homesick times two

tim, luke and mom in front of the clock tower and the houses of parliment

I feel very fortunate to be able to call London home, and I feel very fortunate to call Fort Collins home. They couldn't be more different, and that's what is so wonderful. London is, well, London. Enough said. Lately I've taken to calling Fort Collins provencial as I've been homesick for the city. Our trip into London's center yesterday satisfied that homesickness and created a lovely sense of homesickness for Fort Collins. While living in London, always at the back of my mind was the awareness of how much time in a big city is spent waiting: waiting (in line) to use the ATM, waiting (in line) to buy Tube tickets, waiting for the Tube, waiting on the Tube to move, waiting, waiting, waiting. This gentle awareness turned into a raging pain in the ass when we did it with the boys. Waiting is not on the itinerary of children. The Clock Tower is a major feature in Cars 2, Tim's current love, so we took advantage of the long layover to get out of the airport, get some fresh air, and show the real one to Tim.

on the tube

We waited in line to buy our Tube tickets only to discover that our credit cards didn't work for some reason. They worked in the shops and restaurant. So we waited in line to use the cash machine. We waited on the platform to get on the train. Tim's jetlag was starting to kick into high gear. The ride on the Tube was exciting at first and then we all fell asleep to be woken by the announcement that the entire Piccadilly line was closing for repairs. The ugly head of jetlag raised its head and started to growl. After the walk through Green Park to another Tube stop and another journey to Westminster, the beast had completely taken over Tim's body and was spitting, screaming and raging as we climbed the stairs to the street. Our son returned to his body the minute he spied The Clock Tower and we got a nice photo. Luke slept in his Ergo baby for most of the trip. Our return trip was a bit quieter and easier.

lunch at denver airport

Through all of it, I managed to soak in the essence of London. The sounds of people talking in their lovely Brisish accents, and Indian accents, and eastern European accents and all sorts of different languages. The smells and sounds of traffic: buses ("Look Daddy, a double decker bus. And there's another. And there. And there. And there!"), motorbikes, cars, bicycles, cabs, pedestrians. Mothers and nannies with prams in the park. M&S grocery stores with all kinds of tempting nibbles. Old buildings, new buildings, churches, pubs, shops, terraced houses. Ah London.

asleep at the start of our 11 hour flight from london to cape town - no, he wouldn't take off his boots

And at the same time I felt the pull of my provencial Fort Collins. The ease of getting into my car in the garage and driving at my own leisure to wherever I need to go. The smell of autumn leaves. The sounds of school buses. Watching the boys play in the front yard where neighbors drive past and slow to a crawl when they see us just in case a ball or child goes into the street.
Yes, I am fortunate.