summer log #2

7th August: I went to the Botanical Garden for the first time since I was five or six years old. So many things have changed around here, but not this. This has remained exactly as I remembered it. Only the honeysuckle clumps around the lake barely reached my shoulder this time, whereas they used to put up quite a fight before I could catch a glimpse of the tiny, round quails on the lakeside. But it was its tininess that I adored as a kid. My favourite place was the cluster of alleys towards the back flanked by well-groomed hedges. They were usually filled with children, while the adults stayed behind and watched, a little kingdom of our own. Of course I forgot to bring the camera, but I hope to go back before I leave. 

8th August: Woke up to a power outage, which is a very weird thing during the day. I mean, it doesn't inconvenience one much, does it? Sure, no computer, no tv, and if it lasted too long I could have had to eat everything in the fridge. But other than that, and with nothing to do, it was a great excuse to stay in bed and read for a while (and it was so quiet!). Ever since the 2003 northeast blackout I still wonder if power cuts will last long enough for free ice cream. It's a really dumb thing to remember, but that's the kind of stories we got over here - people in New York getting free ice cream, stars being seen for the first time from the streets of the city etc. etc. This one didn't.

Today I kept looking at the watch and being surprised at how quickly the time passed. It felt like it was slipping away and I could do nothing to slow it down. Things that should've taken very little time, that felt like they took no time at all, gobbled up whole hours out of the day. 

Come evening, to feel like I'd achieved something today, I guess, I memorized Proteus' monologue. I've had the really good bits stuck in my head ever since I watched Ben Crystal delivering it, so I figured I might as well know the whole thing. 

It's getting dark now and I have to pack. I'm trying not to think that this weekend is the last one I'll spend at the cottage before I leave for two or three weeks. It will be autumn when I'll be back.