Living On Three Continents: Ups And Downs
Susan Siddeley tells of a life which is divided between three continents.
“I can only be in one place at a time!” Or so Mother used to cry when she was ironing in the living room and Father wanted her to hold something in the cellar and I called for help getting dressed in the bedroom.
Life, these last few years, has been spent juggling trips between grown-up children and now grandchildren in Toronto, our ‘hobby’ farm just outside Santiago and family and friends in Yorkshire. Each shift is like having wisdom teeth pulled -- a terrible wrench which leaves a hole that takes ages to fill.
After the heat of Santiago it’s a dreadful shock to the system to be back in Canada, with temperatures low enough to freeze body parts off metal marsupials. It’s too cold to go out, except to post a letter or grab a coffee at the donut shop, without donning a heavy coat, scarf, gloves and earmuffs. After wandering about in mini shorts and micro tops, the result is a complete body slump, not to mention hideous crocodile skin and hair so limp no shampoo works.
Writing groups, family suppers and libraries are gradually filling the gap left by the lack of sun, the lapping pool and Chilean neighbours. Although withdrawal symptoms brought on by lack of wine persists. At $10 a bottle compared to $3 there’s no way….
But just as I’m settling in again I must now think of visiting my mother in England. So fairly soon I’ll have to leave the big city for the cliffs, seagulls and pubs of Yorkshire’s northeast coast.
Back in Toronto after that I’ll pine for the latest episode of Coronation Street, (we’re six months behind here), decent fish and chips and the Sunday Observer. Slowly I’ll resume Canadian living, until it is time to think about returning to the farm.
Maybe this year I’ll catch the colourful Chilean National Fiestas Patrias in September, when the people put flags out, dance the cueca and spring rain causes the bare hillsides around the capital to sprout soft grass and wild flowers. Of course…that will mean missing the dramatic Ontario Fall, but….
Most folk have to deal with much, much worse life-problems than roots in three continents…much, much worse, so I’ll say no more!
