Contentment in Ceredigion

"When I was a little girl I was a dreamer. I thought something special would happen to me. Maybe I'd travel to far away places and discover something amazing.

I had a wild time as a teenager in the 60s. I was a beatnik in Devon, a mod in Soho and a flower child in Hyde Park.

Then I went to Morrocco with Smudger and we've been having adventures together ever since. He's my mate, my best friend and I still love him after 40 years.

Our first baby was Sam. She brought us luck.

We travelled overland with her to Afghanistan and lived there for two years. We learned so much.

We came home when I was pregnant with Stella and moved to Lampeter where we opened a shop, originally selling afghan dresses, carpets and local handcrafts. We soon started selling whole foods because we couldn't buy the food we liked to eat.

Mum and Dad moved here but Dad died a month before our son Kelly was born. As our children grew we worked hard and we had fun, writing, making music and campaigning to protect the environment.

We travelled to India and learned about meditation, which is as important to me as eating and breathing.

Recently we celebrated our shop's thirtieth anniversary. It was a brilliant party!

Our Stella met Andy and now they're dancing round the Mulberry Bush while we play with our lovely grandchildren, Theo and Alisha.

So I have travelled to lots of far away places, but best of all I love coming home to Wales.

I have discovered something amazing - contentment. And something special has happened to me - It's called LIFE!"

Music by Jesterband.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Having brought up three children and run a business, I've recently made more space in my life for creativity and am studying for an MA in creative writing at Lampeter University. I love walking on the cliffs of Cardigan Bay, my family, sunshine, nature, music and yoga.

What's your story about?
It's about how my early expectations of life's journey have been fulfilled, about my personal adventure and how we moved to Lampeter after living in Kabul for two years.
I chose this story because I wanted to talk about what is important to me, and to encourage others to see the blessings in their own lives.

What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
Everything about the workshop was wonderful, sharing and hearing one another's stories, seeing the stories come to life through honing the words and showing pictures, getting to know fourteen other people better and learning some new skills.

Your comments

"What a truly beautiful little film. My mum used to work at the Mulberry Bush in Lampeter when I was a little girl, I'm 35 now. Having lived in London for the last 16 years, I went back recently and Kelly (Josie's son) served me. We had a brief 'wow, how amazing to see you after so many years' and then I left Wales (again), this time, to try and find my true contentment, in sunny Spain. My heart will always remain in Wales and watching this film, reminded me why. Life is for living and enjoying." Grace, Alicante, Spain.