Control yourself. Take only what you need from it.

Hertford is currently experiencing one of those lovely Indian summers. It has produced a strange combination of brilliant sun, hazy heat and the smell of dried, falling leaves that I usually associate with rain and crisp temperatures. I expect that this type of weather incites agitation in workers and school children who find themselves stuck inside when they'd rather be enjoying the bonus days of summer. In my case, however, being unemployed has it's benefits and I am easily lured outside for long walks and unnecessary photo shoots of the town, river and fields.

It is amazing to observe the way the world changes over the cycle of a year. Never before have I lived in a place where so much nature was available for me to actually take notice of. Hertford is definitely a town and couldn't be classified as country, but the town center is still surrounded by beautiful stretches of mainly undisturbed land that I can imagine would have seemed magical as a kid. Even where the land has been developed the local authority strives to make room for green things, either by commissioning landscaping or by providing space for local residents to own and cultivate land.

This sunflower that someone's grown in their allotment is seriously awesome.

Having all of this free time to walk around and soak up the beautiful weather is nice, but I can honestly say that being unemployed is not easy for me. I wish it was, but having been actively working toward some sort of goal (academic or work-related) since I was five, I am unaccustomed to this feeling of complete and utter purposelessness. It's only been a month and considering the state of the global economy at the moment and the fact that I do actually have a job lined up for the near future I know that I should just enjoy it. But it's hard!

I can't work until I have a national insurance number. I have enough money to live while I wait, but not enough to spend on travel or recreation. And I have never been in this place before, where I can actually do nothing while I wait for for it all to come through. It's strange...and scary. But, I think that after a month of fretting over my employment status and my ability to remain in the country once my student visa is up, I am finally beginning to enjoy myself. It's a good thing too because I probably have at least another month of this. If anyone was thinking of taking a last minute trip to England, now would be a great time. I would love the entertainment!

Today I took a three hour walk in the sun and the leaves and took photos of everything I saw. Then I sat down at a local cafe with a book and a delicious smoothie. It really is bliss.

Love.