, redemption and triumph. It was a very good adventure.
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William Collins
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This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2019
Copyright © Alastair Humphreys, 2019
Extracts from As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Group Ltd, London, on behalf of the Beneficiaries of the Estate of Laurie Lee.
Copyright © Laurie Lee 1969
Here Comes the Sun, words and music by George Harrison © 1969 Harrisongs Limited. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
Used by permission of Hal Leonard Europe Limited
Cover and interior illustrations by Neil Gower
All photographs © Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Source ISBN: 9780008331825
Ebook Edition © May 2019 ISBN: 9780008331832
Version: 2019-05-20
‘You asked for it. It’s up to you now.’
‘But I was in Spain, and to the new life beginning.’
Laurie Lee, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Imagine
Life
One Moment
Laurie
Direction
Adventure
Becks
Music Lesson
Progress
Into Spain
First Play
Hope
Encouragement
Preparation
First Walk
First Night
Marriage
Dawn
The Pram in the Hall
Swifts
Kleos
Reverence
Polar
Grace
Help
Choices
Fear
Casting
One Day
Lost
Rhythm
Baggage
First Light
Buscando
Manna
Health Check
Bravery
Privilege
Camping
Changes
Hitchhiking
Loneliness
The People of this Earth
Siesta
Daily Bread
The Music in Me
Jungle
Postman
The Greatest Day
Evening
Last Light
Treasure
Coffee
Kindness
Gambling
The Art of Busking
Alone
Fiesta
Respite
Chorizo
Cassiopeia
Party
Forest
Permission
Last Days
Mountains
Way Back
River
Thunder Road
Last Play
The Wall
Last Night
Into Madrid
Home from Abroad
Reward
It’s All Right
Acknowledgements
The Violin Case
About the Author
About the Book
Books by Alastair Humphreys
Books by Laurie Lee
About the Publisher
AND HERE I WAS at last. I had imagined this moment for years. My dream was finally happening. I had worked hard to make it this far, spurred on by the anticipation of how happy I would be. Yet now that it was beginning, I felt only afraid and lonely. I breathed deeply to calm myself. The air here smelled different from home – warm and dry. I looked beyond the pine trees and the red tiled roofs, over the blue bay, and on to the distant, forested hills. I wanted to flee and hide up in those hills. They looked so quiet and so safe. But I could not leave. At least, not yet. Before I escaped this town there was one task I must do, the burden that was scaring me. I needed to play my violin.
I was hungry. My pockets were empty. I had to busk to earn some money. But I had never busked in my life, never even played in public before. I was terrible at the violin. What on earth was I doing?
I could not bring myself to unpack my new instrument. Instead, I kept walking. I scrunched my eyes against the glare of the sun, crossing streets to cling to the shaded sides. My rucksack was cumbersome, heavier than I had imagined. I eyed a wishing well in a park. The water glittered with coins. I was both disappointed and relieved that the coins tossed in exchange for dreams were beyond my reach. It was a little soon to resort to stealing children’s money and wishes. I prowled the streets, nervous, eyes to the ground, scanning for loose change. I was looking for money, but mostly I was searching for excuses. The well is always deep with those.
