|
| All right, all right, I've been bad, no updates in near a year. I'm graduated, married, cut off from my grandmum, etc. I married Meg July 15th! My grandmum is getting a divorce from Alfred. I go visit round his house in Greenwich often. I love going down there. Meg and I are cramped in a tiny house in which my baby grand takes up most of the front room. I still have my father's pounds and my boat which I rescued from the marina and now is sitting in our entire back garden. I'm looking to move to St. John's Wood perhaps. Saw a nice house for near £250,000. 500,000 to you Americans. No, I do not speak with my grandmother anymore. She did not approve of my marrying Meg, as Meg is not society. She is not destitute, both parents dead like me, but lived with her aunt and uncle who are wonderful people. The whole week of the wedding she would not talk with me or Meg, grandmum was absolutely horrid to her. Russell flew in from D.C. and Stephen from Africa, and Meg's best mate, Ashley, was there as well. I told my grandmum if she did not come to the wedding, I would never darken her door again, or speak to her. She did not, despite Alfred's pleas. The real fun began when Stephen, looking for spare chairs, happened upon a room, a room that no one knew of, but my grandmum. You see, it's been covered by a tapestry, reaching the floor all these years. But as we've had the worst heatwave since 1695 this past July, we had a fan on, and it ruffled the tapestry. Stephen saw the door handles gleaming, and tried on of the many keys on the ring and in the room were all my parents' things, sent back from India after my father had died and I had come to live in London. My grandmum told me when I was nine, and had gotten up the desperate courage to ask her, that she had burned them all. My father's sword, my mother's clothes, books, piano, his clothes, all the furniture, there. Locked in that room. We were all sitting down to tea, and Stephen burst in talking of how there was the most beautiful furniture upstairs. Immediately, I knew. Alfred looked like a man that had been struck. He looked positively sick at my grandmum. Realisation as to what she really is, I suppose. I was so angry, I did not wait for the keys, I ran upstairs, and kicked the door open. My grandmum and I had a furious row, and I have vowed to never come there again. I've gotten it all moved into our house now. We needed furniture and how nice it is to have found my parents' things are not gone. For all those years she hid that from me, from Alfred. I think then, he realised he could not stay married to such a woman. All of the business with the wedding upset him greatly as well. He likes Meg and I am glad that he is kind to us. If it were not for him and my father, we would be penniless. He made some shrewd investments a couple years ago for me as a present, and now I am glad he did so, although at the time, I thought what a waste, and what can one do with that?? Meg and I walked round St.James Park the other evening and looked at the birds and of course, the white pelicans. Giant things they are. Tourist season is slowing down a bit. I am glad to be with her and glad she's stayed with me despite my mad grandmum. Grandmum will be very lonely in that great house. She hardly goes out now since news of the divorce came out. I must be off, it's past 2 and I don't think I've put away some of the things we got at Marks and Spencer's earlier. And besides, work is tomorrow. Goodnight all! | | |
| I have been sadly, SADLY remiss with this thing. School has overtaken all of my spare time except a little for eating and sleeping. I hope to be finished in May and then escape to London for good. Not that I don't like the US. Nice place, but I'm British, and I need British comforts! Like driving on the correct side of the road, dialing 999 for emergencies, having proper pub food, proper tea, and my Aston Martin. But.... something must be said for American clothes and cinema, although we have quite good access to both in London, it's not the same when it's not in the US. New York is the centre of everything, or so I've been told. As for what's been going on.... ah, Matt left the flat after we'd had a row, mainly because of his girlfriend, who has basically been living with us. She's come in, arranged everything round the way she thinks it ought to be, and bollocks if I didn't nip home for a lunch one afternoon and she had the entire living room space totally moved about. I was quite angry, because she'd called men to move my white baby grand into a spare room. It's always been in the living room in front of the glass doors overlooking the city over the balcony. I told them they could move it back, she interfered, arguing, from which I told her it was my bloody piano, my flat, and she had her own place to wreck. Russell came in from school during this bout. She's rearranged everything in the kitchen, came in and hung pictures up of babies and flowers and taken all our music and art down. She took over the fridge as well, and threw out everything she didn't think was healthy or tasty enough. Including Russell's and my food. Matt never seemed to mind either! We'd complained a bit and told him she needed to stop messing about in our things and he made excuses for her. As we didn't want to cause trouble in our friendship, we kept quiet. But that night it was enough. She was actually planning to get new furniture in and get rid of all the furniture in our living room- furniture I'd bought no less, and for a pricey penny I might add. She'd been there three months when that happened and that happened last week. She threw a vase of hers at me and it smashed on the wall and Russell stood there in the doorway, taken aback, while the workmen stood, still holding a table. Russell tried to explain to her that it was our flat and it wasn't right for her to come in and do this, and she let loose with a fury on him, running in the kitchen and firing dishes at us both. This had been a long time coming. It ended in a shouting match with plenty of cursing as well on both sides. Russell really outdid himself in that category. I had no idea there was such room for creativity in cursing as he exhibited. She left in a rage and I had the workmen put everything back in its place and sent the bill round to Matt, as I didn't know her address. By this time, over an hour had passed and I was extremely late for my afternoon class, which I was teaching. Fine time that was. Matt came home in the evening, we had an explosive row, his girlfriend was there as well, and Russell and I stood in defense staunchly and wouldn't back down. So he moved out, in with his girl and two other girls. May he be happy. I'm just glad we don't have all that constant moving round of our things, our clothes being thrown around, strange girls over all the time, and Matt acting like we were evil because we didn't like his girlfriend. Now Russell and I have to decide whether to find another flatmate or not. I should be on here more that I'm not dealing with all that extra irritation in my free moments. I have a girl, but a London girl, back at home. I've got tickets to see Paul McCartney in Vegas over Thanksgiving holiday, so that is exciting!!!!! Russell and I are looking forward to it with great anticipation. I need a break from school. Well it's off to school for the afternoon. There's my update some of you requested, even it if it is lackluster. I will try to comment back, but it may take me a couple days, as tomorrow is full. Thursday for sure I will. Good day to all and thanks for the many comments!! | | |
| Back in NY again. What a summer it has been. When Alfred started recovering and they sent him home, Russell and I took a jaunt to Australia for a bit. We went to the Kimberley (sp?) and loved it. What beautiful country!! I would live there I like it so well. We did a farmstay with a lovely couple and I milked cows for four days. We went to the ocean and to Broome and it was indescribable. The beauty of that entire country down there makes me ache with the perfectness of it all. Alfred is doing well now. But it will be about six more months before he's totally up and at it and I suppose he won't ever be quite like he was before he was so smashed up. He and I have already made plans for another sailing trip next summer. We're thinking on sailing round Australia. Grandmum disapproves, but Alfred is dead set on it, and I'm glad, it'll be some fun for sure. Alfred and I are the best of mates. When I arrived back in London, I ran about for a week soaking all up that I could before returning to the US. It is quite lonely now. I miss Meg, a wonderful girl I'd met in London. She is quite fun to go about with. She lives a few houses down from mine. All this time, and I'd never met her!! Life is funny isn't it? As for now, school's starting in and I'm glad to be done with aeroplanes for the summer!!! I've had enough of flying and rushing about. Russell's parrot has too. Grandmum detested that thing when it stayed in London and we went off to Aussie. For one, she had several prominent ladies over for a tea and Barry had forgotten to put Atticus up as he was busy preparing the tea and petit fours and all that bit. Well, Atticus started raising his voice as loud as he could when he found others were getting a bit of tea, and he, nothing. The ladies went over to look at him, and I won't write in here what he told them. Needless to say, I got a nice call on the mobile about it from Grandmum. Russell was fearing for his bird's life. Barry rescued him and Atticus spent the rest of the day venting his frustrations from one of the guest rooms. Ah, I must go, it's near time for having a bite, and I'm to meet some of the blokes round the corner. More later, when I get a slice of time! I will try to respond to all the wonderful comments left next week when I can. They were so kind and greatly appreciated! Thank you all!!!!!! | | |
| - A Message
I know I've gone a long time off here. School was mad busy at the end, and then June 1, I was off to India. I am in London now. I flew back Friday morning. Russell is with me. I will write of our wonderful adventures there later. We were to fly to Calcutta instead of London, but a phone call from Grandmum changed all that. We were boarding when my mobile rang and when I heard the news, we immediately got off there, got our luggage off, and switched to a London flight. I won't even begin to describe the aggravation of flying into a country that has just had its capital bombed. We were lucky that we could get a flight in- and it helped that I am a British citizen (although not much....). At any rate, it was Saturday morning round 11 or 12 when we walked out of Heathrow. We're Southenders, and Alfred works in the financial district of downtown London. He usually works at home, and does conference calls and all that, but that morning he got called into work, as he needed to sign a major deal with a company that is ordering several of his ships. When he does go to the office, he's there round nine or nine fifteen. He will drive the mini in or take the tube, declining to be chaffeured, as Grandmum always is. He says that it saves money and time as well as behaving like an ordinary being, instead of flinging money about, which Alfred thinks is quite ridiculous. (As do I, although I know I am rather extravagant by times). All Grandmum said while sobbing into the phone was, "This is what comes of Alfred trying to be common!!" I couldn't restrain myself and went off into a peal of laughter despite how I felt as if I had fallen into some black vortex. Well, he usually gets off at the King's Cross, or Aldgate, if he's early and has time to walk. He was on one of the tubes bombed. The phones were out most of the day and Alfred never rang. I know he would have if he could, because he knows how worried Grandmum would be over him. Despite all, I know Grandmum loves that man deeply, even though she will not often show affection. Grandmum actually tried driving, then walking down there, but they wouldn't let her pass, as they had it all closed off. It took Grandmum til half 2 Friday morning to reach his son, Stephen, who is a missionary in Africa. Stephen said he'd be on the first aeroplane in when he got his things together. I can't believe all this, even now. I like Alfred immensely. He's closest to any father figure I've ever had since my dad died when I was young. I remember how much fun we had last year, sailing up and down the east coast of the US. Grandmum went to the hospitals and scoured them for Alfred. There were so many people doing the same, or people who were like us, that had someone missing. When we got there, we went round looking with her. We all had the little voice in the back of our minds saying, "What if he's dead?" But, we found him, in Royal. He is home now. He has a broken arm, broken leg, 17 lacerations to the bone on his face, his arms and body are cut up in places from debris, and he had to have part of his scalp sewn back on. Oh, and four broken ribs. He looks a sight. But, I am more happy than I can ever ever express at him being alive. He hasn't spoken much about it, I think he's still rather out of it, and got lots of painkillers in him as well. I don't know what we'd do without Alfred. He and my Grandmum have only been married about two years. This all sounds so stilted, but I can't write of the depths of emotion that have gone on in the past four days, I can't concieve of it now, I feel drained and empty. Stephen got in Saturday evening. We are some of the lucky ones that have found our loved one, so many haven't. I love London, I love Britain, and no terrorists can ever destroy that or take this beautiful place away from us. We are Britons and we shall not falter in the face of this atrocity that evil people have committed. I must go now, jet lag is extreme and I'm dropping with the weariness of the last few days. Thanks for all of the lovely positive comments!!! I'll update more later. | | |
| I've just finished playing the violin part of "Glycerine" by Bush for myself, "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice and "My Immortal" by Evanescence. I'm a bit lucky in that I have perfect pitch, and those are simply a few of my many many favourites. They remind me of one, that, as the days go by, I fear that I love. It is impossible, it can never happen, too much separates us, but the human heart does not understand that, does not even consider it. One thing about love, it is the eternal optimist, and believes it can overcome circumstances that our logic perceives as binding and unable to bridge. Thus, the inevitable and ages long conflict of logic and the human emotion. This person is so winsome, dear, unique, and refreshing, like arbutus growing in the midst of a crowded, polluted city. Beauty outside, but what is more valuable, beauty within, and takes one's breath away at its poignancy and loveliness. There is no way this can happen, but I cannot take my mind off her. She utterly captivates me and all who meet her- she must, I cannot conceive of otherwise, and reading between the lines, I know it is so. I do know that this mustn't happen, I cannot feel such, because it cannot happen, we are different and live in vastly different worlds. I seem to have more wild abandon and allow my heart to control me more than she does hers. I remember when she was more heart than head, but time and other variables have changed that. As soon as I can get away, I will make a trip on an aeroplane. It is time. Years are enough. | | |
|
