Brighton, Hove and Halloween

The only time after reading that I actually managed to drag myself away from maidenhead was a weekend in London/ Brighton with Rosie. The amount of times she has visited plus her current status as resident made her an excellent tour guide. Our meander to hyde park, and down to buckingham palace, through trafalgar square and down to the Thames was ace. Followed by a curry takeaway and some wine I slept well. The next morning at the crack of noon we descended on Brighton. I have been lucky with my weather, with far more sun than anyone spending a month in the uk deserves. But there, on the coast with the sun streaming through clouds I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be on this adventure. Quite literally living the life. We wandered between hove and Brighton along the beach, stopping to eat when the rain decided momentarily to dampen our spirits.
The only other threat to our bliss was a sign on a bookstore window saying that the next day Sir David Attenborough would be doing a book signing and we were JUST going to miss him. Wine and sun set on the beach that evening lead to a subdued dinner in a local pub. With Rosie resorting to tea I only managed a few pints before the shame of drinking alone took over.
The next day Rosie and the Saracens played the hove team. It was drizzly and cold and did not start well. Two tried down within the first 10 minutes would prove to be to large a lead to overcome. It was fun watching a game though, regardless of the outcome. An always good to support the Scottish! However, as if we didn't cover enough ground in 48 hours, we decided to rush back to Reading to catch Jon Richardson play the reading festival. Props to Rosie Lang who maintained excellent spirits, having just lost and I wouldn't let her eat because we didn't have time. I would like to publicly apologize to her- but when it comes to concave whiny boys, I can't really be helped. Such a fun show - need to make a point of seeing more stand up. I say that every time though. After a late Thai dinner we slumped throught the doors of 8 Lassel Ave and slept sooo soundly.

Rosie spent the day with us, playing with the twins and then - AND THEN, John hooked us up with a reservation for the best lunch I have ever had. We started with a duck pâté and I had a fish and chip that will end all fish and chips. The pub was called the Crown at Bray and is part of the group of restaurants Heston B has ( more accessible to the average backpacker than the fat duck). Rosie had a lovely fettuccini and just to solidify her position as the best eater on the planet - got a side order of mashed potatoes.

Legend

So I'm a bit behind the times eh?

England has mostly passed me in a dream. 2 weeks in maidenhead offered me the perfect sojourn into familiar bliss. The twins are heartbreakingly sweet, and Sadie is turning into an absolutely phenomenal young lady. She's tricky and super smart. Days were spent waking up and helping aside get ready for school( this mostly consisted of her crawling into bed with me and being late). Then the twins would play for a bit before going up for a nap. Then lunch, more playing, picking Sadie up from school, more playing, dinner and bed time. I am in awe of the amount of work Shannon gets done. She is a workhorse who maintains her sense of humour and calm- for the most part, when after Halloween it was discovered that Sadie had a hidden stockpile of candy in her room, Shannon had a hard time balancing her anger at the deceit against her pride that her child was so resourceful. On the first Saturday I spent a lovely night in reading with heather, Rosie and Steve, drinking and making cupcakes. I don't mind telling you that they were an unmitigated success considering the cupcake liners we had didn't fit the tin, we ran out of liners and were trying out a new recipe. But it was a lovely slice of Canada away from home.

Ghosts of lake districts past

So far the most exciting, and most shocking part of this trip has been returning to Grasmere. For a myriad of reasons, over the last 4 years, this place has held some of my fondest memories. It was here that I met some of my most lasting friends, and where I lost one of my closest friendships. It wasn't until I came back that I realized I have been stuck in those memories and I hope this will mark a certain closure for me.

Outside of my personal attachments to this place, it is bar none the most beautifully peaceful place I have ever been. Yesterday I wandered easedale tarn, and down helms crag. A 5 hour Trek that has left me completely exhausted today. So, as it is finally raining, I have holed up in tweedies ( our old local) reading my book, recuperating. Fireplace, book, ale, mountain view - pretty happy camper.

This is in stark contrast to my weekend in Edinburgh. Suffice to say, I love that city. Just trying to scheme my way into permanent residency there. I have still not ruled out marriage, but it seems a bit early on the trip to make that decision.

Any tips?

And finally, to make you totally jealous, a few pictures of my recent fell walk - thanks iPhone!

Scotland's national drink

Turns out whiskey is not Scotland's national beverage. This sugary orange disaster called iron bru is.

They even make a candy out of it. A candy with a warning about the behavioural changes it can cause in children.

Oh, and I saw deep fried pizza yesterday. This is a weird place

Day the second

Glasgow is beautiful. But I am shell--shocked and haven’t taken much in. So I walked, and walked. After getting into the city center I dropped my bag of at the hostel and proceeded to wander the streets. A quick consultation with a map indicated the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art was just up the street, and who doesn’t enjoy a bit of postmodern expressionism first thing in the morning.

My sense of direction in my own city is inconsistent at best and I don’t mind admitting dear readers that I was not functioning at my best, so I circled around my destination before eventually stumbling upon it.

Did I mention Glaswegians have a sense of humour?

After exploring the deepest reaches of the modern art world I wandered to the west end where I indulged in a lovely cheese and tomato sandwich. Quite chuffed about that still.

Next on my list was meant to be the Beatrix Potter exhibition but I got turned around and found myself in the west end, smack dab in the middle of Kelvingrove Park.  At about 85 acres the park straddles the River Kelvin and is also host to the Kelvingrove Art gallery and museum.  The museum is breathtaking from the outside, and as I walked in there was a pipe organ performance. I wish I had taken in more but that that point I had been walking for 6 hours on very little sleep and my body was giving out on me. I came back to the hostel to nap. And this is where I leave you. Dinner time, and maybe a dram of whiskey!

"The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest."

"The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest."

I’m finally off. I say finally but anyone who has traveled by plane understands that there are a myriad of moments, of hurry up and go, of prolonged goodbyes (mine have been happening over and over for the last week) that delay the inevitable  “off” for so long it’s hard to pinpoint its exact moment.

So for now I’m finally, sitting in a Fionn McCool’s in terminal three, waiting for my boarding call, waiting for take off. But with a large pinot Gris in hand, I feel calm. Its either that or the tryptophan from thanksgiving is having a prolonged effect.  All said, I have a lot to be thankful for.  Happy turkey Canada, see you in the new year. 

Scary feelings

So, I've loved Tom Robbins forever, specifically Still life with Woodpecker. It speaks to me, blah blah.

To that effect I had completely forgotten about this blog, and how I had structured it.

This book, and the passages I have highlighted in it, are all the more important to me now, because it was how i contextualized my grief over the passing of my cousin. It was how I organized the eulogy at the service. It framed the questions that I ask myself and others everyday.

How do you make love stay when your whole world is seemingly crumbling around you.

My only answer is to remember, to hold on to the people you care about and keep moving forward.

Oh, and support me in the Becel Ride for the Heart and Stroke foundation. That's how you can show your love for me :)