Friday 9 November 2007

ENGLAND IN THE FALL

Why did we travel all the way to USA to see ”New England in the Fall” when we have such a wonderful autumn display in this country? This photograph was taken in my own backyard. Apologies for the crap photograph again, but it gives a flavour of the beautiful colours.

I guess the thing about “New England in the Fall” is that there is so much of it. Trees for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Trees to the left of you, trees to the right
No bloody place to go without a tree in sight.
Visitors known as “leaf peepers” staying overnight.
Drive around from here to there on a schedule so tight
To see the colours red and gold shining out so bright
Motoring miles to see the trees before catching a flight
Back home. Why?

On another subject all together. I went to the funeral of a colleagues’ mother last week. He said such wonderful things about her and as he spoke he glowed, smiled and even laughed a little. It was so good to see him remember her with such love and devotion. I never knew her, but I wished I had. When I spoke to him later in the week he said that the family had been so immersed in her long illness and he just wanted to remember the good times. If someone speaks of me that way I feel my live will have been well lived.

10 comments:

Stinking Billy said...

I guess when you regret having 'no life'(in your profile) you are referring to how much you miss being in business, now that you are retired.

I always think that "Different strokes for different folks" sums up just how one man's meat is another man's poison, and in your case there must be a helluva lot who envy you.

Retired in comfort (judging by your garden) and able to take trips to the USA as a tourist. Come on, R & C, it can't be that bad. Your writing certainly isn't all gloom and doom.

In my own profile I half-jokingly (but only half) referred to myself as 'undersexed'and was immediately pounced upon by lady thinker to explain myself.

Ergo, I don't see why you should get away with 'no life' without a challenge from one of your new mates - me. ;-)

laurie said...

i was at a funeral like that a few years ago--the wife of a colleague. it was sad, but there was also joy--so many great stories, told with such love, that by the end i truly felt i had known her.

if there can be a good funeral, that was one.

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

My reply to your challenge is to say I actually have a great life, but that doesn't necessarily make good copy! I much prefer to record the silly, trivial and quirky happenings. ..And I like to have a little moan now and then.

And you? Why STINKINGbillly? My guess is that you are absolutely not stinking, unless it is of whiskey, which is entirely permissable.

DogLover said...

stinking billy, your challenge is a true one. This R&C woman is in fact unbelievably wealthy, both materially and spiritually. On the other hand, she has been through traumas that would sink most of us; yet she faced up to and overcame them and, for me, she has every right to the life she now lives.

The wealth came late in life and entirely from the inspiration and hard work of herself and Old Grumpy, which now has been taken on by members of their family and other loyal (and valuable) members of their staff.

As you may guess, I know them well and am tremendously proud to count them as my friends. Despite the rotten things I sometimes say to them and about them here and elsewhere ...

That said, may I also welcome you as a fellow R&CR - an R&C Reader!

dog

Anonymous said...

I so much enjoy the cleverness of retiredandcrazy blogs. I feel I should comment in kind, but I just can't come up with anything clever. The only swearing I do is on the golf course (well, most of the time). Your garden looks lovely. After New England, I, too, took pictures of bright red and gold trees right here in our back yard.

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

Laurie, I love you blog. You are leading my dream life. I would loved to have been a journalist. You describe that world so well.

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

Dear DogLover, what on earth have Old Grumpy and I ever done to deserve such praise? But I must be gracious and say thank you so much, compliments are hard to take. We love you too.

And now I am going to spoil it by asking - are you on a giant windup in retaliation for me calling you the richest man in Surrey? Surely not!

...and wealth, how do you quantify it? With all our children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren there is not actually a lot to go around.

That's why I'm so absorbed in squanding what is mine while I still have it! Does that sound like action of someone you describe as "spritually weathly"?

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

Hi Flagmaker, cleverness? I sometime find it hard to string two words together. And I think that if you analysed my blog you would probably deduce that I have a vocabulary of a halfwit, but I will admit I am good at swearing!

Question, is your back yard near my back yard?

Anonymous said...

My backyard must overlook your backyard, the trees look so similar. If I knew how, I'd post my picture, but I'm so computer illiterate that I'm not sure I could get it done. Besides, I haven't downloaded my pictures. I should do that and attempt and see what turns out. Maybe later. Put off today what you can do tomorrow, right? That's the way I learned it.

Later,
Flagmaker

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

Flagmaker, I so empathise with you. I am totally computer illiterate myself and have to rely on my young friends and colleagues to set me up and then bale me out when I get in a muddle, which is often.