Sunday 3 May 2009

An English Summer

On our short trip back, I'm finding that I've become more English than ever in my time in Bosnia. We've spent our afternoons eating fish and chips watching the village cricket match on the green. We've gone to the beach in the Isle of Wight and played french cricket, built sandcastles and eaten ice cream caked in sand. At the end of the afternoon, just as the sun was radiating its most golden light across the sea we sat in front of the beach hut, drinking tea and eating lemon drizzle cake. I've even thought about a little dip, but the sea looks a little too grey for my liking. We've paddled, we've poked around rock pools with a shrimping net. We went to back to our home city and watched the trains fly past, fed the ducks and had a terrific time in the playground. We've seen a few old friends and I was surprised and a little relieved to watch the boys play with their old friends as if they had never been away.

Combined with having the most lovely time has been the most beautiful weather possible. Gentle sunshine, hot but not unbearably so, a feeling of freshness echoed by the vibrant greens of the trees and spring flowers.

We miss Dave though. He must be in Bosnia for a further 2 weeks before he too can sample fish and chips and talk about cricket with someone apart from me (and my knowledge is pretty limited). We enjoy ourselves, but the boys ask after him all the time and I would love to have him here with us. I could talk to him about how wonderful our home country is when I have the outsiders rose tinted glasses on. By the time he gets here, I'll be moaning about the traffic, price of petrol and the economy like everyone else.

10 comments:

ck said...

What a lovely post.

Reading this post made me relax. There's just something about being home. Especially when you first get there.

Mutter said...

Hello! Yes, I'm a PTV, and ex-staff (I lived two years on Coll) and am now even PT rep in Hong Kong although the project here at the Outward Bound centre in Sai Kung is one of Project's oldest and really runs itself. Where were you? I was in Zimbabwe in 85/86. My mother-in-law was a colleague and used to train the English teachers and then she introduced me to her son. The rest is history but we tease her about it being an arranged marriage. It's a blog post I haven't got round to yet! Two of my great friends from uni who came to visit me on Coll have been with the FCO and his most recent overseas posting was as Ambassador to Bosnia. We visited them in Sarajevo and skied in Jahorina. What a small world it is. I enjoy reading your blog.

siobhan said...

Lovely post but made me very jealous. Sounds like you've been lucky with the weather.

Tim Atkinson said...

Ah, but it's the moaning that genuinely British... It's what we do best!

Dorset Dispatches said...

ck - when you first get back home is definitely the best time. Before life catches up with you again.

Wife in HK - it is a small world indeed. South Africa 1990-1 but I was desperate to go to Zim. I wonder if you were on the staff at our selection and training in Coll?

Siobhan - we have lucked out with the weather, but it is pretty cold today. Definitely no toe dipping in the sea. I'm such a wuss though, some people were swimming.

Dotteral - we would win the moaning Olympics. Noone else gets close to us!

Mutter said...

I think I probably was Coll staff when you were a PT vol. I was there from 89-91 and might have selected/trained/debriefed you or even been your desk officer as RSA was one of my countries. How hilarious!

Paradise Lost In Translation said...

I was in England over Easter. It was gorgeous! A wonderful spring. My in-laws live on the isle of wight so we spend part of every summer there.I love it. Real old fashioned seaside! Sadly my husband only gets 20 days a yr so he can only join us for 1-2 wks. My children are so use dto it they don't talk about 'daddy' much at all in the summer. it' s just part of their summer now.

Just to join in the genrealfray I have no idea what Coll or PTV i s but I worked in South Africa- pietermaritzburg in 1988. which I suppose just goes to show we are all about the same age! A boyfriend (in SA) & I used to play the game of 'what was the nearest geographical location we got to each other before we met!'

Maternal Tales said...

It's the weather that does it. Just a little bit of sunshine and England is the best place in the world. Imagine if it had been raining every day?! Horrible. Am really happy for you that you've had a great time. Your happiness is infectious! x

A Modern Mother said...

Glad you are enjoying being back home.

Kat said...

Sounds like you lucked out for the weather. It has been rainy and windy here in Suffolk for the past couple of days.