Winter is Coming

No, this is not an episode of the Game of Thrones, I am merely stating a fact. As I sit at my dining table looking out the window I can sense the doom and gloom. The sky is a pallid grey, the young trees that had been planted in the winter of 2012 on our street are quivering and shaking before the wind that threatens to cut short their spring, the young man braves the chill with a cup of vending machine coffee in hand, donning the hood of his red jacket as he walks away
My late breakfast of blueberry yogurt and müsli now seems inadequate, the heart desires warm pancakes, but I still have some coffee in the thermos left to take the edge off. 
Generally, I should not be complaining, it has been pretty mild here till today,  it has rained everyday for the last 2 weeks, yes, but the temperatures had been warm enough. This city gets very little to no snow in winters, but it is not a very inspiring winter. If it is going to get cold, I may as well have some snow, no wait, what the hell am I talking about ? With the entire city dug up and under construction snow is going to be a terrible idea- mixed with dust and mud and construction material, no, let’s scrap snow from the agenda.
I shall brave out this winter like every other winter, basking in the glow of a summer well spent, loving and being loved by the crown jewels of our royal family, my 2 year old niece and a brand new 4 month old nephew. The nephew who loves being sung and talked to and the niece who has a particular disposition of being goofy and naughty in the most charming way possible.
I realized that I have to keep this last summer well chronicled for I do not want to forget the times spent with the kids, who happen to grow up so fast that already the timeline of funny incidents and moments are starting to blur. And don’t get me wrong, the babies are great but the times my sister and I spent sans babies were hilarious… checking out chic restaurants, drinking before noon, pretending to have sex and the city moments with outdoor seating, olive branches and bougainvillea blooming around us and Mercedes convertibles parked at the street corners, realizing that it is so overrated when the wasps/bees will not hesitate to paralyze you for the entire duration of your meal. Watching 2 hour movies stretched over a few days, eating amazing fresh pasta every evening for dinner and countless ice cream outings to cover for the entire year; wildberry lavender has spoilt me for any other ice cream/gelato in Germany, perhaps, I need a trip to Rome to renew my faith in gelato. The account of the summer shall not be complete without mentioning the absolutely heavenly shopping spree we went on avec babies, while one held the baby the other tried on clothes, beautiful, shimmering, life assuring apparel. The shoes and bags have been reserved for another summer.
An overnight trip with the babies that was incredible, challenging and love inducing all at the same time. A particularly memorable moment was when my sister went to meet her advisor and my niece was with me on the stroller fast asleep, I sat in the rest area of a museum a little apprehensive about how she would react if she woke up in a strange place with mummy not around, but when she did eventually wake up and I unstrapped her from the stroller to pick her up there was no sign of worry on her face, we sat together cuddling and indulging in #selfies till mummy was back.
The farmers’ market, local coffee bars, fresh made mini donuts, my niece’s equally edible face coated with sugar from the donuts, late American brunches and fried chicken, express wine tasting at Whole Foods Market rendering us (mostly my brother in law and I) completely drunk and giggly and not to forget the birthday party of the year for the diva aka my niece entailing the kids having a great time, the adults getting some much needed alcohol and the most delicious and beautiful cake.

It was a summer one wouldn't want to forget, reliving it over and over in one’s mind to stoke the fire, to surpass the winter, to get over the gloom, to love life as it is. 

Comments

Samraghni said…
Oh, I love this! On a cold day, with an equally bad cold and headache, this warmed me up considerably. Much love.
Deepanjana said…
I am glad it had the desired effect :) waiting to read some of your bizarre and beautiful experiences in Yorkshire!

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