I'm on a traaaain

[liv]

Specifically, I'm travelling from Montreal to Toronto on a remarkably civilized conveyance which has roomy, comfortable seats, and free wifi, and my return ticket for the 300 mile journey cost less than what I usually pay for the Stoke to London train which is half the distance and far less pleasant an experience. The view is not the most interesting I've seen on a long train journey, but I'm enjoying the subtly different flora and landscape that make me feel on holiday. It's a misty early autumn day, with the famous North American fall colours just starting to show. Mostly brackens near the ground that are really bright, the deciduous trees are just barely starting to be tinged. The range I expect in the yellow-orange-brown part of the spectrum here extends well into red, including a sort of purply red I've rarely seen before.

Just a week until the New Year, and instead of spending Elul in contemplation and preparation I am passing the later half of the month almost sybaritically. Decoupled from the world and my own responsibilities, and indulging in all kinds of pleasures. I invested about a month's salary into a trip to Canada, primarily in order to see hatam_soferet and rysmiel, and to use visiting them as an excuse for a holiday. jack is travelling with me, and really the fact of having two weeks with nothing to do but enjoy the company of three of my favourite people is such a pleasure that all the other enjoyable activities seem almost incidental.

But still, in the 10 days since I finished work for the academic year, there has been excellent conversation, and extended cuddling, and mindblowingly amazing culinary experiences more frequently than daily, and reading and discussing books and buying new books, and feasting my eyes on beautiful sights and beautiful art, including a Chihuly exhibition which is about the most wonderful modern art I've ever seen. rysmiel has been helpfully chronicling some of the specifics of indulgent things we've been doing at their suggestion. Also a fair bit of walking about Montreal, and just generally enjoying the novelty of being in a city and a country I rarely visit. I'm also really enjoying making connections, finally met papersky in person after fangirling her on the internet for a decade, and getting to know hatam_soferet's partner, and being around for part of the process of the two couples getting to know eachother. The train is a further indulgence; J and I are taking a side trip to Toronto in order to see Niagara Falls, just to have that experience to look back on.

Basically I'm absurdly happy, I'm spending most of my waking hours bouncing and grinning and squeeing. Yay friends, yay pleasures both sensual and intellectual. Part of the reason for this Toronto / Niagara trip has been to give our friends a bit of a break from hosting us, and it's likewise giving me and jack a chance to sit and catch up with the internet for a few hours in between cramming dozens of different pleasures into each day of our holiday. I think I'm about back up to speed with my reading lists, but do let me know if anything momentous has happened in your life or the world while I've been out of time for 10 days. When I get back to England I'm going straight into leading festival services, and once those are done the new academic year will start and in general my life is going to be pretty full-on from next week until Christmas. Which is another reason to really make the most of this unusually luxurious summer break.

Comments

[liv]

Thank you! I am amazed by how much driving you're managing to be able to complete your course in a distant part of the country. I look forward to hearing about the last semester, too.