How Dull It Is To Pause, To Make An End.

We have adventuring to be getting on with.

No matter how much I moan and groan about it I actually have a pretty good life here in America. Not perfect by any means and somewhat prone to some serious changes in circumstance and station from time to time but broadly speaking I lead a decent existence. Now wait a week and see what fresh disaster falls upon me.

That's next week though. For now I am rested and sated after a fine Memorial Day week-end. The highlight being my friend Kevin's 40th birthday party yesterday. Instead of a fancy restaurant and overpriced cocktails there was a barbecue set up on the cul-de-sac , huge coolers filled with (quality)ice-cold beer, kiddie pools (and plenty of kids tearing around the place) and a wagon load of Kevin's friends and neighbours.

There were youngfellas playing football in the street, toddlers diving into the kiddie pools with their clothes on and kids whipping down the street in pedal cars and other things with wheels. Our three were avid participants in all of the above. Communal parenting and the street being ,in effect, blocked off ensured no real harm could come to them. All of this under fine weather and to a Style Council soundtrack.

Kids ran until they dropped from their happy efforts. Adults not too far behind them. I ended the night drinking good beer under the stars trading salvoes of poetry with a literary gent who had me on the ropes with an A.E. Housman combination. A desperate ragged broadside of Tennyson in reply was barely enough to salvage the point. He was gallant enough not to press home his advantage and obliterate my untutored arse.

It was a good day. An ordinary day made beautiful with friendship, affection and laughter and the stirrings of expectation that there can be more days just like this. I know that it can seem odd to aspire to ordinary joys but even these were beyond my reach not so long ago.

Not anymore though. This I can do.