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It’s time to celebrate! I’ve reached a @Substack milestone.
I started this Place Writing publication twelve months ago to provide niche content for readers and writers who have a passion for place, places, and the way people live. Here, we have the opportunity to explore a subject in depth over time and I hope you find it interesting… perhaps even inspiring? Thank you for your support and for your friendship—conversation in the comments is heart-warming and wonderful. Substack is an incredibly welcoming place to make connections and I enjoy the variety of reading material I find here, it’s a treasure trove of creativity.
Milestone = landmark, turning point, anniversary, breakthrough, occasion, event.
I hadn’t got a mailing list to transfer into Substack at the beginning, but subscribers have arrived steadily and we number in the hundreds now, which is very pleasing. On the world map it appears that Place Writing is seen in 18 US states and 28 countries. I don’t know how this compares with others, but it’s pretty amazing to think that we can reach out across so many miles to touch each other with words. Thank you for sharing and restacking, and most of all for subscribing and commenting. I also want to thank the eleven Substack writers who currently recommend Place Writing—your endorsement is very much appreciated.
If you’ve recently subscribed you may not be aware that I’m working towards a PhD in Creative Writing. It takes up most of my time at the moment and it’s going well (only five more months until I finish). It means I’ve had to limit my posts to one a month to keep things manageable, but my experience on Substack has been so beneficial that before I celebrate my next milestone I want to increase the frequency to fortnightly. So, can you help me with some feedback? My posts tend to run at a similar length….around a 5-minute read. How does this length work for you? I’m wondering whether to prepare and publish longer posts occasionally. What do you think?
Milestone, mile marker, kilometric point, way marker, distance marker, milepost.
As I mark this point in my Substack journey, it seems opportune to share some actual physical milestones with you so I went for a walk to celebrate this anniversary and took photos of the views along the way. As you’ll see, there are some milestones near where I live. The little one is typical of the sort you find along many roads in England, Scotland, and Wales. These markers often carry numbers that tell travellers how far it is to the next major stop, they’re fascinating linear reference points.
The triangular obelisk with ball finial is less common. Isn’t it pretty? This mid-eighteenth century way marker has been in this spot for around three hundred years to guide walkers and stagecoaches.
On its south east face a hand motif points to Thrapston and Huntingdon, and on the south west face the hand points to London. Luckily, in 1917, a photograph was taken and printed as a postcard. The quality of the old photo isn’t brilliant but I thought you’d like to see it anyway so you can compare the scene, then and now. The building in the background is a pub, the Royal Oak, which was demolished as recently as the 1970s to be replaced by the greenery we see today.
Some of these milestones are mini historic monuments and warrant documenting and conservation. The Milestone Society exists to recognise and record many of them. See links below for more information about the obelisk and other milestones around the country. Do you have any milestones near your home?
My next personal milestone will be the submission of my thesis in December. What milestone events are coming up in your life, or on your Substack? How will you celebrate? I’ve added a voiceover in celebration of this milestone. It’s unedited, not perfect, but I hope you like it—I took the plunge—I knew it would be a challenge for me because I had to re-learn how to speak after cancer surgery three years ago and my words are not as clear as they used to be, but I hope it’s good enough.
I look forward to chatting with you in the comments! Bye for now.
Credits and links:
All photos my own, except the old photo of the obelisk, which is via Capturing Cambridge.
More information about milestones can be found at The Milestone Society.
I’m @YasminChopin on Instagram. If you hang out over there, please say “hi”.
Yasmin, thank you for this. It reminds me of the ancient English (Anglo-Saxon) tradition behind Rogation Sunday: "beating the bounds." People would go out to the boundaries of their individual land or their parish and check (literally "beat" with a birch or willow rod) each of the boundary markers--could be a tree, a rock, a brook, a post. (Important in an era before maps, GPS, modern surveys.) The children, especially, were instructed in the practice, so they would be able, in future, to identify the boundaries and to continue their connection to the community's shared land. The markers--and the practice--gave people a strong sense of identity with their place, and with who they were, in place, in the world. As a community, we've lost that connection, sadly--but we can reclaim it as individuals. Your writing suggests how we might do that. Thank you.
Not seen those milestones with the nobbles on top before, a most enjoyable wander. Congratulations on your milestone, Yasmin. I also like that you've included your photo at the end.