Learning to write in the tropics

 Another summer and I am back in the North of Spain, near the border with France about an hour away from the place where I spent many years of my life.   I may or may not have mentioned before the phrase "soul friends", in case I have not, it is something similar to what Anne of Green Gables called "bosom friends". If you haven't read Anne of Green Gables I highly recommend it. It was a childhood favorite that has sort of grown up with me. Like Pride and Prejudice, it is a book in which each read brings out new nuances and side jokes that were not at first apparent. Plus adult me pick's up on things that would not have been readily apparent to 10 yr old (Anne) or teenage me (P and P). You have to wonder what Austen or Alcott thought behind their feisty protagonists.  As I sit on the terrace I have the blessing to be in temporary possession of, watching the neighbors of this particular part of the town go by, I look back on these past few days. It was a weeke...

At this point, I have been to a few weddings (not counting family weddings at which I was a flower girl). Some have been big affairs in really beautiful churches, almost location weddings, others have been smaller affairs, in also beautiful churches but with a more local feel. Some couples I have known since before they started dating, others I have met as they were preparing their wedding, and in one case, I was instrumental in starting the whole thing by insisting they come to a dinner party I organized. Then came covid and two friends of mine married with just their families present. In this unexpected way, covid reminded us that what matters most in a wedding is the sacrament the couple is celebrating and we, the family and friends, are witnessing. Of late the wedding industry has bloomed, exploded really, with wedding planners offering evermore lavish weddings. Often the stress of it all gets to the couple and people lose sight of what really matters and forget to enjoy each other...