Beatrice Barclay: The London Lookout

Another day, another dollar...or should I say another pound. This past week has flown by that I am not sure what to talk about. Well, when people don't know what to talk about in the UK, they talk about the weather. And England gives you plenty of weather topics to talk about. Let me first tell you that even though we are now in the first week of September, it is still considered summer in some parts of the world. However, not in London. The leaves are already starting to fall. They don't seem to turn those beautiful colors that they do back in the Northeast of the United States. Instead, they turn orange-brown and fall off the tree as if the grim reaper of leaves killed them in the night. Lovely thought right? Perhaps I am stuck in a bit of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" as I think of my flower and vegetable garden at home along with the amazing autumn that occurs in the US. But it is normal to think of what was and wonder what it would be like if you were back there.

But for now, the quote by Nelson Mandela resonates in my life, "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." For me right now, this is how I feel in London. I have been here a million and one times and I speak fluent British. :) Yet, the time I spent away from London and now my life on my own again makes me realize the changes that have occurred within myself. I guess I am getting old.

This topic has become too heavy. Let me wrap this up by saying I found out where the woman from the British version of the show "The Weakest Link" lives. I pass her house almost every day after work. I haven't seen her yet, but she has a beautiful London home. I wonder if I did see her, what I would do.What should I ever say to her if I see her taking the groceries out of her car? She is certainly on Kathy Griffin's D-List when it comes to celebrities, but she is still a celebrity. I wonder if anyone has ever ran up to her door, rang the doorbell and said, "No, YOU are the weakest link!!" That would be fun, or juvenile, depending on what mood you are in now after reading my own life reflection above. For now, I leave you from London knowing I have not found my A-list yet, but we have at least started to hit the D-list...