Strange things expats do: Feel nostalgic for odd, unexpected things

Little things can catch you out when you live in a different country. For example, this was my favorite part of the British-themed Philadelphia Flower Show this year:

I'm not kidding! This mossy wall is fantastic! It reminded me of the UK much more than any of the flower displays.

It was a garden display representing the city of St.Andrews, which is where I grew up as a teen and where I eventually got married. It has a very special place in my heart.

This week I also saw Selena's pictures of Yorkshire, and her photos of damp countryside made me realize how much I miss the mossy walls of the UK.

How amazing is this photo by Selena - do you think it looks familiar?

Photo by Selena, not me - click for more photos by Selena of the mossy countryside on her blog 'Oh the places we will go'

Here in Pennsylvania the landscape is beautiful, but once spring and summer comes around it's impossible to wander anywhere for fear of getting covered in poison ivy. PA is infested with the stuff, and I have absolutely no wish to become a giant itching pus-filled boil on one account of walking through the woods.

I never thought I'd miss the dank mossiness of the UK:

Various pictures of Mark's last trip to the UK, in January 2012, before I moved to the USA

It's just one of those weird little quirks that hits an expat out of the blue.