This week has been so much fun. I have been spending my days being a general helping-hand around the South Hill Park education office, sitting in on meetings about Edinburgh and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, updating data bases, writing parts of education booklets, having lots of lovely chats with the other people in the office and singing-along to Jo's wonderful musical theatre playlist. Every evening after work, I go for a walk in the grounds to soak up the September sunshine. I see couples learning to waltz, Mum's feeding the ducks with their children, I run through the woods and cry when I reach the top of the hill because everything in that moment is so beautiful. I sit on the bench and watch the ducks perform their little synchronised swimming routine to Tschaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, then I skip along the bridge and lean back on the swings in the park till my eyes can see nothing but sky. My soul is still healing from summer's sadness but by appreciating the beauty that's around me I feel alive again.
I also had one of those awesome people moments today. You know when you talk to someone for less than five minutes and you can tell that if it wasn't such an impossibility that you would see each other again you would be bosom friends, kindred spirits like Anne and Diana in Anne of Green Gables. Well today I met Kerry, short, sweet, funny and incredibly fiesty Kerry. She used to work at the park but is now a full-time illustrator - how awesome!? Anyhoo, one of the ladies in the office had an allergic reaction so I was sent to by some Clarytin and Kerry offered to drive me to Sainsburys in her very awesome, very tiny smart car. As we were walking downstairs she asked me what I was doing with my life and I unlocked the little life-plan monologue in my mind and rattled on about uni and languages. The first thing that made me realise the awesomeness of Kerry was the fact that she loved Bristol and said that she was incredibly jealous of me because I would no doubt return all cultured what with studying Italian and living in such an awesome city. Our conversation continued as follows:
K: That's so cool! So have you studied German and Italian before?
E: I've studied German but I'm starting Italian from scratch. I was going to do russian, because Russia is awesome!
K: Oooo and you'd get to wear those awesome furry hats
E: Yeah and become a spy
K: Well of course!
E: Then I guess I decided that I'd rather spend six months of my life warm and caffeinated than cold and inebriated.
K: True, cos the only drink available in Russia is vodka.
E: exactly
K: I mean, I hear they even bathe and brush their teeth with it. Did you know that vodka is made from potatoes?
E: No way! I should totally try it out
K: Excellent idea. Grow yourself some potatoes and make vodka
E: My Dad once had a ginger-beer plant but I don't think you'd get much street cred for that.
K: Are the rest of your family into languages?
E: My brother wants to learn arabic. He's also incredibly sneeky so we're pretty sure he'll end up working for the secret service.
K:You're always going to be suspicous of him then?
E: Oh defo. I'll be like 'I know who you REALLY work for
K: And he'll say 'Natwest'
E: Whatever. That's not your REAL wife is it? You don't fooooool me brother!
K: No seriously I work at Natwest
E: Yeah in Vietnam
K: No, in Reading
*giggles*
*car arrives at Sainsburys*
E: Well thank you for the lift
K: No worries. Have a nice life. Shame I probably won't see you again, cos we'd totally get on like a house on fire
*giggles and waves*
I may never see Kerry again but that random conversation on the way to Sainsburys will stay with me forever. It was one of those 'aren't people awesome!?' moments. It's these things that make me smile like a loon.
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