My last day

It’s my last day in Boulder. I am due to fly home tonight if Storm Ciaran doesn’t mean the flight is cancelled.

I’ve glanced at the news as I always do to see if anything has changed in Gaza and it hasn’t. The genocide continues. 

And Starmer continues to be the most disappointing figure on the British political scene.

But I am keeping in mind that line from Jack Gilbert’s poem Brief for the Defence - “To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil….We must admit there will be music despite everything.”

So with that thought, let me tell you about Halloween in Boulder. It’s the first time I’ve been here for it and I really liked it.

The house above is on the next street and these ‘decorations’ are not unusual, though possibly bigger than most.

We carved pumpkins on Monday,

Photo by Wendy

Photo by Wendy

And on Tuesday we went trick or treating.

I sent the photo below to Dave and he said “Why didn’t you dress up?” And I said “I did! I was a hippie! Note the bandanna and the long hair and the big dangly earrings and the tie-dyed T shirt and the floaty trousers.” Hey ho.

Photo by Isaac

Wendy is Weird Barbie, Cece is Kenough and Lux is a Care Bear.

It was fun! The householders who answered their doors were so happy to see us, and so generous. The feel of the whole event was old fashioned, wholesome conviviality. It was lovely.

I arrived here to hot sunshine and I leave with snow on the ground. It’s a good job I know how to pack for a trip here now.

Cece hopes my flight is at the very least delayed, so she will see me again after school. Personally I’m looking forward to seeing Dave, and anyway, the family here is booked to come over for a week at Thanksgiving so I will see them in a fortnight. And they will see Dave and the youngest member of the Hepworth family Ms X, who will be one year old this month. 

Goodbye for now.

Ooh, oooh, I forgot to tell you that after we got back from trick or treating, Wendy took Cece to a Halloween party and when they got to the end of the drive in the car there were two baby bear cubs and their mother in the road! 

Photo by Isaac