The sofa diary

It's three thirty in the afternoon and as is usual for me ,I am lying on a sofa . The big difference is that this is a large roomy sofa and super comfortable,the temperature is 18 degrees c, there are dark clouds outside with a threat of rain and the defending silence is broken only by the sound of a lawn mower in the distance,children's voices in the park ,my stomach grumbles and the sound of my breathing. In my ordinary life I would be lying on the sofa,the fan at full speed,sweating despite it,wondering if silence was a sound and contemplating what to make for dinner. How different.

Morning wa spent walking down many a cobbled street up and down ,curved and hilly and then down to the river to watch swans and ducks swim by peacefully. The walk took us through a tree lined park. The trees in perfect symmetry,the paths full of fallen autumn leaves,birds singing in the branches. People browsing in shops. From one park to another to a sudden spate of shops,we ambled for hours,huddled in coats enjoying the chill air on our skin. In my other life my mornings would mean a one hour walk after which the clothes would have to be peeled off thanks to sweat. The morning would then mean watering some wilting plants ,cooking breakfast while the heat continues to a increase to uncomfortable levels....such is life ...what can't be overcome must be endured.

It's the differences that I embrace.....the present is for memories to be relived in a series of pictures. The regular must be endured and that is life. Each with its own ups and downs. Holidays are all about the ups but real life is a mixture of joy,sorrow and living. Harder yes but also to be enjoyed. The collage of my holiday memories keeps me going. Someone asks why I laze around on a sofa when on holiday. Don't I want to see places and take photos and shop. Yes I've done that too but for me it has to be a mixture. Nature in all its beauty must be appreciated in silence,unbroken and peaceful and for someone who lives in a city this is almost like seeing a place ,it's a new experience. To be in sync with all that's beautiful and wild that for me is pure joy.