An American in Britain

The South Downs Way is a 100-mile path for walkers and cyclists and extends from Winchester to Eastbourne.  We have now traversed 7% of that path.  While that may not sound like a lot, it really has taken us some time.  That’s because we do the round-trip (return), not the one-way (single) path.  We might cover more ground if we took advantage of public transport to deliver us to one spot and pick-up at another.

The second phase of our South Downs Way walk also started at the Jack and Jill windmills.  However, this time we headed east towards Ditchling Beacon.  The beacon, a small post in the ground, formed part of a chain of bonfire signals used to warn of the approach of danger.  Back in the Georgian/Regency days, this could mean the possibility of an invasion from the French, or even the coming of the Preventive Officer, depending on who used the site.

After the strenuous walk of the previous week towards Devil’s Dyke, we decided to take it easy.  This part of the South Downs Way encompasses the Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve.  Parts of the reserve can be quite steep, but we only stayed at the top where the path is relatively flat.  But it afforded wonderful views.  From where we were, we could see out to the sea (English Channel).

Cows and sheep were grazing contentedly all around us.  The cows didn’t bother us, but we tried to avoid attracting their attention as we’ve heard the warnings about people being trampled to death.  The sheep and little lambies were, well, “sheepish”.  But our eldest managed to sneak up on a lamb and touch its fur before it ran away.

It was not the best of days in terms of weather.  It was quite windy and there was a slight chill, which did not help.  The kids had not been very willing to go for a walk because of the Devil’s Dyke experience, but after chasing lambs, they were in a better mood.  The younger one started to have a tantrum by the time we approached the beacon because she thought daddy and sissy were leaving her behind.  When told to run ahead and catch up, she started throwing hysterics and crying, “I can’t.  I can’t breathe.”  As we took a few steps forward and an ice-cream truck came in to view, that was the end of her histrionics.

Don’t you just love it?  I do.  Fall is my favourite season.  In hotter climes, I usually welcome autumn with relief.  With my sun allergies, being in dry, hot weather can be a real nuisance.  Not that I don’t enjoy nice weather, I just can’t enjoy like most people can.

Of course, there are other reasons for loving fall.  One is the change in colour.  Some places are more dramatic than others, but I’m seeing the changes all around right now.  I always get nostalgic for the times when we’d run and jump on a pile of leaves, or even looking for the multi-coloured leaves that have fallen.  The spicy scent in the air and the crackling sound of dry leaves always take me back to those days.  The sight, sounds, and scent is not the same over here, but there are other things to take its place.

Halloween would be a big commercial event at this time in the US.  Stores would have everything set for trick-or-treating or a spooky party or decorating your yard.  I think I’ve seen one effigy here, and a small selection of costumes at a local shop.  However, Bonfire Night is a totally different affair, and I can’t wait for that.  I don’t know if we’ll go to Devil’s Dyke again for Halloween or try to find something spookier.

One of the things I miss is the smell of pumpkin pie and spiced apple cider.  Luckily, I waxed some bears in that cinnamon scent, so it helps bring back some of those memories.  I also mixed it with a woodlands Christmas scent, giving it that wonderful Christmasy-fall-winter smell.

I wish I had more time to just sit, relax and enjoy the season.  Unfortunately, we’ll have to get busy packing up and trying to move.

Much has been discussed regarding English weather.  The typical non-British person assumes that we get lots of rain and fog.  I won’t disagree with that, but I will say that after having lived in areas in the US that get lots of rain, I don’t find the amount of rain here as excessive.  But I find the howling wind is unusual.  I understand that this is a common feature around England, especially in areas near the coast.  This being an island, there must be many areas affected.

I never lived in the windy city, but we did visit a few times.  We never experienced the infamous winds, so I cannot compare it to here.  The last few days of extremely windy weather has forced me to comment on this.  During the winter months, when darkness came early, and you can see the full moon through the branches of the bare trees, the howling wind added to the eeriness and I swore it was the perfect setting for a gothic novel.  The broken doors on the worn down little sheds in the back that kept banging at intervals and our creaking gate getting blown shut added to that effect.  And, if you were lucky, you might get the blood-curdling screams of the fox’s mating call.

I remember one particular night camping out in the early autumn when we were afraid the tent was going to get blown away.  The next day we went up to Devil’s Dyke and couldn’t open the car door long enough to get out.  On a cold day, the wind really bites.  But, even as the weather was improving this spring, the wind kept a chill in the air.  The last few days have made me forget that summer really is just around the corner.  One mother commented this weekend that she had cleaned her winter coat, ready to be packed away, yet she is still wearing it.

Because of excessive draught, we covered most of our windows and the side door with a thick plastic sheet.  We have still not removed them.  Yesterday, as I passed by the door, I felt a wind blowing on me.  The sheet is bursting with the draught, but I still felt the wind.  Of course, it is good for hanging up the wash (unless it rains as well).

I normally don’t mind the wind much unless it really bites or makes it hard for me to see (because I have to squint to protect my eyes, or my hair is blowing around my face).  But when I have a headache, the wind makes my neck and shoulders stiffen, exacerbating the pain.  I’ve been having to do a lot of stretching out to loosen all these joints.  (Is it because I’m getting old or is it the way I sleep?)  Anyhow, I think it may be time for that paracetamol.