Ben will eventually write on his musical experience eventually, I promise.
But for now, as I walk between the shadows of the Great St. Mary’s Cathedral and King’s College Chapel there is an everydayness which transcends the mystery of Cambridge.
And that, my friends, is what I know and what I can write about.
The extravagant in this one, rather ordinary, beautiful life.
Autumn has arrived…
And while the UK has not yet discovered the culinary masterpiece of the Pumpkin spice latte it is starting to shed the vibrancy of summer and embrace sweet root vegetables and the sound of leaves crunching under foot.
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| The orchard at St. Edmunds and Queens Road |
I love Autumn. I love the harvest. I love apple-everything, beets, even parsnips. In Cambridge, apple trees are plentiful and yet go completely neglected. The ground is littered with rotten apples, which makes the good ones hard to find. I am up for the challenge however, and have settled into an evening of conversation with a “lovely” apple pie (as Jakob would say) and eased into morning with apple porridge.
My love affair with food has struggled since my arrival here as I have no one to share it with…except you. So let me indulge a little and tell you about the parcel that arrived at my door Thursday morning.
Abel & Cole stamped on a box of delicious fresh produce. I fell in love with Spud.ca when I lived in BC and here, in Cambridge grocery delivery is plentiful and popular as so many people don’t own cars. You see, as romantic as going to the market for groceries everyday sounds, hauling it home with book bags, diapers, and a camera is not as picturesque as you might think. VERY excited about this.
Life is definitely slower here. Mornings come early as I take time, drink coffee, fill my big boy’s Lightning McQueen tin lunchbox, prepare a hearty breakfast, pack bags, tie a silver and yellow tie and head out the door to take Jakob to school. The streets are busy with other families doing the same.
We arrive at the autumn covered mansion just in time to get Jakob settled into class with his 10 classmates and say goodbyes.
This past Thursday, like the days before, we head down town to grab another cup of coffee and take time, time to talk, time to see, time to dream.
We take a stroll through Downing College because we never have and past the Sedgwick museum.
We wander into empty silent churches. Door open just waiting for a worshipper in need for the presence of God.
Like any city with old buildings however outside of these sacred spaces there is refurbishment constantly staining the view. Its a huge reality in Cambridge. Scaffolding litters the streets and reconstruction blares through the street noise. Hammering outside a Sunday Service, jackhammering in the early morning. Life.
It is, regardless, easy to see past. As we move from Trumpington onto King Parade where we stop for second breakfast.
I start to feel anxious as I am still adjusting to the idea, neh, reality that I have no place to be. I have nothing to do, no job to finish.
Cambridge city is starting to fill up as students arrive, there is busyness in the colleges and on the cobble stone roads but as you move out of the city and onto the fen things calm.
Just beyond the Cam River livestock is free to roam and even swans take their time.
Three o’clock comes and it is back to pick up Jakob from school. He is excited but tired and seemingly always ready for a treat or a trip to the park. Everydayness…
It follows you where ever you go. Watching cartoons with Larry boy or on bike rides to the playground.
Meeting friends for coffee, or having ice cream on Parker’s Pieces. All part of our everydayness.
Even tonight, everydayness calls me back while I wait for my husband to come home from singing in King’s College Chapel (something only he will be able to tell you about). The toys on the floor have yet to clean themselves up and the dishes to be self-cleaning.
Just a note: more pictures of our everydayness and everything in between, can also be found here.
Have a great weekend. We are off to London!
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