FRI. JUNE 24 NEWMARKET REFLECTION

I now have a strange relationship with Britain. On the one hand, it's the home of my family, my place of birth, and the fountainhead of so much I know and believe in. On the other hand, it represents nothing but a past faded glory of a truly remarkable nation, now reduced to the status of just another place in the world, another checkmark on our travel resume.


Such things are never simple. In our relationships, in our jobs, with our friends and other people, there are complications. Nothing is ever completely positive, nor completely bad. You can't actually know a person, or a thing, or a place with absolute certainty. There are always changes, quirks, shades that interplay with what you think is the truth. These changes can initially confuse, confound and frustrate. But, with patience, you come to terms with it. If the frustration of trying to deal with changes continues, then it is you who are at fault. The complexities will exist whether you like them or not, and whether you can adapt or not. Better, then, that you learn to accept that you don't completely know anyone or anything, and that you learn to prepare for these situations.


The lesson, therefore, was learned by both of us. We cannot possibly think that we know the entirety of Britain or its people. It's too old, too experienced, and too busy to reveal itself to us. Every road, every castle, every pub, every person is different. No real surprise, I guess, since you could say the same thing about any country.


The interesting thing is whether the British have learned this lesson about themselves. They walk among their own history and achievements, it seems, as though they, too, are visitors. Britain is certainly a diminished place, full of doubts and complaints, and, even to the people, it looks like nothing changes and everything is as grey as the weather.


But, like the British weather, change is happening. The country is evolving into a diverse place, with power devolving to smaller entities, and new economies, architecture, and ideas crashing into the stone walls of the old. The result is sometimes jarring, sometimes ugly, sometimes painful. But those who are willing to withstand the noise, who choose not to look behind them, but rather to look ahead, and listen and adapt, will ultimately succeed.


Little wonder, then, that our trip ended far more successfully than it started. And little surprise if, after more growing pains, Britain becomes a secure nation, comfortable with itself, confident in what must come, and completely willing to control that change. Rather like Canada, don't you think?

Some of the Bed and Breakfasts we stayed in were:

The Town Guesthouse, Conwy Wales: props. Elaine and Alan Naughton

Dwy Olwyn B and B, Dolgellau, Wales: prop. Norma Jones

Menai Bank Hotel, Caernarfon, Wales: props. Patrick and Rachel Coyne

Pentre Court Guest House, Abergavenny, Wales: props. Judith and Hugh Chandler

Dexby House, Cardiff, Wales: prop. Maria Church