Monday 4 November 2013

Once you'd resolved to go, there was nothing to it at all - Jeannette Walls

We had the mother of all storms last night. I'd forgotten how bad they can be here. I watched the waves crashing on the shore from my bedroom window. And wondered if they couldn't cross the road to get me. And fretted a tad over the strength of a very angry wind. Banging at the Windows. Rattling the building quite impressively. Scary, I tell you.

I didn't see how the upstairs windows could survive. But they did. Thankfully. The flowerpot by the front door was less successful. And the bins made it down to the end of the garden.

Still, we all made it through. And in the way of island life, we awoke to a lovely, blustery day today. With a hint of sunshine. In blue skies. So I wandered along the shore, taking photographs and breathing in the sea air. Fresher and saltier after the storm.

It was bliss. As was taking coffee on the way back at my friend's mother's house. Sitting around the fireplace with my friend and her brother. As we had done so many times before. Over twenty years ago. Snug. Nice...

And so things are starting to come together. Life is starting to settle down. A little, at least. I'm sleeping tons. Catching up, methinks. Especially now that the heating and hot water in the flat have been fixed. And by a jolly nice plumber too. Who in his spare time volunteers for the local lifeboat. From the goodness of his heart. Risking his life in the dead of night. And the dead of winter. During storms such as we experienced last night. Isn't that something? Total commitment, total selflessness. I could only listen in awe to his accounts. Stated simply, factually. At my prompting. No boasting, no vaunting. Nothing special. To him, at least. But isn't it really special? The height of humanity? I love island life...






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