Opening note - We lost one of our chickens along the way a while back - we're pleased to say however, that the bird that flew the nest has made a welcome reappearance - we are as one once again. August was the month for connecting and reconnecting on a very grand scale I must say. DKM you know who you are sweetie :-)
So, here we are again, happy as can be, all good friends and jolly good company (as my Father used to trill at the top of his voice!) Yes he was such a happy soul when he wasn't making travel and accommodation arrangements for people at her Maj's pleasure.
September has snuck in on the sly side I feel - if we take the seasons on a month by month basis we are now of course in our Autumn, the leaves will be browning and falling to the ground to clog up the drains and stop the trains (wrong type of leaves on the track - ha ha), the smell of bonfires will permeate the air and the whizz bang of fireworks will soon be upon us and.................arghhhh stop!!!! Rewind!! What in the hell happened to Summer - does anyone remember Summer?
The hanging baskets I so lovingly and hopefully planted towards the end of May when Summer was still a strong possibility; are still blooming their ice cream cornet colours of candy pink and white, in, I must say, complete and brazen defiance of the fact that the sun hasn't raised it's head around these parts for nigh on ten weeks now!
Oh sure, sure, I did hear tell of a few nice days that apparently occurred whilst we were the other side of the Channel this Summer but it's just a malicious rumour I tell you and I never was one to pander to evil gossip :-)
My cats have taken to sitting around the house looking longingly out of the window whilst trying to ransack their little memories for a recall of how it once was when there were Summertimes. Even the most wanderlustful cat of them all, Kashmir, comes home by tea-time, when once there was a time that we didn't see her from solstice to solstice she's now a frequent visitor - why? Because she needs to sit by the radiator and get dry is why....and now there's a thing, radiator - in September - whatever next? I suspect all this lack of a season is some scientific con engineered by the Government in cahoots with the utility companies to get us to spend more money on heat and light, that'll be it!
Enough of the weather though, even if it is something that us English are taught to speak about at our Grandmother's knee, for I have far more important rantings to immortalise on this cyber note pad.
America - well Boston to be more precise - is flourishing in the heat of a late Summer on the back of a mid Summer and an early Summer (oops, the weather, there I go again!) I know this to be true for it is from the land of McDonalds, Chevrolets and no crash helmet rules that I have just returned. From a business perspective the trip was successful I am told, from a personal viewpoint it was great to catch up with my colourful friends and take a glimpse into their latest dilemma, which has to be of course the Presidential Elections.
They're all of a quandary these fickle folk - I hear tales of dyed in the wool Republicans considering Democracy at last in the hope of some young blood who may make the land of the free even freer. Conversely - no not the sneakers - there are folk with Democrat etched through their core like a stick of rock who are tentatively sniffing around Mr. McCain perhaps in the hope of a return to the old school. I have been reassured by many that Mr McCain's choice of running mate has not soured the campaign for him at all, amidst much derision at his second lady's ethical code comes a band of potential electorate who would, pre Ms Palin days not have even cast a stray hair in the direction of the Republican McCain. They are now positively itching to hear more of the Republican Soap Opera.
So perhaps the positive/negative spin trick has worked it's magic yet again. I do find myself wondering though, if the leader of this most powerful of nations is chosen on account of a high scandal/entertainment rating as opposed to his political beliefs and, let's not forget why we elect our Governments in the first place, to make our world a better place for us - or did we not forget, did we just stop believing in the impossible - frankly, I take the latter choice, Father Christmas has a higher chance of success. Yeah, yeah I'm a cynic and proud of it :-)
One last thought from Stateside - I will forever recall the derisive look given to me by the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant waitress where I dined alone, who, having convinced me to imbibe in a calorific dessert, turned her full mocking glare at me when I asked for a small portion - "Madam, this establishment does not serve small portions". Paced alongside the latest reports of obesity is this really a statement to declare with pride?
Checking out for now
Icklewolf
