Sorella!

My beautiful and effervescent Ellie stopped in Bristol for a tragically fleeting four hours last week on the sunniest Saturday, bringing with her characteristic joy and fun, homemade scones and a lot of laughter.I hadn’t smiled so widely in weeks and her brief visit reminded me how lucky I am to have a best friend who also happens to share my genes!

We squeezed in a Brandon Hill picnic (is there a greater joy in life?), jumping on my already creaky bed (to spite the useless landlord?), a game of Rummy (Will is the most unsporting player because he doesn’t know the rules, which is fair enough, but Ellie and I like to taunt him), a bus trip (exciting!), a Lover’s Walk stroll (another of life’s most wonderful things), blueberries and tea with Philly (yum) and a stop to buy novels at the two-pound-bookshop (thrilling!)

Thanks for visiting, E. It was the very best day!

I love my sister.

         

She is sweet, hilarious, wise and beautiful - from the kindness in her soul to her gorgeous smile to her pale skin which always freckles perfectly during summer and makes me envious. She reminds me to live life fully, to find the beauty in the most ordinary things, to appreciate sunsets, that acting crazy can actually be good for you once in a while. She puts up with my moments of madness, my vanities and my constant need to talk to her when she is busy with schoolwork. She writes the best letters and makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. She knows the value of friendship (that is to say, it is everything) and she is always prepared with her video camera, ready to capture the latest hilarities and wonders of life in the Crescent. Last night I had the luxury of a thirty minute telephone conversation with her, which was the most wonderful surprise gift I could ever have wished for; especially because she was giddy with a newfound love for Paris and the sparkling Eiffel Tower and I got to hear all the magical details of her trip firsthand.

I really don’t know how I live without her by my side, or at least a room away, for three-quarters of the year; I can’t wait until we live in the same street - for always - one day. But for now I’ll happily take the late night telephone calls, the letters and the joyous reunions (ten days, Ellie, ten days!!)

photograph courtesy of A.G.