I am not a train spotter

I'll let you in on a secret...I love arriving early into New Street train station. I like to watch a plethora of lives unfold in front of me, to hear a myriad of languages and watch people of all ages be united for a brief moment by the one common denominator of needing to be somewhere.


A few days ago I witnessed a couple reunite after obviously being apart. It was such a beautiful moment to see. It reminded me of mine and Antonio's early stages and how New Street Train Station became a feature, irrevocably entwined in the fabric of our own personal story. In the beginning it was where we used to meet, I'd have to stave off a bellyful of butterflies in the hope I'd have composure (the facade of being cool lasted all of about half an hour). Spotting him in the crowd was akin to an extreme sport, the adrenaline of it left me breathless. 

New Street was also the station I returned to after Ethiopia. Antonio waited for me with flowers and I often wonder whether other people there who saw us perhaps touched by our reuniting?
 It breaks my heart to think of that beautiful fragile moment, of our naivety for the difficulties  which lay ahead of what we'd endure in those first few rocky months of me adjusting to being back in England. 

Nowadays we meet there after work and again I have an ulterior motive for arriving early (other thank being out of work)! I love the three seconds before Antonio spots me, where I'm able to admire him from afar and appreicate what a handsome man he is. I know I'm biased but he stands out in a crowd and after almost a year together the moment we lock eyes still makes, (to quote that gawd awful book women are reading currently)

"My inner Goddess do the salsa with samba moves..."

This post which started about trains has become something of an ode to relationships. I feel in many ways my (almost) year with Ant has been such a steep learning curve. I finally feel like a woman who knows herself and what she wants out of life and that happens to be 6ft black man who has a penchant for bright clothes and who talks too much about coding ;P 

Antonio doing blue steel

And in other news. 

I have two strange aims this week:

1) To go to Birmingham Dogs Home. I know this exercise seems pointless as I am poor (so to speak) and without a house of my own but I'm a firm believer in visualizing your future in order to make it happen. I want to go to a rescue center, see lots of dogs and begin making it possible to actually rescue one. You've got to start somewhere....

 2)I want to get two pets rats and name them Endeeer and Ishi! (Amharic names that only my Ethiopian friends will laugh at).

This is so wrong but so cute.

Joys of the Week.   

1) Keli my crazy Peruvian friend wrote to me from Norway where she's currently living. She is the kind of person who uses exclamation marks frequently and laughs in letters like this 'haaaaahahahahahahahaha' She is utterly, 100% AWESOME.

2) I spoke to a man who used to be homeless who literally made my day. He works in a vintage shop which raises funds for a homeless charity, the name of which is tattooed on his wrist. He reminded me that you should not fear anything and above to continue to hope. 

3) Free Reggae concerts near Bob Marley graffiti <3