insider

home seems like a good place from which to begin writing again. i arrived back on British (slightly damp) soil yesterday morning, and am feeling surprisingly alert despite the jetlag. it was of course wonderful to be back, though strangely surreal since normally i don't see my family before christmas. when we got back to the house it was cold enough to BE christmas, and i actually caught myself feeling festive at one point, before i reminded myself that we were still in september. that, and tomorrow we are expecting to be swanning around in the garden with girly outfits on. not all of us, of course. just the girls. anyways, the garden looks beautiful, it has been strung with lights (thanks to me, jonny & a couple of ladders), filled with flowers and, of course, two large white marquees. the whole things looks like a dream and i'm so excited to see what it will be like tomorrow once it's full of people and music. andy & abi have been wonderful, though the tiredness was beginning to get to them. it's incredible how much has to be done, and how many tiny decisions they have to make. we all had our little jobs to do, however, which made it much more fun - it's been a real family affair, and everyone has chipped in. everyone that is except the cat, who has been a complete slacker all day. nothing new there. this afternoon i wandered round to see dave & julie, who have been married a month & a half, and who live in a house up the road which is possibly the smallest place in chorleywood. i think it's a converted garage but it really is the cutest place ever, and so perfect for them as a first home. we sat and had tea & biscuits (British biscuits, that is) and wrote out the prayers for the service tomorrow. thankfully i was there to veto their suggestions about praying for a & a's sex life. i told them i didn't want to blush in front of everyone ...
that aside, it was so lovely to spend an afternoon with them in their little house, just laughing about life and marriage and being excited for the happy couple. andy stopped by later and they opened a bottle of wine to celebrate. they are such sweet people.
a few hours (and a manicure for me) later, and we were all happily seated at sathi's (our favourite indian restaurant) at the bottom of the hill. although there is no tradition in the UK of having a rehearsal dinner, i can think of no better way to spend the evening before a wedding than with friends & good food.
it's now midnight (i just heard the clock downstairs chime) and the house is quiet again after all the noise and bustle of the day. it's strange to think that this is the threshold of a completely new life for a & a. i cannot imagine how that must feel... still, it is a huge adventure and a wonderful gift, and it will be so amazing to celebrate with them tomorrow. and with that i must get to bed...

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 11:45 PM

new month, new location... after my long and lovely summer in the UK, i'm back in AA, sitting in my alternative carrel in the grad library. the sky outside is a perfect blue, and central campus is leafy and colourful. although i'd like to wax lyrical about how wonderful it is to be back in michigan, for the time being i'm just trying to get through the pangs of re-rooting myself here. last night, on a walk home through kerrytown, down a cobbled street & past quiet houses, i lamented the temporary nature of life here. in a way, though, everything in life is temporary - each different stage of life passes eventually, or melts into something new. even our days don't last forever. so inasmuch as we learn to wake every morning and tackle what is both familiar yet unknown, perhaps we ought to be able to cope with the new things and places we encounter when we move from one city to another. knowing, for example, that tomorrow is saturday, affords me a sense of comfort that i ought to be able to transpose to my life as a whole. i'm not quite sure how this works, but i think i shall ponder it a little longer.

tonight k & i are going to see broken flowers with bill murray. it's the best thing on the horizon so far...

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 4:33 PM