The train from London to Norfolk is like Heart of Darkness – the further you get towards Norwich, the louder beat the tribal drums, the more fear enters your heart. I have to do this next week. This week, however, I took the train from London to Bristol, and the effect is quite different. It feels as if a weight has lifted. Passing Bath, fresh from a storm with the sun low in the sky, all the buildings arranged around the hills sparkled. Everything seemed open and friendly, everyone calmer and at peace. When I arrived at Temple Meads, my friend Rachel was busy and couldn’t pick me up. So I walked into town, down past the river and down to The Watershed. Everything was fresh and bright, people even move more slowly. I walked up Park Street to the Starbucks and sat and read The Music of Chance and listened to Ella Fitzgerald until I was picked up. Calmest I have felt in months…
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