Back in the UK
A mixed feeling of delight and sadness at being back in the UK for the foreseeable future, one year and one month after I left in a similar mixture of excitement and apprehension for Alabama. The sheer monotony and familiarity of the journey back to England (I've crossed the Atlantic 8 times this year) did something to smooth away my sadness but it was still with a heavy heart that I arrived back in foggy, cold Gatwick - the weather never helps when returning to England! - and it was quickly back to business as usual on the miserably crowded, late train into town.
But the weather cleared and a warm sunshine took over; and London looked a little more palatable. I picked up a shiny, fresh conker in the street as I walked around Canonbury and Highbury for a couple of hours. Somehow it was cool and smooth, and remained cold despite being in my pocket. Highbury Fields looked beautiful and peaceful, and schoolkids chatted in groups on the street - a very London scene. It's funny how the new fashion for flat-soled pumps for girls makes them look very old-fashioned in silhouette - with their black tights or knee-high socks, and their little Peter Rabbit feet on the bottom. They look like something out of St Trinians, or even earlier - Blake's schoolkids, or something from an 18th century engraving.
But the weather cleared and a warm sunshine took over; and London looked a little more palatable. I picked up a shiny, fresh conker in the street as I walked around Canonbury and Highbury for a couple of hours. Somehow it was cool and smooth, and remained cold despite being in my pocket. Highbury Fields looked beautiful and peaceful, and schoolkids chatted in groups on the street - a very London scene. It's funny how the new fashion for flat-soled pumps for girls makes them look very old-fashioned in silhouette - with their black tights or knee-high socks, and their little Peter Rabbit feet on the bottom. They look like something out of St Trinians, or even earlier - Blake's schoolkids, or something from an 18th century engraving.
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