Friday, August 25, 2006
Is summer over?
Da Blues, Camden, Portobello…with a bit of Haggis
Hello out there to all my friends and family in cyberspace.
There is new chill in the air which I really feel in the early a.m. We’ve had some very typical British weather and it has been cool and rainy quite a bit lately. I am a bit concerned that summer is over. Wow, that was quick. I am optimistic for Indian summer which I understand can come quite late when the loads of tourists are gone. Sounds great to me. It is also no longer light at 4:45 a.m., it not really light till 5:30 and is already dark by shortly after nine.
The summer will linger just a little longer in the form of the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. My flat will be right in the middle of the festivities. I will be in the Edinburgh this weekend but will arrive back home to London in time to enjoy the end of the carnival. The festival goes back to the sixties when large communities of Caribbean immigrants wanted to celebrate in the style of the famous Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Check it out: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/NottingHill06/general/
Friday evening I ventured out to a venue called…Nothing but Blues Bar in SoHo. They had a great band called Soul Kitchen. It is a VERY tiny little place with no room for dancing which kind of put a damper on it for me. I still had a great time and listened to some great blues music. I took the bus back and jumped off on Edgeware Road and managed to find myself a yummy late night pizza with garlic, rocket, and fresh tomatoes. After spoiling myself with the pizza, I walked home and it was quite a nice long walk to burn off at least a few of those calories.
Saturday I went up to Camden to check out the market scene. Rows and rows and hidden spots selling pretty much anything you can think of to buy. There was a very cool Art Deco furniture store that I just loved. Something about that era of furniture is very cool, I like it a lot. I really want a new couch for my reception area in my flat but I have to work that out with the landlord. The couch I have is not very comfortable and I would love to have something big and soft to cuddle up onto this winter.
I took the bus to Camden and on the way home I saw Abbey Road and the famous music studios of the Beatles. I didn’t realise how close that is to where I live. On the way back I stopped at a lovely little pub called the Metropolitan and had a pint.
Long story there, but the short one is I started talking to a Scottish man (Haggis reference) in the pub and hours later we were dancing away down on Portobello road. I think he knows more about music and film than anyone I have ever met. I am actually able to tell the difference between Scottish, Irish, and English accents now. It is really quite fascinating. I still have trouble understanding some Scottish accents. There a bunch of sayings that are totally different that English sayings. Sometimes I feel as if I am learning lots of new languages that are all English but with a twist. I still speak American but am learning UK English and it is fun!
Hello out there to all my friends and family in cyberspace.
There is new chill in the air which I really feel in the early a.m. We’ve had some very typical British weather and it has been cool and rainy quite a bit lately. I am a bit concerned that summer is over. Wow, that was quick. I am optimistic for Indian summer which I understand can come quite late when the loads of tourists are gone. Sounds great to me. It is also no longer light at 4:45 a.m., it not really light till 5:30 and is already dark by shortly after nine.
The summer will linger just a little longer in the form of the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. My flat will be right in the middle of the festivities. I will be in the Edinburgh this weekend but will arrive back home to London in time to enjoy the end of the carnival. The festival goes back to the sixties when large communities of Caribbean immigrants wanted to celebrate in the style of the famous Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Check it out: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/NottingHill06/general/
Friday evening I ventured out to a venue called…Nothing but Blues Bar in SoHo. They had a great band called Soul Kitchen. It is a VERY tiny little place with no room for dancing which kind of put a damper on it for me. I still had a great time and listened to some great blues music. I took the bus back and jumped off on Edgeware Road and managed to find myself a yummy late night pizza with garlic, rocket, and fresh tomatoes. After spoiling myself with the pizza, I walked home and it was quite a nice long walk to burn off at least a few of those calories.
Saturday I went up to Camden to check out the market scene. Rows and rows and hidden spots selling pretty much anything you can think of to buy. There was a very cool Art Deco furniture store that I just loved. Something about that era of furniture is very cool, I like it a lot. I really want a new couch for my reception area in my flat but I have to work that out with the landlord. The couch I have is not very comfortable and I would love to have something big and soft to cuddle up onto this winter.
I took the bus to Camden and on the way home I saw Abbey Road and the famous music studios of the Beatles. I didn’t realise how close that is to where I live. On the way back I stopped at a lovely little pub called the Metropolitan and had a pint.
Long story there, but the short one is I started talking to a Scottish man (Haggis reference) in the pub and hours later we were dancing away down on Portobello road. I think he knows more about music and film than anyone I have ever met. I am actually able to tell the difference between Scottish, Irish, and English accents now. It is really quite fascinating. I still have trouble understanding some Scottish accents. There a bunch of sayings that are totally different that English sayings. Sometimes I feel as if I am learning lots of new languages that are all English but with a twist. I still speak American but am learning UK English and it is fun!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Tryin' to find the time to blog
If I didn’t have to work, my BLOG would be REALLY good!
The West Highlands of Scotland were spectacular. Check out the pics on www.hellokittyinlondon.shutterfly.com I had no idea the countryside outside of Glasgow would be so dramatic. It is a bit like Colorado, Maine, and North Carolina rolled into one. I had a very pleasant and quiet train ride up through the mountains to the lovely seaside town of Oban. Some of you will recognize it as a relatively well known single malt Scotch. The distillery is right in the center of town where it has been since 1794. Isn’t that amazing? The history is so deep in this part of the world.
I had the best fish and chips I’ve had in Oban. YUM! Big chunks of cod lightly battered and big thick chips with piles of vinegar on both. I had a lovely room in a guesthouse which was walking distance to all parts of the town. I bought a book called Anam Cara (it means soul friend in Gaelic) and have been enjoyed reading about ancient Celtic spirituality. It is quite fascinating. There are many Celtic phrases and words that have no English translation.
I went to Mass in the St. Columba’s Cathedral in Oban on Sunday. I was just relaxing by the harbour and heard the church bells ringing and decided to go make a visit. No, the doors did not slam when I came up the steps. It was a lovely and short service. I lit candles for all of my friends and family, living and passed. It was a very pleasant way to spend my last hour in Oban.
The train ride back was even more spectacular than on the way up as I sat on the other side. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t really do it justice. It is very difficult to capture the splendor of mountains through a fast moving train window. Anyway, the Lochs (lakes) you see along the way are amazing. Some of them are really big and the last one (Loch Lamond) meets up with the North Sea and I saw a couple large military ships hanging out.
I am headed back to Scotland in two weeks. This time I am going to Edinburgh and the Loch Ness. I do hope I see Nessie.
Last weekend I had the extreme pleasure of visiting my new associate Uma in her home in Hemel Hampstead. Uma and Ramesh (her husband) served me a delicious vegetarian lunch with lots of interesting spices. Uma also made me her famous Cardamom and Ginger tea. She says my stomach problems will go away if I have Cardamom and Ginger tea everyday. I’m willing to give it a try and it is delicious and soothing.
We also made a visit to the Buddhist Monastery quite close to their home. The temple is so quiet, it almost makes you want to stop breathing for risk of disturbing those in meditation. The three of us had a brief sit and walked around the grounds observing the simple beauty of the surroundings. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe.
Today I will be in yoga video with my teacher at the Yoga Co Op. She is submitting her video for certification as an Anusara teacher and asked that I participate. She is a wonderful teacher from Barcelona, Spain and I was thrilled to be asked to help out.
Tonight I’m off to Michael Franti and Spearhead in Brixton. This will be my first venture to the Brixton area. The show is at the Brixton Academy, a very famous venue in Southeast London.
Peace!
The West Highlands of Scotland were spectacular. Check out the pics on www.hellokittyinlondon.shutterfly.com I had no idea the countryside outside of Glasgow would be so dramatic. It is a bit like Colorado, Maine, and North Carolina rolled into one. I had a very pleasant and quiet train ride up through the mountains to the lovely seaside town of Oban. Some of you will recognize it as a relatively well known single malt Scotch. The distillery is right in the center of town where it has been since 1794. Isn’t that amazing? The history is so deep in this part of the world.
I had the best fish and chips I’ve had in Oban. YUM! Big chunks of cod lightly battered and big thick chips with piles of vinegar on both. I had a lovely room in a guesthouse which was walking distance to all parts of the town. I bought a book called Anam Cara (it means soul friend in Gaelic) and have been enjoyed reading about ancient Celtic spirituality. It is quite fascinating. There are many Celtic phrases and words that have no English translation.
I went to Mass in the St. Columba’s Cathedral in Oban on Sunday. I was just relaxing by the harbour and heard the church bells ringing and decided to go make a visit. No, the doors did not slam when I came up the steps. It was a lovely and short service. I lit candles for all of my friends and family, living and passed. It was a very pleasant way to spend my last hour in Oban.
The train ride back was even more spectacular than on the way up as I sat on the other side. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t really do it justice. It is very difficult to capture the splendor of mountains through a fast moving train window. Anyway, the Lochs (lakes) you see along the way are amazing. Some of them are really big and the last one (Loch Lamond) meets up with the North Sea and I saw a couple large military ships hanging out.
I am headed back to Scotland in two weeks. This time I am going to Edinburgh and the Loch Ness. I do hope I see Nessie.
Last weekend I had the extreme pleasure of visiting my new associate Uma in her home in Hemel Hampstead. Uma and Ramesh (her husband) served me a delicious vegetarian lunch with lots of interesting spices. Uma also made me her famous Cardamom and Ginger tea. She says my stomach problems will go away if I have Cardamom and Ginger tea everyday. I’m willing to give it a try and it is delicious and soothing.
We also made a visit to the Buddhist Monastery quite close to their home. The temple is so quiet, it almost makes you want to stop breathing for risk of disturbing those in meditation. The three of us had a brief sit and walked around the grounds observing the simple beauty of the surroundings. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe.
Today I will be in yoga video with my teacher at the Yoga Co Op. She is submitting her video for certification as an Anusara teacher and asked that I participate. She is a wonderful teacher from Barcelona, Spain and I was thrilled to be asked to help out.
Tonight I’m off to Michael Franti and Spearhead in Brixton. This will be my first venture to the Brixton area. The show is at the Brixton Academy, a very famous venue in Southeast London.
Peace!
