Prague

This autumn has been particularly mild and just now all the trees are turning that gorgeous red and allowing their leaves to drift gently from them, like sheddng a beautiful evening dress after a night of partying.....and although I like autumn it also makes me feel quite sad really. I suppose it heralds the onset of the dark winter and the end of summer but perhaps its also a reminder that death is present around us.

All this talk of bird flu worries me about my parents who are now quite elderly and my dad in particular with his failing health, one dose of bird flu would surely finish him off.
I've also become aware that I've let slip with some friends, taken them for granted and not taken time to cultivate new friends. I must really make an effort to be nicer to the ones I've got instead of being so controlling and grumpy all the time ....well some of the time, and to not dismiss opportunities to make new friends.

Sometimes I think I am too stubborn, grumpy and insular and wonder how I have managed to keep the people I do around me? They put up with an alwful lot really but sometimes I just have these feelings of not being in sync with them. I don't want to spend precious time in Prague shopping for tacky mass produced rubbish to take home for family. If I see something I like I'll buy it but I am not going to spend hours looking for stuff ...I mean can someone explain to me what it means to do this?

I know its me, as most people seem to like shopping..well most of my women friends do...but I just think all you are buying is a commercial representation of what someone else thinks Prague is. The sole aim of that junk is to part you with your money and how can that be good karma to pass on to your family?

So I get withdrawn and resent the time spent and wish I could go and look in that church or find our who lived in that building and of course I then get grumpy and start whining about how much longer will this all take which in turn breeds resentment in my dear tolerant and bemused friends which with some explode later after a cocktail of drink and pro plus....which is actually quite funny really.

Still that was only one small part of the holiday the rest was fine and Prague certainly is a beautiful city although it still doesn't beat Venice in my opinion.....although Prague does beat Venice for cheap beer and good pubs.

Especially the Dutch bar where we spent lots of happy hours (no resentment from me there)and it was such good fun meeting all those different people and making new and very temporary friends. I've discovered this year how much I really enjoy talking to new people and finding out about them and guess what I am actually good at it as well.

What was really gratifying was the mixture of ages we chatted to from the older Australians to the very young and slightly niave American boys (not quite 21 and gently sliding under the table with the Czech beer, so sweet and such nice teeth) also the young couple Jamie and Katie plus the Blackpool people and of course all the very nice bar staff. What was also funny was how we old hags from England still kept going, drinking, laughing, singing and dancing till gone three in the morning seeing off the younger lot...ahh poor Kyle was being given water by Caspar the barman at one point.

My memories of Prague will be the golden trees, the fairytale castles, the czech beer and food and being with good who love each other and except all the good and bad things about each other equally...afterall it was Lorraine who told me my nose needed attention and when I blushed with embarrassment comforted me with 'I still love you anyway'...which doesn't sound very English now does it?