Home

As so often, coming home from foreign parts makes me really appreciate home & England.

As we drove home up the motorway, I couldn't help wondering at the sheer beauty of England. After the vibrant colours of Italy, the soft muted shades of England are fabulous. The variety of green - dark, lemony, greyish, emerald - so subtle. The further north we drove, the more signs of autumn appeared. Golden colours, oranges, reds & browns appeared on the wayside trees & bracken. Even the grey sky I so often moan about, had shape & variation of colour. The sheer variety of trees is overwhelming; in Italy it seemed all palms & umbrella pines.

And then this morning I woke to find the garden disappearing in mist, only now starting to clear. There is just so much variation in weather. You're never quite sure what you'll find when you look out.

The very air is so much fresher & refreshing. Admittedly, it is colder. We've had to resort to jumpers & even a bit of heating in the evening & early morning.

The driving was blissful. Nobody reversed up the motorway, as they did in Italy. No cars hooting. Drivers once more stop at stop signs & red traffic lights. So much more relaxing. And what is more the traffic keeps moving better.

The virtual silence is another joy to us. We live on a quiet road in a suburban area, yet there's no sound of traffic except on rare occasions as someone passes by.

After we'd unpacked & eaten last night, we opened a bottle of wine to celebrate our return. We usually put on a CD to play gently in the background, but not last night. Instead we enjoyed the sounds of silence. What joy! Our hotel in Pompei had been good, on the juncture of two narrow streets. Our room was double-glazed & air-conditioned. Yet rarely the sound of traffic stopped. It went on all day & night continued. Horns hooted, engines revved, brakes squealed, car radios blared. I could tell the time just from listening to the volume of traffic. And that's not to mention the sound of voices as everybody, but everybody, promenaded through the evening, laughing & talking at the top of their voices to be heard over the sound of traffic. And they reckon Pompei is "tranquille". They don't know the meaning of the word.

Oh it's great to be back in the peace & quiet of our home and in such a beautiful country as England!