mysteriously familiar

In the Ouseburn today we passed beside a giant chimney on our memory walk. It rises from the ground in the heart of the valley, unmissable and mysterious - or familiar if you see it every day of your working life like me. It was so familiar that I'd stopped marvelling at its strange squatness.  But to this group, the chimney was something totally new.  I knew its history inside out. I could tell them about why it lost its top half. I could explain about its link tothe old mill over the road. Instead I took them to a rusted metal door set by an artist into the side of the chimney.  There were tiny snippets of memories carved into the metal. Nothing to do with the chimney, really, but satisfyingly mysterious and magical, very 'Ouseburn'. I watched the group peer curiously at the carved words and realised I was reliving the rush of excitement when I saw the door for the first time. It was a good feeling. The proper history could wait.