29 September 2010

A bit garish

As a new undergraduate, all those years ago, I was waxing enthusiastic about the autumn colours to an American student who lived on the same corridor* as me.

"This is nothing!" she assured me. "I'll show you proper Fall colours**."

She dashed off and came back with a series of photographs which she had taken the previous year on her New England campus.

They were gorgeous. Vivid reds and oranges under a clear blue sky. But I wasn't going to admit that her American Fall was better than my British autumn.

"They're a bit garish, aren't they?" I sniffed.


I remember that the woman's first name was Susan. I'd like to take this moment to apologise to her for being so snotty. I'm cringing in embarrassment at the memory and trying not to let it prevent me from loving every minute of the Fall colours we seeing right now.



*In a room on the same corridor, of course. We weren't so hard up as all that. Still had student grants in those days...

**Being American, she probably would have said 'colors', of course.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You are TOO funny! And yes, fall is particularly lovely this year! The trees along the 401 in the Northumberland Hills are also outstanding...makes the long drive to TO bearable!

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Oh! I wish I hadn't read this post. It's bringing back all the dreadful things I've said and all the wrong opinions I've held - and there are so many it would be crushing if I didn't suppress their memories. Bother. Now I'll have to do something truly absorbing while I stuff them back in their invisible box!

Lucy

Amanda said...

Lucy - I'm hoping that by sharing that particular memory and belatedly apologising it will stop it from popping back into my head every time I look at a gorgeous autumnal tree. I've often thought that there is a demand for a public website where we could confess things like this (anonymously!) and assuage some of the guilt. Although there probably already is... :-)