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!
# posted by Joy and Blues @ 3:43 am 
