Oh to be in England now that April`s here....

Ditchling is stunning in the wonderful sunny spring weather with blossom and bluebells and baby lambs gambolling. On Easter Sunday, we did the egg rolling down a grassy hill in the village.  Eleven of us,family and friends, rolled our coloured hard boiled eggs down with whoops and yells.. It is strangely satisfying.  It must be some throwback to an ancient fertility rite in the dawn of time. We used to do it down St Giles Hill  in Winchester.    The picnic afterwards (with HB eggs of course) was good too and only slightly marred by three very inquisitive cows who seemed to want to join in.
I can`t make up my mind about the Royal Wedding. The media are in a frenzy which is irritating and the Royals have such a bad track record with marriage, it does seem a bit unnecessary.  . But it is an excuse for a day off for everyone and I shall go to J`s street party in Brighton which will have a tug of war between the royalists and the republicans and also a slap up tea.
I have decided to make a fresh start on my `memoir` I finished it but I do not like it`s tone!  It is too serious and worthy.

carpe diem

A very fit and healthy looking (close) friend has a rare form of cancer, it is so odd that these things can happen out of a clear blue sky. It has shaken us up and into a world of hospitals, surgeons, operations, drips, drugs. The realisation that all this can be waiting round the corner at any time is unsettling, and reminds me to `seize the day` and make the most of every moment. Which I have been doing, as I have had visits from my dear family who have been flocking around during the last week, squeezing into this small cottage. And it has been sunny and springlike too.
I have seen two good films: Nowhere Boy about the Beatles , tragic in places but also inspiring which was at Lewes film club in a converted church, and `The Secrets in their Eyes `  in Ditchling village hall film club.   It s marvellous to see these good films in unlikely places. Both films were totally absorbing and stayed with me for days afterwards. `Secrets` was in Spanish with subtitles, which was far easier to follow than the muttering in Liverpudlian of the Beatles film.

I have lots of worries over various friends` healths at the moment. I am conscious of the fact that no matter how healthily you eat, however many fish oil capsules you swallow, or teaspoonsful of Manuka honey, or swim early morning lengths, or go for bracing walks, your life can change dramatically overnight. `Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune` it says in the Desiderata, but I am not sure how to do that.
On a lighter note, I have just been to a lovely multi racial one year olds birthday party in Brighton which ended up with a bit of singing. And yesterday I was in Winchester at a sale in aid of the earthquake disaster fund, and there were my Japanese, Italian, Russian, Latvian, Chinese ex residents and friends (and English ones too!) and it was so good to see them all again.  I ate sushi and noodles and got kissed in triplicate-once on each cheek and once more for luck.