Gracie goes to England (and gets 3000 hits!)

Curiouser and curiouser. TomKat are splitting up, Adele is knocked up, Balotelli managed to impregnate his ex girlfriend who somehow wants to be with him after he cheated on her with any two [long] legs that carried a uterus who happened to crossed his path.

And curiousest of them all, my blog has reached 3000 hits!! Now, for a blog that is updated sporadically and mostly deals with certified nonsense, that is a real satisfaction ... so thank you! If you happen to see me around, come up and speak to me about it. I might offer you a diet coke, if it's a good financial day. In all probability however, it won't be, so you might just get a toothy grin (I have about 30000 teeth) and a hand shake.

Anyhooooo ... all the above happened in the last few days where I was away from the island so I'm hazy on the details, and not that bothered. So that's just about all you're going to hear about it. What you WILL be hearing about however, is the lovely three days I spent in the company of old friends who(m? dammit) I haven't seen in too long, and who I have actually really missed.

I was in the UK for the weekend, attending the wedding of a close friend and the ridiculously awesome guy she just married. Honestly, she married a dude whose wedding speech was based on a comparison between their love and Brazil nuts... and it was the sweetest thing I've ever heard. A true keeper, and I cannot be happier for the two of them. It was also the first civil ceremony I had ever attended, and I was moved beyond words, in a way which the pompous traditionalism which stifles our weddings never ever affected me. Just the way the couple looked and clung to each other, and the soothing lilt of the Indian (2nd generation?) woman who wed them warmed my heart more than any sermon and bombastic choirs could ever do.

This trip was not only made special by this wedding, but also by the little moments that filled my heart with joy and peace in a way I did not really believe was so much possible (I had quite a rage filled, angsty first half of year FYI) anymore - random laughter while reenacting CSI Miami (good old Horatio) at Kings Cross Station, the haunting beauty of Pachelbel's Canon played by a string quartet at Covent Garden, the shared looks and shy smiles with the young, serious man who was spending a late Sunday morning with his grandfather in a tiny cafe in St Albans, and sitting at my window in a tiny inn while drinking tea and watching the rain fall.

Holy cow. I seem to have lost my edge.

Well, the one major thing I realised though in these past days is that even though I relish the feeling of anonymity in a big city ("where no one knows my naaaaaaaaaame" is what I sing/screech along in my car on a daily basis after all), I also loved the village feeling of politeness and neighbourly care in St Albans. So it seems that whether I am one comfortably ignored and ignoring in a London subway, happy in the fact that no one CARES, or whether I am walking in a market in a little town being called "darlin'" by a random stranger, I can actually manage to be completely at ease and satisfied with my lot. Charles Dickens v Jane Austen = a complete draw.

Which means, that I'm a more adjusted, well put together sort of person than I give myself credit for. So, probably, if I try and pull myself together, and give getting along with people a better shot, I might actually once again enjoy being around my fellow islanders on this small bit of rock.

Of course, do not expect miracles. If you happen to be in my life, and you generally suck, then we're not going to get along. Just deal with it.

Serving you all a cuppa full of hugs,

Gracie xx