Indian Summer
Not too many weeks ago I was moaning about the cold weather. As I do. But it seems it was short lived. The weather, not my moaning.
Indian summer is having a long, languid stay. The call for mint juleps and listening to old records seems appropriate. As does saying ‘I do declare’ while lazing away the afternoon on the veranda.
As my children and I clung to the last of the school holidays, we walked to the village for a spot of lolly buying. The beauty of living in a tourist area is (for the kids) an old fashioned lolly shop. For me it is the utter beauty of our surroundings.
The thing is, as I live here, travel the road each day for work and school I take it for granted. I go for runs, oblivious to it all. I drive with my local beauty goggles on.
On that walk, I took in where we live again. Viewed the surrounds like a tourist ferried in on one of the busses that arrive daily. Noticed the path on the hill towards home has a deep groove from the rain. Mud and gravel washed away in a ever deepening ditch. Saw the trees, their leaves hues of red, orange and brown.The piles of leaves milling at the base of tall chestnuts. Marvelled at the masses of spiked balls opening up showing the smooth round of the russet chestnuts inside.
I remembered why we chose to live here.
And I promised myself to look. Really look when I am out.
Walking, running, driving.
I have the best of both. The small village and the big city less than an hour away.
I have time to sit and declare. Time to run and some just to breathe.
It is life. It is good. Live it well.
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We really do live in a beautiful area. I often just drive around a bit, or go for a little walk in the forest, just to remind myself what’s right at my doorstep. I think what I love most is that up here I feel like I can breathe – like, really breathe.
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Naomi Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Agree Megan. Well, apart from today when there is a smoke haze. It really is beautiful though.
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Agree with Megan! It does feel like you can really breathe better up this way.
I do declare. Reminds me of some of my favourite movies and their hot scenes where the girls look far too poised to truly be hot. Like Judy Gardland in Meet Me In St Louis coming back from playing her game of tennis and her hair is utterly perfect and straight still. If it were me, I’d be looking more like Mike Brady post-Hawaii trip.
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Naomi Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I am always amazed at the way movie people don’t sweat in the heat like I do. As for hair, well, we all know I like a good scarf. Or a bazillion bobby pins.
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The gutter in the photo reminds me of my childhood street. We used to make rivers, dam up the water with sticks and leaves and then break the walls and let the leaves race down the hill. Happy Days.
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Naomi Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
I loved roaming the streets as a child. Playing in gutters, mucking around with the fireworks we bought at the milk bar. Yes, I am that old!
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Your local beauty goggles – love that line.
Lucky you to have those trees to run in…maybe that is what I need to get my running mojo.
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Naomi Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Trees and a louder than sensible playlist get me out and running at the moment. Ask me again when it’s 5c up here!
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LOVE this song so very much.
Love this post too. Beauty goggles indeed.
xx
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Naomi Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
It’s so easy to take for granted what is right there all the time.
It’s a beautiful song x
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I do declare this is perfect.
That is all x
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Naomi Reply:
April 21st, 2012 at 8:23 pm
I do declare you may be right. And indeed it was x
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