Fortunately we all seem to have picked up the knack of enjoying the present in whatever we are doing at the time.
Fortunately, in that it changes a lot.
The kids and I are currently staying in a very kind friend’s house in Dublin. My friend is away and has handed us the keys. It’s bliss. Sitting here at the kitchen table early in the morning, listening to the birds, and just enjoying the peaceful house before the kids get up.
It’s the ordinary things, that most people take for granted, that I am loving at the moment. The cool fresh morning air scented with greenery. Birdsong and garden scents don’t feature on a boat at anchor. This uncertain summer weather suits me. Firstly because rain is a huge novelty for us all. We saw 3 hours of rain altogether in the last nine months before coming to Ireland. I am also enjoying the unpredictability of the weather. In Egypt and Turkey, sunshine was guaranteed, all day, every day. Here, the constant element of surprise. Grey sky now, but who knows in half an hour - the sun could be splitting the stones. It probably won’t, but it might.
I am impatient to get back out to the garden. I’ve started to crop down a huge and oppressive bush by the back door. My friend gave me full permission to do what I liked in the garden. Already my hacking means that a lot more light comes into her kitchen. I better get out there and finish the job before it starts to rain.
