Ahh, the crisp smell of autumn in the cool fresh air.
Bright winter sunlight and baby blue skies.
Ochre, gold and crimson, gleaming everywhere.
Oh look! I'm back in England! What a nice surprise!
It's really lovely being back in the UK, even though it is only for a short interlude before I jet off to another tropical island in the sun. (It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it ;) Maybe that's the reason I am enjoying myself so much at the moment - because I am aware that my time here is limited. As a result I am much more tolerant of everyone around me. Dad's jokes, which are often rubbish, I find myself laughing at quite genuinely. My brother and I usually communicate with monosyllabic grunts and awkward silences:
Me: Uh, alright?
Him: Yea... you?
Me: uh huh.
But recently we had a whole conversation over dinner. It was fantastic.
And, yesterday evening when I went to the newsagents, and saw all the little pikees hanging outside bumming fags from strangers and drinking cider, (it's half term) instead of pointedly ignoring them, and thinking "kids today," I smiled at them directly and thought, "aw bless those little hooligans." In response one lad nudged his mate and said, "arr, she wants yaw!" And so I tried to maintain grace as I walked away to a chorus of catcalls and graphic suggestions which should never have come from boys so young! I was shocked! I thought, "kids today!"
We celebrated my dad's birthday a couple of days ago. We had a family outing to our favourite local restaurant. It's one of those proper English pubs, with old oak beams and roaring fireplaces. The kind of place you dream about as summer fades, and you look ahead to festive winter evenings spent cradling a glass of your favourite tipple in a cosy corner.
