England Baby

So I went and I saw and I breathed in the English air...

I ate English asparagus and all the biscuits I'm deprived of here. I ate Cadburys buttons and Galaxy till I could eat no more, and I spent time with all the wonderful people back home.

Normally when I leave England, I leave with a longing for Lisbon...

But this time England held tight with all its charm.

Whenever I talk about England with a foreign person, I'm chatting away, waiting for the sentence..

 "But the weather!"

It wasn't until I lived there with N that I realised how much we do go on about the weather. We will happily watch the morning news, the 6 o'clock news, the 10 o'clock news, every day!

As N put it once, 'What's the point of always checking when you know it's just going to rain..' Gee, thanks.

And everybody I know says the same thing, 'England is such a beautiful place, if only the weather would allow you to enjoy it.'

I remember when I was little, the distinct shifts in the seasons, the drifting in of spring smells and blossom, the gradual chill in the air signaling winter. Now it seems each season is drifting into each other. But this time we were lucky. The sun was warm on our shoulders and everything was full of English summer and holidays. Not a care in the world, miles away from work and papers.

I was back to see new beginnings, and to be surrounded by love and comfort from family. There is a new spring in their step and a new love in their eyes.

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I am now back to the heat and tangible feelings of August holidays and beaches. Summer has arrived.

The windows are open wide and the hot air is flowing in. It feels like Lisbon.

I'm watching, 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', which feels like England.

A mix of the two, feels like home.

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