June Challenge: Day 5: Professing my love

Day 5, Wednesday: Publicly profess my love and devotion for my favorite person, book or place. What makes it/them great? 

I love To Kill A Mockingbird. There is an irony to that given I never read the book when it was a set text for my G.C.S.Es and managed to pass purely from having read the revision guide. The moment my exam was over and reading the book was no longer mandatory I read it on one sitting and fell in love. There is something so moving and beautiful about the innocence of Scout transposed against the racial and political tensions of the world around her and once the story grabbed my attention it refused to let go. This book is my favourite of all time and I've been to see a stage adaptation also. There are so many powerful messages within the piece that I feel Harper Lee deserves far more recognition than she ever received. 

In terms of people, I would have to profess my love for my little sister who is affectionately known as Tink. She is someone I've watched grow up from an adorable child to a brilliant young woman. I was once asked if I was jealous of Tink. She had this ability to make friends more easily, she was far more creative and artistic etc. It isn't jealousy I feel but pride. I am ever so proud to call this girl my sister and I'm so grateful that I also get to call her a friend. Yes we do each other's heads in from time to time and we can have the most awful rows but that's what siblings do. She is most generous, kind hearted and genuine person. There is no side to my little sister, she just is who she is and all the more lovely for it. A lot of my favourite memories have been had standing beside her and I love her for standing beside me every step of the way - especially when I'm freaking out over something and need a rational point of view. 

In terms of a favourite place, or a place that I love, well that is difficult. I fell for Iceland, but also the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park. I adore Wales but Devon and Cornwall are my home, in a feeling like I belong sense rather than physically. I am the sort of person that hates beaches and loves sightseeing but also wants to spend some time sitting back and enjoying the very spirit and essence of a place. 

I guess if I had to choose one place though it would be somewhere I feel at home, because I am home. London is my city, I live in the suburbs and work right in the heart of town. It's so easy to forget what an amazing place this is when you're here every day. However just recently I've been standing back a little and appreciating that I'm lucky to be here. I can walk over to the Thames in a few minutes from my office and I'm immediately able to see all the key places that make up the skyline. I can see St Paul's Cathedral from my office window. There is a vibe I witness every day in the buzz of people that I've loved for longer than I realised. My favourite view of town is from Richmond Park where you get the most epic panorama of the city landscape. It's breathtaking. I don't think I ever gave it enough appreciation before. What more could you want from a place than what I currently have staring back at me every single day? I love it here. I smile here. My life is here. London is as much part of who I am as the job I do. 

There we go then. I thought I'd tackle all three!