A December Treat

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Yesterday I had one of my regular monthly meet-ups with a very dear friend. In the summer months, we normally include a long walk in our itinerary; in the winter we tend to fequent museums and art galleries. There was no mistaking what time of year it was on this occasion, not least when we had a mince pie each with our coffee. I set off in the dark and returned in the dark, there was a definite chill to the air and the trains I used to reach our rendezvous were crowded with Christmas shoppers and charity fund raisers dressed as elves!

It is often said that, in the words of TS Eliot, "The journey, not the destination matters." In so far as I enjoyed the thrill of the train ride, I agree. I used a newly downloaded app to be guided to the correct platform for train changes and daringly managed the whole trip with only digital barcodes on my phone; both novel experiences for this retired traveller who normally likes to err on the side of caution with everything printed out in advance, just in case!

I also indulged in conversations with complete strangers, one of life's greatest pleasures even if we do spend many years teaching our children not to do it.

However, the joy of the journey was still overtaken by the delight of the reunion, with the treasures of The Hepworth in Wakefield a close run second. So many beautiful nut shapes with holes in them and not a sugared doughnut in sight, nor, despite the time of the year, even a fairy light. Indeed whilst the crowds were thronging the shopping streets of West Yorkshire, we very much had the exhibition space to ourselves. I'm a fan of the abstract form of sculpture as created by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and to wander through a gallery devoted to it was an aesthetic delight.

A reminder, if ever I needed one, that there is still so much to discover within a train ride of  your front door, including on the train ride itself.




Comments

Christie Hawkes said…
This sounds like a wonderful outing...from start to finish. There is so much more of life to discover each day. You had a lovely combination of the old and new in one outing. Good on you!
15 December 2023 at 22:14
Caree Risover said…
Discovery (in all its forms) is the essence of living life, isn’t it?
15 December 2023 at 23:16
Treaders said…
Well done to you on your barcode trip. I'm still very leery of having to trust my phone for everything!!
18 December 2023 at 08:52
Caree Risover said…
Exactly how I feel, so I took the iPad too (complete with a book download to pass the time on the train), had everything duplicated on both it and the phone and made sure the phone was fully charged by plugging it into an onboard charger!!
18 December 2023 at 09:01
Jennyff said…
After our epic journeys to and from Italy travel is low in my list of things to do which is a pity as there is as you say much to discover. Our bus and train stations are 10 minutes walk from home, I really should get out more.
18 December 2023 at 19:10
Caree Risover said…
After your journeys backwards and forwards across Europe, I’m certain a rest is in order however close you might be to bus and train travel. I’m waiting for my big Bus Pass Birthday to embrace bus travel, but with only 4 a day in each direction I’m anticipating a challenge!
24 December 2023 at 11:37
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