Feel of England

It was wet, chilly, misty, and grey today where I live. It reminded me of England. The weather in England is like that. It can be depressing at times when it goes on for days at an end. And yet, I liked the weather there. It was great for long walks finished by a trip to a 15th century pub with a real roaring fire, aged wooden beams, and pint glasses of stout, ale, or bitter. There aren't any pubs where I live. Today, I walked around the neighborhood where I live. So many of the buildings are new. When I moved here over 4 years ago, the main street that ran by the apartment complex where I lived dead ended. Now, it wraps around in a crescent with single family houses, row houses, and luxury apartments lining the way. In many a town centre in England, you would find a bakery with freshly baked Cornish pasties, almond fingers, and madeline cakes. The Weis grocery store down the street has a bakery of sorts where you can get donuts, so called French bread, and maybe a bag of madeline cakes. But it isn't the same. It doesn't feel of England there. The people are nice enough but, there aren't any copies of the Star or Sun to be found on the news racks. You'd have to do a serious search among all the sugar loaded candy by one of the cashiers to find a Cadbury's candy bar or Toblerone if there are any at all. There are tennis courts and a huge swimming pool close to where I live but there aren't any parks where families would set out a blanket and enjoy a small picnic. Nor are there benches where the elderly could sit and watch people walk by and remember times gone by. No, today there is just the weather which feels of England and brings back lots of memories when I wandered among her parks, shopped in her quaint shops, and sipped in peaceful contentment a pint of bitter in a pub that was built before my country was born. The feel is a pleasant one which I will savor for I know not when I'll return to England's blessed shores.