Life on a hill

Life on a Hill

 By: Lorna Wilmot

Toronto is a great city. I have visited many nice places, but I have not lived in the city long enough to have a single favourite place yet. This is why I have decided to pick somewhere I know. Even though I have seen many wonders of the world, such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the CN Tower and Niagara Falls, nothing will come close to Portsdown Hill.

 Now you are asking “What is Portsdown Hill and where is it?” Well it’s a chalk ridge that overlooks the city of Portsmouth, England and is pretty close to where I grew up. The reason why I chose Portsdown Hill is because it reminds me of my childhood. 

I can remember sitting on the top of the hill and watching fireworks on bonfire night (November 5^th, a holiday in England). As my parents drove down the highway I would look outside the window and see the hill, which doesn’t really look like a hill, more like the side of a cliff. When I became older and my brother-in-law could drive, he would take us up to the hill and we would sit and watch the people below. 

More importantly, this hill reminds me of my mom. I remember after a doctor’s appointment she would ask me if I wanted to take the highway home or drive over the hill. Even though the roads were narrow up there I would always want to see the amazing view. After she passed, my brother-in-law took my sisters and I up to the hill and we sat there in silence. Portsdown Hill has a very emotional meaning to me, and until I wrote this blog I never realized how much.

Is there a place in the world that reminds you of a loved one or a happy time in your life?