Latest / Abide Meditation App / A Cozy Bedtime Story _ A Home at Cosy Cottage _ Dreamy Bedtime Story for Grown Ups

Transcript

A Cozy Bedtime Story _ A Home at Cosy Cottage _ Dreamy Bedtime Story for Grown Ups · Abide Meditation App

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Good evening and welcome to Get Sleepy. The podcast where
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. As always,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks for tuning in. I hope
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: you're well and that you're feeling relaxed and comfortable in
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: your bed. But it's quite alright if you need some
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: help to settle down. and I appreciate you listening to
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Get Sleepy in order to help get you there. Tonight's
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: story is a soothing tale that will be read by Simon,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: and it takes us to the green hills of the
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: English countryside. As he relaxes in his garden, a man
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: who happens to share the same first name as me
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: reminisces about a beautiful bike ride that led him to
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: discover his dream home let's just spend a moment unwinding
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: from the day just gone if you haven't already done
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: so you can let your eyes gently close And settle
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: in to whatever position feels most comfortable right now. Take
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: a few deep breaths. Breathing in to the count of
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: four or five. And then steadily back out. Feeling your
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: body sink in Tibet. As you breathe, just watch the
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: blank canvas behind your eyelids. You can allow your imagination
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: to begin painting a tranquil scene across your mind's eye.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Imagine a cozy home Nestled among rolling green hills. Bathed
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: in sunshine. Here, all of your worries and concerns are
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: far away. You can simply relax. You can be yourself
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: without fear of judgement. There's nobody here to care. Take
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: yourself there now in your mind. A few hedgerows are
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: scattered over the hillsides. Lines of trees stand proud in
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: the rolling landscape. Sweet bird songs resonates from the branches
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: of those nearby trees overlooking a vibrant and bountiful garden.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: Here you can enjoy the scenery as you relax and
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: perhaps even have a midday snooze. This is where we
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: begin tonight's story.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: Tom Bailey was a man in his 60s who was
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: well known in his neighbourhood. He was a familiar sight,
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: sitting in his front garden in his favourite old striped chair.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: On sunny days like today, he sat outside the front
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: door of his small stone cottage. The house was nestled
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: away in some beautiful hills, just outside an English country
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: market town called Menfield Hill. Whenever Tom sat out in
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: his garden, there was always a cup of home-brewed lemon
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: balm tea to hand. The cup rested on a large
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: piece of chipped grey slate, which was placed over the
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: corner of an old stone water trough. Tom had found
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: this trough discarded at the entrance to his cottage in
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: when he moved there some 18 years before. Somehow, he'd
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: managed to haul the trough to the front door. Since then,
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: he'd spent many happy hours renovating the front garden into
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: a beautiful herb garden. He grew a traditional array of
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: herbs for cooking, health, and healing. Tom loved the life
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: he now led. From childhood, he'd had a passion for
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: all of nature, especially plants and their healing properties. He'd
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: never been one to mix much with others, simply because
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: he preferred his own company and that of nature and plants.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: During the 18 years he had lived in his treasured cottage,
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: he'd always thought of himself as living his best life.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: In this time, he'd kept busy lovingly transforming his purchase.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: The garden had originally been an overgrown plot of land
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: attached to an empty cottage. But, as a result of
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: Tom's hard work over the years, the cottage had been
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: transformed into a wonderful, cosy home. It was surrounded by
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: a haughty cultural heaven full of scented plants and healing herbs.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Tom could often be seen sitting outside the solid oak
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: front door which formed the entrance to his beautiful home.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: The only modern additions to the house were the efficient
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: and heating and plumbing systems. Otherwise, everything about Cozy Cottage
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: perfectly reflected its name. Tom had retained the old flagstone
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: flooring and partially covered it throughout with large, thick pile rugs.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: These carpets were gloriously coloured in shades of apple red,
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: crimson and burgundy. He had also kept all the original
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: features in the living room. There were dark wooden beams,
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: uneven walls painted in soft whites and a stunning fireplace.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: The heavy oak mantelpiece formed the beating heart of the cottage.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: The house was decorated with artistic simplicity. Neutral tones and
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: soft furnishings complemented the polished traditional furniture. In the kitchen,
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: the light shade of the walls contrasted beautifully with the strong,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: vibrant colors of the appliances. When Tom used the old
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: cast iron cooker, the heat filled the house. the whole
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: cottage radiated warmth and welcome. As well as history, there
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: was also a strong sense of happiness within these walls.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Tom grew most of his own fruit and vegetables, just
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: as he imagined those before him might have done. He'd
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: always been keen on self-sufficiency and avoiding waste, He used
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: his exemplary culinary skills to make sure that everything was
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: used or given away. Whenever he had guests, the smell
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: of home cooking and baking in Cozy Cottage brought them
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: back to the happy days of their childhoods. Walking into
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: the cottage felt almost like being hugged, welcomed into the
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: heart of the home. as Tom sat outside, sipping his home.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: lemon balm tea, he enjoyed the spectacular views of the countryside.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: He liked to watch the tourists clambering up the hill,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: hoping to find the famous ruins of a nearby ancient
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Roman fort. some people would stop at his gate for
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: a quick rest and a chat while regaining their breath.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: Hikers and cyclists would admire his charming cottage garden and
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: ask about the beautiful plants. Tom often recommended herbalist cures
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: to passers-by, especially if they looked tired after miles of
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: country terrain. Occasionally, he would even welcome people into his garden. Here,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: they could walk around the paths that twisted and turned
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: into different spaces. Passing cyclists who were new to the
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: area generally didn't stop, as they were intent on making
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: it to the top of the hill. But those who
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: cycled that route regularly would wave. Tom always returned the
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: greeting with an encouraging signal. He had a deep affinity
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: with the sport. Until recently, he had been a keen
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: cyclist himself. But these days, he was content to just
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: wave them on with his good wishes. He now preferred
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: to get his exercise in his beloved garden instead. Cycling
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: had been life-changing for Tom. He felt that his cycling
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: career had served a deeply spiritual purpose for him. It
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: had even led him here. Tom often reflected on his
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: luck in finding this house, which was his very own paradise.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: In his earlier life, he preferred to spend his leisure
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: time on his own, so that he could feel free
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: and be in his own headspace. This is why he
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: loved to cycle and be out amongst nature on his own.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: One day, 18 years ago, he'd had some days off work.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: He decided to spend his holiday on his bike, exploring
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: a little-known cycling route. He'd heard that this route led
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: to some spectacular scenery in a tranquil part of the countryside.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: After three hours of cycling, he stopped in a small
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: market town called Menfield Hill. It was located in a
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: lovely spot on the edge of beautiful rolling hills. Tom
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: was delighted by the green scenery, and the sight of
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: animals grazing in the fields. Years later, sitting in his
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: garden chair and sipping his lemon balm tea, he could
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: still remember everything about that day. He'd been feeling thirsty
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: at that point, and needed to fill up his water
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: bottle before getting back on his bike and tackling yet
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: another hill. After finding a row of bicycle racks in
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: the market square, he'd secured his trusty bike and carefully
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: locked his helmet onto the handlebars. Then he'd looked around,
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: searching for a fountain or drink stall. Behind the market stalls,
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: he'd noticed just the place to ask. The weekly market
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: had finished and the stallholders were clearing up. Small groups
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: of people were starting to disperse. They were making their
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: cheerful farewells until the next market day when they would
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: meet again. Tom started to walk tentatively past the dismantled
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: stalls to approach a burger van so he could buy
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: some water. But before he could ask, the young man
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: in the van called over to Tom and offered him
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: a drink. Perhaps this young man was also a keen
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: cyclist and knew from experience just how thirsty Tom was.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: Tom thanked the young man and drank the refreshing glass
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: of water gratefully. Then he bought a packet of biscuits
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: to eat later before continuing on his way. As he
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: walked on, Tom reflected on the kindness of this friendly
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: young man. The more time he spent here, the more
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: he was enchanted by the positive atmosphere of the town.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: Listening to the sound of laughter and chatter around him,
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: he felt energized like never before. Walking back to his bike,
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: Tom noticed something in the market square. In one corner
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: was a very old second-hand bookshop. Tom could never resist
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: a bookshop, and he was keen to see if there
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: were any old books on plants and herbs. Quickening his pace,
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Tom walked over to the shop. As he pushed open
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: the narrow door, an old-fashioned brass bell rang softly. It
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: felt like he had come home. He stood at the doorway,
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: transfixed by the thousands of books. The shop was crammed
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: from floor to ceiling. Books were displayed on wobbly-looking shelves,
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: which leaned against each other. The shelves looked as if
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: they stayed upright by sheer luck. The small glass windows
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: were open, letting in some fresh air. But Tom could
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: still smell the musty scent of old paper. The smell
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: was like almonds or vanilla, saturating the air. To Tom,
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: It was like heaven on earth. He walked past the
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: crime and thriller shelves, which morphed seamlessly around a corner
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: into biography and history. Here, he found the owner, sitting
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: behind a desk, reading a newspaper. The desk was almost
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: hidden beneath piles of papers, unopened letters, and two cardboard boxes.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: The boxes contained some well-thumbed smaller books labelled Holiday Wreaths.
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: The owner peered round the boxes and welcomed Tom to
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: his shop. Tom enthusiastically complimented the owner on his collection. Then,
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: he asked where he could find books on plants and
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: herbal medicine. The owner responded with detailed directions, which Tom
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: followed to the letter. He made his way up two
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: flights of a narrow spiral staircase, holding onto a handrail
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: clamped to the wall. Small flakes of paint gently fell
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: off as he brushed round each corner. At last, he
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: reached a small landing that led to three rooms. Recalling
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: the owner's directions, Tom turned left, following a well-trodden, dark
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: blue carpet runner. Although it was quite large, the room
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: appeared to have shrunk due to the sheer number of bookshelves.
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, there were
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: hundreds of books, as well as boxed piles of even
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: more books on the floor. Tom could see immediately what
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: he was looking for. The gardening section was on the
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: bottom four shelves, partially hidden behind two boxes overflowing with books.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: He bent down and picked out a small pile of
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: books relating to herbal remedies and sensory plants. He put
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: them carefully on the floor beside a rickety chair. Although
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: it was old, with a rather threadbare red velvet covering,
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: the chair seemed to invite him to sit down. Tom
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: sank into the creaking chair and breathed in deeply, inhaling
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: the atmosphere of the bookshop. Then he turned to the
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: pile of books beside him. He was particularly drawn to
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: the very first book he picked up, entitled Make Your
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: Garden a Healthy One. Intrigued by its early, 1925 publication date,
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: he opened it. The first thing he noticed was a
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: beautifully written inscription on the inside cover. In dark blue
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: ink and in perfect italic script, it read, To Edie,
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: my dearest sweetheart, for our first Christmas together. May our
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: special garden come true. with fondest love forever, G. Christmas, 1932,
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: Cozy Cottage, Menfield Hill. Tom smiled as he read these words.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: He was convinced that this was a moment of luck,
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: or serendipity, coming to this town and finding this book
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: waiting for him. Tom had always wanted to create a
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: cottage garden full of vegetables and herbs. He imagined a
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: garden of delightful aromas, an atmosphere of peace and well-being.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: He'd never really thought his dream was anything more than
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: just a dream. But this inscription suggested that ED &
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: G had once had a similar idea. Tom wanted to
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: know who they were and if they had ever achieved
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: their dream of creating a special garden. The address was
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: clearly a local one. So, maybe he could find out
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: more about them. Tom squeezed the book to his chest
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: and vowed to himself that he would find Cozy Cottage.
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: After hurriedly putting the other books back on the shelves,
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Tom returned downstairs to buy Edie's book. When he asked
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: the owner about the inscription, the man smiled. He explained
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: that he had gone to the local primary school where
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: G had been a teacher. Tom soon learned that G
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: had been a popular teacher and a gifted gardener. His
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: real name was Gerald, although he was always known as G.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: He and Edie came to Menfield Hill as newlyweds. Over
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: many years, they had lovingly created a fantastic garden around
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: their beloved cottage. They grew, and sometimes sold, all manner
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: of garden produce. This had been very helpful for their
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: neighbours during the Second World War when food supplies were
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: rationed and often in short supply. A well-loved couple in
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: the community, Gee and Edie, had achieved their dreams of
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: a special garden. Their community became their family and everybody
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: looked after each other the bookshop owner explained that G.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: and Edie's cottage was now for sale. However, potential buyers
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: might be put off by the location of the cottage
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: on such a steep hill. There was also a need
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: for significant modernization inside in terms of decorating and internal
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: repair work. When he heard this, Tom's heart leapt with joy.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: He was thrilled to discover that the cottage was for sale,
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: and he didn't mind if it required a little work.
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: House maintenance was no issue for him at all, and
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: creating a garden was a lifelong passion. From his garden
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: chair today, Tom could still clearly remember that conversation. all
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: those years ago. He'd felt energized and could hardly wait
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: to get out of the bookshop and back on his bike.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: He would cycle as fast as he could up to
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Cozy Cottage and pay his respects to the property so
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: lovingly cared for by Edie and Gee. The fact that
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: the property needed modernizing might have been off-putting for some
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: people but it had exactly the opposite effect on Tom
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: who was a pure traditionalist and a skilled joiner he
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: loved the thought of bringing the cottage and its garden
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: back to life again Tom was so filled with anticipation
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: that cycling to the cottage felt effortless carefully following the
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: directions from the bookshop, it took Tom just 45 minutes
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: to see cosy cottage ahead of him on the left-hand side.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: Even from a distance, it was obvious that the cottage
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: and garden were simply in need of some long-awaited attention
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: and tender, loving care. Seeing this spurred Tom on. motivating
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: him to cycle up the hill all the way to
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: the gate of the cottage. As he slowed his bike
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: down to a stop outside the rickety garden gate, he
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: put his foot down on a stone surface to balance himself.
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: His foot was resting on what had originally been a
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: stone water trough. Now it was filled with grass and
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: stones But, like the cottage, it could be cleaned up
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: and restored to its former glory. When Tom glanced up,
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: directly in his line of vision was the for sale sign.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: Looking across the garden, he instantly imagined it full of
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: colour and creativity. As his gaze rested upon the cottage...
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: he smiled to himself. He slowly dismounted from his bike
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: and wheeled it through the gate to lean against an
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: old apple tree. Tom walked up to one of the
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: windows and pressed his nose against the glass. He could
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: see the wooden beams and beautiful fireplace inside. Modernisation he
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: whispered to himself with a smile. No, I'll bring love
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: and life to ED & G' s cozy cottage. One day,
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: this will be a very special and healing home. And now,
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: from his garden chair, reminiscing while sipping his lemon balm
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: tea and watching the people Cycling by, Tom smiled once
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: again to himself, knowing that he'd made his dream come true.
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.