A year ago, as a potential resident of London, ON, I spent a gorgeous summer afternoon in Victoria Park. My husband was coming to the city for his final round of a job interview, and I tagged along, just in case we didn’t get a chance to visit the city again. Sitting in this expansive park that afternoon, I contemplated what it would be like to live in London. As I complete a year in the forest city, here are my impressions from a summer ago.
A children’s festival is in progress in Victoria Park. I sit on a bench and see squirrels and birds engaging in mini battles over morsels.
Squirrels scamper in ceaseless motion–climbing up and down trees, scurrying across the grass, pausing in wonderment for a few seconds before taking off again.
Dogs, kids in strollers enjoy free walks, rides.
Church bells ring; lunch-goers emerge from offices, heading to big and small eateries to satiate the hunger god.
A man sprawls on the grass, reading a newspaper.
Beside me, on the bench, the pages of a national daily flutter in midsummer’s breeze, letting go of the heaviness of yesterday’s news.
Under a tree, a girl sits alone, ear-phones plugged into her natural audio sockets.
I turn behind and find a brown squirrel looking at me intently.
A young couple sleeps on the grass, embracing each other, oblivious of the world around them.
Bhaswati Ghosh 