Reflections

Well, I've not been on for a while.  Things have been a little crazy the past few weeks, but there have been a few good things.

1. I've seen some of the most beautiful feats of nature brought to me courtesy of the cold weather.  One of greatest note was a magical moonlit home walk along the river and across the commons between Cambridge and Fen Ditton on Saturday night.  It was a 1.5 hour walk starting at midnight.  The snow had fallen and no-one else was about except me, Andrea and Joe as we walked through the untouched crisp white snow in the bright blue moonlight. Special.

2. I am moving on.  After much thought and consideration, I have decided to leave the County Council.  My last day is 13th January.  I will be moving on to brighter things, and making a fresh start with a new phase of my life.

3. My moving on is opening up space inside me to get back to myself and help my friends.

4. I had a great chat with an inspiring man of the cloth

5. I have great friends

6. I have great family

7. Timing is everything - just as it seemed it wasn't going to, it did.

8. Paul, my manager

9. I've been playing with the balance between going with the flow, creating space for changes to unfold, and with being pro-active and making the changes in my life.  It's interesting working out which to do when.

1. My migraine went away
2. My husband is lovely
3. All may not be lost
4. I can change my mood if I try hard enough
5. A stranger asked me how I was

1. I had banana cake for breakfast
2. My migraine got better
3. Man from council fitted sound recording equipment
4. I saw a clip of a brilliant young man who articulated himself amazingly to a bbc newsreader who made him justify why it wasn't ok for the police to have twice dragged him out of his wheelchair and across the street during the student protests last week

1. It was sunny
2. I got a lovely enveloping hug from Joe
3. Lots of people at work told me they love my hair
4. Joe has done his 2010 Christmas card design

Contentment

I've enjoyed a weekend of contentment - one of very few in my entire life.  I went away to an Overlook-type hotel in Warwickshire for a dirty weekend.  I relaxed (which I find it hard to do) and I didn't beat myself up about having to "make the most of it" (which I normally do).  I enjoyed delicious food without being feeling too guilty (which I often do).  I felt like I was living my life how I want to.  I was in the here and now (which I find hard to do).  This is my life as it is, and I enjoyed it.  This is a great feeling - "gratitude, not attitude".  I need to get the balance of aspiring to be all I can be with being happy with my relatively plentiful lot.  Once out of balance, it can be self-flagellating and immensely self-destructive.

On a lighter note, I took some photos (mainly with Galina in mind as we saw lots of really old things!), ate a delicious homemade chocolate brownie (Joe had a wholeseed muffin) in my new favourite place (Rhubarb Rhubarb in Leamington Spa) and were discounted galore (inspired by Galina, once again) as we got a brilliant early bird offer on the hotel, 2 for 1 entry to Warwick Castle, 2 for 1 at Cafe Rouge, and buy one meal, get another for £1 at Prezzo!  Also spent very nourishing time mouching in Oxfam bookshop where we bought some books (and Donnie Darko for £2.99 on DVD) and in a wonderful old fashioned sweetshop.

 We took in a walk of Warwick castle walls, turrets and towers, but didn't heed enough warning of the sign at the beginning saying it was a one-way tour.  This meant, that once we both started freaking out about the endless, narrow, dark, smelly winding stone staircases up the towers, there was no way back!  We had to go up and down three before we could escape, each with increasing height as our legs got wobblier.  It's odd we've both developed severe vertigo as we've got older.  I had to keep away from the edges as I had this very strong urge to throw myself off.  When we got down I had to go for a fast walk to get the adrenalin out of my legs, which were obviously ready to jump to escape!  I would have been a rubbish soldier defending the battlements.

I love Leamington Spa.  I would like to live there.  We went for a reviving walk around Kenilworth, taking in the bleak grey sky, chilled but warm as we wound through the greens, greys and oranges of the last days of autumn.  I loved the misty darkness this weekend - embroiled with a full moon that I caught glimpses of through the passing light cloud.  This is what life is about - good food, love, art, history, architecture, passion and the great outdoors.

Que sera sera

1. Things are not always as they seem
2. Someone on the radio spoke up for the value of education for education's sake - the value of a classical education.  Creating free thinking minds is of benefit of society.
3. Joe has finished his 2011 Calendar designs
4.  I am not alone

Last days - Detroit to Georgetown, Washington DC

Tuesday 28th

Stephen dropped us off at Detroit airport as we said our fond farewells - thank you for being such amazing hosts, Stephen, Galina and Isobella, what an amazing week of firsts and other wonderful authentic american experiences, courtesy of our fantastic american cousins!

Joe was so looking forward to the return flight in what he called the baked beans tin with wings.  It was a small plane, and we bumped around it for about the full hour, which seemed like much longer than the 8 hour transatlantic flight.  We took the shuttle bus and train from Baltimore to DC and rocked up at our rather lovely Georgetown Inn hotel by about 3pm.  I was excited about expanding further on the glimpses I had had of this part of the city when I first arrived here last week.  And I was not disappointed.  I think this was my favourite area on my trip.  Beautiful post-revolution townhouses, from the end of 1700s and beyond.  I took lots of photos so you can see for yourself (soon).  

After dozing in our lovely room, each with an enveloping king size bed to slumber on, we wandered around the Georgetown area, stopping at The Tombs for a wonderful burger, onion rings and ginger ale.  Joe found their homebrew the most palatable of the trip.  The interior of the Tombs was very familiar and it turned out to be where they filmed St Elmo’s Fire!  So, having spent the previous two weeks continually thinking I was on the set of a John Hughes film, I actually found myself there!  It was bedecked with rowing paraphanailia including drawings of the Cambridge and Oxford boat races and crews of bygone years.  

So we felt strangely at home here.  After dinner, we went for a dusk-time stroll, down the hill to the Potomac River and to amazing views from the Key Bridge towards the Mall and then out towards Arlington and across Georgetown.  Brilliant.  We both got a bit of vertigo from the height and length of the bridge and wondered at the millions of joggers running around.  On our way back to the hotel we purchased beautiful postcards of Laura and George W Bush and a commemorative shopping back of Barack Obama and his splendid family.  Classy.

Oh yeah, and we had amazing ice-cream at a cute parlour across the road from the hotel.

Wednesday 29th 

After our first and only disappointing meal/breakfast, we explored Georgetown further, discovering the oldest remaining house in America and a system of canals in the back streets.  We took a guided barge tour of the canals. The boat was pulled by mules and the guide and boat people were dressed up in traditional 1700s clothing.  It was brill!  It was soon time to head back to the hotel, where we checked out then made our way to the airport for the flight home.  At the airport there was time to reflect on a few things....

Sociology Corner (can’t help it)

I’ve noticed more middle class professional black people than in England.

I’ve also noticed that apart from the waiting staff, almost all of the people working in the services (retail, car hire, hotels, airports, drivers, cleaners) are not white.  

I’ve seen quite a few adverts on TV, on the street and metro for charities.  I guess because there’s no welfare.

People are incredibly polite and considerate, not only in transactions but just when your going about your daily business. 

Reasons why I have to go home:

My hair straighteners and epilator don’t work on the reduced electrical voltage supply

I'd miss dairy milk 

I’d miss my family and friends

It’s quite hard to get hold of fresh fruit and vegetables when on the move

It’s hard to walk anywhere

The lack of “town centre” plays existential havoc with me

There are too many divides

Too many big cars

Reasons why I’d like to stay

People are fab and positive

I have family here

Public transport is good and cheap (where it exists)

There’s loads of space

The scenery is impressive

Housing is cheap

It’s clean

Service is good

It feels like anything is possible

How lucky I am...