Posts Tagged ‘music’
Home is where the heart is
I’ve just finished listening to the June 9 on-demand edition of Travelling Folk, a program from BBC Radio Scotland, presented by Archie Fisher. I listen a handful of BBC Radio Scotland programs on a weekly basis – Travelling Folk is one of them.
Archie Fisher interviewed Eric Bogle, a Scot now resident in Adelaide, South Australia. One of the reasons for the interview was that EMI have recently released a 5-CD set which showcases Bogle’s several decades as a performer. I’ve been a fan of Bogle’s since the 1980′s when I first heard him. During the course of the interview, a sentiment that caused me to reflect on my own situation was Bogle’s comment that Australia, rather than Scotland, is “home”. He’s been here for over 35 years. In my own case I think of myself as a Scot (I’ve not become an Australian citizen even after 26 years in the country), and, to some extent, I tend think of Scotland as “home”. Under what circumstances might I think of Australia as “home”?
The answer, I think, is “it depends”. I do recall thinking “I’m home” on returning to Australia after visiting Scotland last time (over 10 years ago). I also felt “at home” when in Scotland. Perhaps, for me, “home” is where I am comfortably settled at a given point in time?
I spent two years in Sydney (in 1997/8) – I can’t say that I ever thought of that as “home”. Does that mean that I wasn’t comfortably settled there?
So, it would seem that “home” is where the heart is – but it’s just that the heart moves around a bit that confuses the issue at times.
