Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 4 degrees, cold, wet, damp and grey.
It’s the end of the week, and I don’t have any classes today. Some pupils are still travelling, while others are not yet ready to return to their regular 100% schedule, and unfortunately, that includes English classes.
Some will only be back to full steam after Carnival, which is a little after the middle of February. Carnival is on the 9th, more 4, 5 or even 6 weeks ahead, February is a short month, so it is a lost month, and March will be the month that people should get their shit together and start to work and produce seriously.
It was too cold and grey to go out to feed the swans and ducks. I had a tea and coffee in the cafe on the green and also bought my mother a sausage and mushroom sandwich, as she’s in the hospital for the third day, recovering from a knee operation.
Waiting for the bus to get to Russells Hall Hospital, the wind and damp air make the 1-degree temperature feel much colder, as if it were -5 to -10 degrees. Finally, the bus arrived, and in 20 minutes I was with my mother. She was sitting in an armchair beside her bed and told me she was feeling a little rough, which I thought was expected after such an invasive surgery.
In addition to the sandwich, I bought her a Daily Mirror newspaper, which she enjoys reading every day. I spent about an hour with her, said my goodbyes, and then caught the bus. Unfortunately, I took the wrong one, but it still brought me relatively close to my mother’s house.
I got off the bus and popped into a Lidl supermarket on Brettell Lane. Besides selling food, they also offer a variety of items, including clothes, ornaments, fitness gear, and household goods. Two or three aisles run down the middle of the supermarket, with large steel crates or baskets displaying various household items.
This is something new for me because I’ve never seen it in Brazil. For me, each time I visit Aldi or Lidl supermarkets—part of the same group—and walk along the aisles, seeing interesting, easy, and affordable items, it feels like Christmas every time I go.
I love it!!!
There is always something interesting to buy at a good price, and it’s not just for me; it can be for my daughters, friends, or my mother’s home. It doesn’t matter what, there’s always something good to buy at a reasonable price and decent quality. Luckily, this time they were selling a set of paints and a calligraphy kit, both of which I bought for Yasmin.
When I got home, I prepared a list of questions for my 6:00 p.m. meeting with my mother’s financial consultant and lawyer regarding a trust she had established.
Carl, an ex-army veteran, arrived a little late, but he had told me beforehand that he might be running a bit behind. He is a very nice, direct, and well-spoken man who speaks with a loud and objective voice. We went to the back living room, sat down, and through all the questions and conversation, he was able to clarify many points about what he and my mother had done and why.
I also took advantage of his presence to ask about England, including business opportunities, opening a business, the country’s economy, and whether there was a market for someone like me returning to England.
After an hour and a half, his information was very enlightening—much more than I had expected—and increasingly, I feel that returning to visit England now is a bit like a rehearsal for the future.
I’m envisioning a future where I spend six months in England and six months in Brazil. The time spent in each country may not be consecutive, as it will vary depending on the circumstances, but I aim to distribute my time roughly equally between both countries. In many ways, my life is moving in this direction.
This meeting with Carl went very well and clarified many things. When my mother leaves the hospital, I will need to talk to her to see what is possible or of interest to her, or not.
I thanked Carl for his time and everything he had explained, and when he left, I opened a bottle of San Miguel beer while watching Maverick Top Gun 2 on TV for the 50th time. I love this film for all the little messages it conveys.
It has been a good day and nobody died, even my mother, who’s in the hospital!
In bed by 10 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
