That island in the west again

Sometimes, you just feel the need for some activity in your life. After finishing my exams, I really had to get out.

I got the opportunity to visit Manchester (once again). It was wonderful to stay there for a while. Admitted, they have some stubbornly upheld strange customs: drinking hot water, driving on the wrong side of the road, a peculiar measure system etc, but despite the unfamiliarity, some other habits are really nice (e.g. passengers explicitly thanking a bus driver, a rule rather than an exception).

I had several good encounters, but one was particularly heart-warming. One of Bénédicte's colleagues at Boaz invited us over for dinner. I know they get along very well, but was a bit surprised to receive such an invitation, which, I thought, was mostly for her sake. It probably was, but the kindness and openness of the hosting couple were sincere and extended to the both of us. It doesn't happen frequently that you can engage in more profound conversations in a first meeting, but some kind of understanding seemed to have been established easily. So,  it's a flavour of that strange island I took with me on my journey home!

Another event that sticks: our visit to the ice rink in Altrincham, which is actually an ice hockey stadium. Apart from the restriction to skate counter-clockwise, you are mostly free to find your way in your own style. The experience of freedom is something we shared while skating. I believe it is one of the main reasons people enjoy it so much, gliding over the ice in a single pass, covering distances that would otherwise require much more effort!
I was struck by the diversity of people: young children (with help from their parents and those nice penguin/polar bear skating aids), fast-skating man and women trying fancy moves, distinct clothing styles and of course, skating styles! Yet, they were one big tangled network, we really had to find our way through, everyone following his or her own path, but necessarily taking the others into account, trying to predict their path, trying not to disrupt 'chains' of people, occasionally steadying yourself, taking the unwilling support with you for a few meters when he/she cannot be avoided...  The combination of path-finding, focus, freedom and good company made it an event worth remembering! Isn't it a more dense representation of what we encounter every day?