Just in the door, my Skype rang. It was Fifi from Ibiza. “Everyone’s gone home” she said, “The whole family. The temperature’s dropped and the campsite’s finally calming down.”
I relayed how I’d just been sitting on a bench in the park with a hot cup of tea for company as the smoky smell of autumn drifted towards me, leaves on the ground around my stillness; serving as a carpet to crunch through on the way home.
“I crave nature these days” I said.
“You’re not the only one. Practically every guest I’ve had a conversation with this season has told me of their yearning for countryside, greenness and simplicity in life” Fifi replied.
Later that evening I bounded up the steps of my choir’s rehearsal venue, literally grinning with glee in anticipation.
Every year at Maida Hill market around this time, the Mayor of Westminster comes down along with the local MP and a few other VIPs to switch on the Christmas tree lights. It’s a relatively new tradition that our community choir All Sing! is delighted to accompany with a few jolly carols – and anything else we’ve managed to learn during the term.
Conversations with Strangers 