Well here we go again. Once the spirit of
the UK gets into your soul, as it did for me during my exchange, it’s there to
stay. It pulls and pulls and begs for you to come home. I’ve decided to stop
fighting the pull. I’ve never been one for a fight and in this case I am
especially willing to concede defeat.
So back I go, this time for a measly two
weeks and this time purely for leisure, albeit a “professional-development”
sort of leisure. I’ll be seeing an assortment of the greatest gardens England
has to offer, and that qualifies them as some of the greatest gardens the world
has to offer. They’ll be old and new, from the classics like Great Dixter and
Sissinghurst to the 21st century gardens by Piet Oudolf, Tom
Stuart-Smith, Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough, Dan Pearson and others. This
is where the “professional development” part comes in. I’ll be meeting some of
the garden and landscape designers that I most admire, and frankly, who I most
aspire to be. As I round out my trip, I’ll be reuniting with a few of my
Oxonian comrades in the City of Dreaming Spires. What a way to finish.
That’s all to come, but for now I’m
confined to the airport, temporarily grounded, temporarily immersed in the
bombastic technological spectacle that is the waiting area.
Unlike the last time I flew to England, the
number and diversity of people and their future destinations isn’t what’s
caught my attention, it’s the iPads. They’re everywhere. Rows of tables and
chairs and in the middle of every table – not an exaggeration, every table – is an iPad for your
viewing pleasure. Part of me thinks it’s a fantastic idea, but a bigger part of
me is horrified. Horrified at the fact that iPads are now so cheap and
ubiquitous that they can be thrown to us common peasants in economy class, but
also horrified by the fact that almost all of them are in use. I don’t mean to
sound like some curmudgeon, cursing all this new-fangled technology, longing
for the simpler days, but I am a simple country bumpkin at heart, and I find it
all more than a little unnerving.
I’ve found a very select few screens that
have been turned off (mine included so I can concentrate on my bloggery), the
rest, meanwhile, are being lovingly and incessantly stroked by their human
captives. It matters not whether the traveller is a lone wolf like me, with
their spouse, or with a larger group of friends, the iPad wins out. Just as I
write this, an elderly couple in search of quiet refuge have walked by, looking
increasingly exasperated and perhaps even disgusted at the seating prospects. A
couple of people are making a brave attempt to converse over the screens, but
it inevitably fades. Apparently the dialogue isn’t quite as compelling as Facebook.
To be fair I should mention that there is a single row of chairs without any
fanfare along the windows, but they’re relegated to the fringes and you really
have to hunt for a prime piece or real estate out of the range of the iPad’s
glare.
iPads, Gucci and Duty Free aside, this is
still an exhilarating and uplifting place for me. I’m still a relative novice
and I still delight in watching people move to and fro trucking luggage of
varying sizes, and watching planes taxi and take off into the night. Again, not
to sound like someone hopelessly behind the times, but it is pretty miraculous
that these flying machines can cross oceans at 30,000 feet in a matter of
hours. That’s not to say I completely comfortable with the idea but I can
respect the remarkable feat of human achievement that it is.
Before I leave, remember that old couple,
apparently disgusted by the pervasive presence of the iPad? They’ve settled
into their seats opposite each other, both with their reading glasses on,
squinting at the screen. What a shame, I thought I had some kindred spirits. Not
to fear though, I’m sure there are kindred spirits awaiting me in England.
It’s almost boarding time. Pip pip, tally
ho!
PS. For those that are wondering, and those
who will understand the reference, the giddy grin has returned, and I couldn’t
be happier.