A Rad Visit.doc

This weekend I was blessed with the gift of a visit from my good friend Talia. We've known each other since my second year of university at Queen's. I met Talia through Walkhome where I worked for a year. Tal didn't exactly work at the service but any given night I could expect to see her in the JDUC. From there on we became fast summer friends, worked together at the Lonestar Texas Grill, and bonded in our mutual drama crew. Talia is over here to study an MA in Social Policy and Planning at the London School of Economics. I was lucky enough to watch the New Years Eve fireworks with her over Edinburgh Castle this past year.

Tal arrived on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful weekend weather wise in Leamington. It reminded me of those autumn weekends in Niagara spent visiting the Pumpkin Patch in Welland. The leaves are vibrant, the temperature is brisk but not cold, and the air smells of burning wood. We walked from the train station to the apartment to drop bags off. We sat and caught up for an hour before heading out into town to catch the last moments of sunshine (the sun is setting around 4:30/5:00 these days). This whole catching up chat was the defining quality of our time together. It felt like we chatted a whole day away going back and forth about our respective experiences and observations about the UK. We'd continually start a conversation, divert into fourteen different tangents and try to navigate ourselves back to the original question. Impressively, I think most times we were able to return back to the topic at hand. What I appreciate most about talking with Talia is that I respect and admire her opinions immensely - it was intelligent conversation (without being overly academic) the whole weekend.

So before the sun totally set we made our way down the parade and into Leamington. Tal, like most people, is surprised at how big the town is. When people describe it they usually say its a posh little place without really giving its size justice. I took her to one of my favourite places in Leamington: the sweet/milkshake shop. Tal and I couldn't resist the 100 milkshake flavours offered in the shop so we indulged in quite the treat. The really wild thing about the shop is that they don't recreate the flavours with syrup or through imitation flavour but through actual ingredients (they blend in Reece Peanut Butter Cups for instance). Talia settled on Peanut Butter and Jelly and I got a dark chocolate Bounty Bar. Really decadent choices. We perched ourselves in the Gardens and snacked on hummus and veg alongside our milkshakes.

After the sun set in Leamington we headed back to the flat where I cooked up a pretty standard dinner - piri piri chicken with rosemary potatoes and carrots. Tal and I sipped on some wine as we cooked the leisurely dinner, and chatted about our respective programs, future life plans, and all that jazz. After a wonderful dinner we marched on down to the Clarendon to meet the MAIPR gang for some pints. It was a pretty low-key affair but nice nonetheless. I always like it when Canadian friends of mine meet the program mates over here. We called it a somewhat early night and headed back to the flat after two pints.

After a short sleep in today, we had a quick breakfast and morning chat before heading off to Coventry to see some sights. You see, Talia has family in Kenilworth which is just around the corner from me. The family invited her for Sunday dinner and were more than happy to extend the invitation. We joined her family, Fiona and Richard, that afternoon and they took us on a tour of Coventry's more interesting sights: the bombed Cathedral maintained as a memorial of ruins, the new Cathedral built in commemoration, and an interactive art gallery. I had seen the ruins of the old Cathedral before, but the new Cathedral was a first time visit. The museum also provided oodles of fun for Talia and I, and we managed to catch a live music act in the cafe. It was a really well spent afternoon.

Fiona and Richard took us to their place in Kenilworth for Sunday dinner. Fiona's parents and Richard's great aunt joined us for the meal. Talk about an enjoyable group of people! We had a fantastic time. Fiona cooked lamb for dinner and we had it with all the trimmings and sauces. I'm going to miss Yorkshire pudding when I head back to Canada. It was the leisurely type of meal that included wine, an abundance of desserts, and even after dessert chocolates. It was so nice to have a homecooked meal after a month of my own cooking. The house also had a fire going which was a wonderful surprise. Tal's family was so warm and welcoming!

All in all the weekend with Talia went too quickly, but it was such an enjoyable way to spend two days. I'd be disappointed at just how fast it flew by if I wasn't heading to London next weekend to visit her! There is a housewarming party at her place that just couldn't be missed.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Remember, remember the 5th of November. It was Guy Fawkes night this past week. There were fireworks for seven days in a row. That's a bit excessive, yes? "Penny for the guy?"