Wednesday 27 June 2012

June, the Monday of the Months

Hi de hi,

I used to have a Blogger blog, but it was a long time ago. In attempting to revive that blog on many occasions it has become apparent that it needs a theme or purpose or overriding theme. It's all very well to think and write about personal events but that's exhibitionism and awkward to read. Perhaps it is better to come up with a theme that connects to a story you can tell and then intertwine the two.

Having moved country recently and parted some ways it would be natural to be maudlin, but we're not going to do that. Instead we'll talk about Aberystwyth, my undergraduate University and spiritual home. Visiting the place six years after graduation is interesting, as the faculty changes further and further and I get older, older, and yes older. Things to do in Aberystwyth when you're visiting:

- Climb Constitution Hill in early morning and contemplate
- Go to the Arts Centre gift shop on campus
- Wade into the sea
- Visit Devil's Bridge nearby, causing inevitable rain
- Go to the out-of-town Butterfly House
- Throw rocks at my friend Blodyn's house (beware, she's wild)
- Climb the OTHER hill
- Take lots of photos of the sea
- Try to spot Ireland

Ah, it was a wonderful time there. Watching the sea churn in and out on the beach or at the cliff base introduces new timescales into life. These timescales lie between the turning of days and the space of a heartbeat. It's fantastic. No more measuring time in hours but in days of crashes or stones flicked into the sea. Why would anyone not choose to live by the sea? Well, for money and a living. But more people could, and probably will in these times of climate change.

Sometimes when things change you can be upset or sad. Alarmed at the turn your predicted future has taken but perhaps not so much has changed at all. Perhaps the thing you thought had ended is merely resting. Perhaps it's gone forever. You never know, and in this era of global interpersonal integration nothing is as simple as it was. None of us ever knows how we're going to turn out in the rests of our lives. The only crime is to punish ourselves for not living up to some mythical ideal.

Oh, job hunting and trauma is making me melancholy! The DVD themes of the week ahead are 'The Muppet Show', 'Maverick' and 'Contact'. Lots of old-time goodness while hiding from the sun, hiding from the just past birthday and glumming away.

Wistful Oliver.

No comments:

Post a Comment