Summer's Lease

Posted by Colin Harvey May 31, 2009

We awoke early this morning, as we often do at this time of year. It's rare that we even sleep until six o'clock, even at weekends, but this morning it didn't matter. The sun was rising and it was such a lovely morning that we decided to walk Alice early.

So by eight o'clock we were at Ashton Court, the eight hundred and fifty acre estate left in perpetuity to the people of the city of Bristol, but now under the aegis of Bath & North East Somerset (don't try to work it out, it'll only make your head hurt) walking Alice along the trails and through the ancient woodland at the heart of the estate. The wild-flower meadows are a riot of green shot through with yellow buttercups and the purple pin-pricks of wild orchids. Skylarks hover and sing

Tomorrow is June. Summer's here.

This for me is the high-point of the year, when plants are still green and not yet parched and drooping, but there's real heat in the day, but dry heat, not the baking clagginess of August.

We live what to many African and Asian people would seem a near-paradisical life; we have food, shelter and despite the witterings of our media -safety. We can complain about our governments without fear of being tortured.

Despite that, most days are full of grumbles, the after-effects of being sandpapered by everyday life. Most days are a constant battle --for everyone-- of getting things done, of being somewhere at a certain time, of rushing and pushing and shoving.

Not today. Today is a day just to celebrate being alive.

Normal grumbling will resume tomorrow.