A lovely day.

When I was a kid, I frequently read sentences in English books on the lines of "What a fine day for a picnic!" or "What are you doing indoors on a beautiful day like this?"

I'd think, "What is a beautiful day?" I'd look out of the window, in then beautiful Bangalore, and think, well, today's a nice day, a good day for a picnic, I'm sure, but so was yesterday, and the day before, and so will tomorrow be, and the day after. So what is all the fuss about?

Ever since I landed in England, two weeks ago, it has been cold and wet. Finally, on the 8th, my cousin V's birthday, the sun came out. We had been on a fabulous walk by the riverside on Henley-on-Thames. The sky was clear, the sun's rays were warm upon our backs, and I said, finally with complete understanding and appreciation of the term - "It was a glorious day!"

Impressions after a week in England

None of the following are path breaking discoveries - they have been well-documented, but the thrill of discovering it for oneself is special.

- It is a very pretty country.

- I LOVE the houses

- The foliage is enchanting, some of it is hauntingly beautiful. Most of the trees are still bare, but they'll start sprouting new life soon, and I'm looking forward to that.

- It is very cold, much more than I am used to.

- It is wet - rains a little almost everyday - makes everything look so beautiful.

- I can't believe how much preparation I need to do just to step out of the house.

- The wonderful traffic sense makes me very sad.

- I'm enjoying the company of my aunt, uncle and cousin, and am stuffing myself with the nicest food.

- Puttachi seems to be having a lovely time too.