British Optimism

Leaning one's bike against the outside of an empty weather proof tunnel house for bike stands while off shopping is surely a sign of confidence. Leaving the house yesterday at 11:30 I needed my possum gloves and the clouds were low so I was pleased to have an excuse to wear my new 'summer season - water proof coat'. This is perhaps an oxymoron in Aus but apparently just another way to celebrate the seasons here. The cyclist was right for the clouds lifted and my scarf was swapped for sunnies.

My self imposed task was to walk around to the centre via as many real estate agents as possible and to be home before Michael at 5pm. Unfortunately the 20pound phone has a pretty little ring tone that I didn't hear until my bag was up against my ear on the bus trip back to Cherry Hinton - of course I had the house keys and Michael finished early, oh dear, what I thought was very clever, returning at 4:30 on the dot wasn't appreciated as expected. Frustration with Ludites should be added to all CIO health insurance policies!

As I walked towards Mill Rd, the place that Bradon was informed was the most 'happening' place in Cambridge, I was struck by how similar the area was to Riccarton in Christchurch. On my travels I found a bed shop and a lovely store called Dreams of Eastwind with incredibly cheap jade jewellery, Chinese porcelain and furniture. I stopped in at three secondhand book shops, the amnesty international one had a couple of volumes that found their way with me. I found a butcher who sold a beef sausage but the eating, after so much joy of discovery, was disappointing - definitely still a great export opportunity for down under.

I stopped for lunch at Cafe de Paris because as the door opened some smooth jazz seeped out. Here I not only discovered that Maggie Thatcher had died but also that excellent coffee with a small Brie and tomato baguette is a great lunch. The equal parts of hatred and admiration for Mrs Thatcher here gives a relevant moment to consider the application and communication of economic policies for 'the greater good'. She was a woman of vision with the guts and the strength to follow it through - restoring the UK to international respect and economic viability demanded a lot of optimism at the time according to the articles in the Daily Mirror. They asserted that the politicians between Churchill and Thatcher merely bent to the 'inevitable' disintegration of UK influence and prosperity.

The hope of things to come play out in fashion here in Cambridge. Bikinis and beach ware are hung beside scarves and Wellies. I've noticed that the section of the store with togs is always a few degrees warmer than the rest. I suppose a reminder that the Mediterranean beaches are just a hop away.

The store heating helps sales girls distinguish between the browsers and the serious shoppers. Those intending to stay a while strip off their coats, scarves and hats as they enter and go bumping and galumphing around the racks with their arms full of things bought long ago. They know they have an impulse buyer when some one tries to disrobe in the middle of the store knocking things around as their coat swings off. Because I don't know Hermine Granger's spell for endless bag capacity and already have more than my share of rack embarrassments, I have copied the hands free method of more thoughtful shoppers by leaving the coat on with the belt tied at the back to give maximum airflow around the torso. This maintains the guise of the browser to avoid unwanted assistance and maintains staff confidence when nothing is purchased because none was expected. You must be able to tell that I'm feeling quite relaxed now and am enjoying rambling around watching people.

Perhaps it is only the trend this season but there is an awful amount of neon brights around about. One matronly lady on the bus was all in grey except for neon pink soles on her shoes and a stripe in her hat. In every display of handbags, hoodies or tea towels are a clutch of lime, eye aching yellow and orange to choose with people of all ages heading towards the counters clutching them in defiance against the cold spell. An interesting study for a colour therapist - do neon colours encourage optimism or do optimistic people delight in neon?

Spring boots - imagine these with bright socks

Finished Reading: The 100 Yr old man etc.. Possible spoiler!
After leading the reader to a convinced state that 'she'll be right' is the most rewarding way to live, the author has Allan share his secrets of the atom bomb with a 3rd world leader. This rather dispels the entrancing thought that the difficulty of plans and discipline are merely a control issue for people lacking in confidence and optimism.

'...when Jesus actually returns to Earth then all the chapters (in the super thin luxury Bible with the words 'and they all lived happily ever after' at the end) on his imminent return become obsolete...' P332
'...as long as we think positively, I'm sure a solution will appear.' P345
'...they seemed made for each other. One was allergic to all talk of ideology and religion, while the other didn't know what ideology meant and couldn't for the life of her remember the name of the God she was supposed to pray to.' P386