Dartford Darlings

photo.JPG, a photo by Shellenski on Flickr.

My first teaching job in the UK was in a little town called Dartford. It took me 2 hours (at least) to get there in the morning..... And then 2 hours home again. I spent a LOT of time on the train!

When I drove through there after my long drive from Birmingham, I was reminded of a man that I used to see every morning for 2.5 years. We didn't speak to start off with, but passed each other at the same point, in front of the same house almost each day. I worked out (guessed) that he lived near my school and worked in the city so he was doing my journey in reverse. I used to joke with my housemates that i was just going to stand in his way and start a conversation or maybe just flash my coat open to see if i would get a reaction.....Then one day we acknowledged each other, which eventually, after a few weeks/months led to a nod of the head..... Then one day, we both said "morning" at the same time. However, the next day, without any warning or advanced notice..... We went back to nodding and smiling and as days went on, the nod became a slight lift of the eyebrows as we passed. Then finally, we passed by each other like total strangers. We had come full circle.

I used to wonder about this man and guess what sort of life he had, but he will always be one of life's little mysteries.

So in this picture we have Mr Syred, Miss Brown, Mrs Wall, Miss Findlay and Mrs Proctor - the cool gang of the school. Meeting up with these ladies and gent was like as if we'd only just worked together that day. We just clicked and have become the type of friends that you can see every couple of years and just pick up where you left off...... I love it. Good luck in the lottery Karen!