It snowed. And snowed and snowed some more. I hadn’t seen so much since skiing three years ago. I woke up one Thursday morning a week ago to a world of white. The kids in school watched it fall all day, wishing they could be outside throwing snowballs at each other, stuck inside making snowmen out of socks and rice instead. Personally, I was happy where I was, watching the fat flakes fall as the winter skies darkened and the street lights reflected their amber glow into the classroom. Later, ‘Sleigh-bells ring, are you listening?’ rang out as I hurried past the High Street’s shops on the way home, bundled up in two scarves. Never had that line been more accurate.
Breakfast. Such a luxury these days when I grab an egg and box of something as I’m rushing out of the door to catch a bus. By the time its Saturday, I’m ready for real breakfast. I’m ready for pancakes. I make the world’s easiest pancakes since I’m such a bad cook, but they taste like pancakes should.
A few days ago I arrived home, the first homecoming since I left, and as sweet as they come. Driving through the dark country lanes, stars tiny pinpricks in the indigo sky, I couldn’t wait to see my dog. And I guess she was just a little bit pleased to see me too. We all know the Prune way of welcoming you home, and standing there in the doorway, I’ve never been more grateful that my Prune girl was there for me too.
Life can feel like an action movie sometimes, but suppose it was more like a fairytale, one with an ending that is still unwritten. This part of Scotland would certainly make the cut scenery-wise and I really did feel like some kind of new-age princess as I followed the area’s Castle Trail (albeit a princess wearing a large A&F fleece and Nike AF1s).
First birthday apart. Took us 19 years, which says it all. How do I condense 19 years into 500 words? All the memories? All the laugher, the pain? The tears, the screaming, the fighting? The inside jokes, the special understanding? The shared sunrises and sunsets, the rain, the storms. The places and people that have come and gone. I’ve never known anyone as well as you.
So I managed to lock myself out of my apartment this morning. Smooth, I know. It was bound to happen; self-locking doors and my forgetfulness are a bad combination. Long story short, I was let in a while later but it kind of wasn’t how I had hoped to start my weekend. I was feeling gloomy over breakfast then gave myself a metaphorical head-slap and got in the car.
A cold spray stung my face as I scanned the waves, searching the grey expanse for those famous fins. Suddenly I spotted them (before anyone else on the boat, even the captain, might I add). Bottlenose dolphins swimming fast, we could barely keep pace. They were toying with us, willing us to wait for them to come back up for air. Saturday morning. In Aberdeen. I guess dolphin spotting isn’t the first thing you think of as a way to spend your weekend around here.