I first visited age 10 with my very first camera, last time was with my amazing wife MAnjula.
Taken at Fountain’s Abbey
I carry these photographs with me whenever I travel, and introduce her to more people and places.
I was visiting Kali and Nick in Harrogate in North Yorkshire. They first visited us in Mysore in the early years of the B and B. We followed up with a visit to them ten years ago.
Ian and Gusand I can’t remember Huddersfield LionIndians from Dewsbury Skipton guests in MysoreDeer?SheepYorkshire Rose Mucky Duck Yorkie Giraffe Summer Wine Who you looking at?
Where I find kind friends, beautiful countryside, friendly people with funny Yorkshire accents, great pubs and villages, my favourite beer, challenging hill walks and where it’s a tad cooler than London.
and some oddities
An old public telephone kiosk, now a shopTwo men and a dog. Sheep
and cows in fields, so unlike South India.
Thanks to Ray and Annie
for housing a hobo from India..,
In a lovely (and warm) house
I’ll be here for a few weeks before applying for a new visa for India, my adopted home.
London is an incredible mix of people and cultures.
Manjula was amazed when she first visited U.K. and especially Brixton where there’s a great mix of people of different nations/ethnicity/races/colours….
On my bus now, less than 50% are white. I think that’s great and even the white people are a big mix mainly as the place (pre UK) was invaded by many others for a thousand years before the last take over by the Normans in 1066.
Coincidentally that invasion is featured in an amazing tapestry currently on loan from France and exhibited in London.
…
Today I have noticed the following restaurants in just a few minutes from the bus travelling through London…..
Eritrean, Keralan, Lebanese, French, Bangladeshi, ‘Indian’ mostly run by Bangladeshis), English (whatever that means), American (so many fast food joints mainly selling burgers and chicken), you name it… every country is represented in the restaurants and just last week there was a big event celebrating Asia
With street food, entertainment and shoppping.
Just look at the people in the city.
..,
Teasing
Can you name any of the characters, in the window?
…
Just to prove what an amazing place the world is ..
I was out with my son Ben today and we bumped into Rhonda from Australia, at the National Portrait Gallery, who was a guest at Mysore Bed and Breakfast.
Now I’m also visiting family, here my sister Claire and brother Jason, who live between Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire
They live next door to each other! Really?
She’s got out the family photos.
Oh no!
Brothers in law Richard and Mark Family group Sisters Janet and Claire Andy Claire Stephen With my brothers and sisters maybe 40 years ago LizTricia Stephen
It’s also been an opportunity to revisit my Sunday School Chapel, second home and school in Sheffield.
Reflections
I first tasted honey at Sunday School and was taken aback. It was amazing. Why had I never had this before? I was maybe age eight and it was probably too exotic and costly for my family.
Compare and contrast.
It’s useful to return to my home city and country. I’m initially shocked by the price differences with India.
I expect the U.K. to be a little better organised but it disappoints.
East Dulwich Amazing art. Liz, Ben and my first house together. No bathroom so we’d use the slipper baths or visit Gina Just around the corner. Peckham Rye. Old New Our last London house before moving out of London in 1986 to Hebden Bridge Goldsmiths University for my social work course
London has so many open spaces. Usually green but it’s been very hot this Summer.
I loved visiting the old places but also realised how forgetful I’ve become.
I’d stopped to chat with Goldsmiths students. They were elected to positions in the Students union.
The Union provides services to help support students and events for entertainment.
Gina and I tried to capture images of the eclipse without looking at the sun. Angus is a great gardener with giant sunflowers at their house.
I’m staying with my good friends Angus and Gina in Brixton South London
Close to their house are lots of community facilities and a corner shop run by Indians that MAnjula discovered on her first visit here. In fact the whole Brixton area is a great diverse mix of people from all around the world.
I can hear people playing bingo in the community centre next to me.
I’m adjusting to the time difference (this weeks excuse for inability),
But it’s not easy ..
It’s the second morning I managed to drag myself up early for yoga, I’m waiting for the teacher at the gym with three other women when another male student walks in to speak to the women in Kannada. The local language.
Our gentle giant then leaves.
After a few minutes they get up to leave, and when I ask they tell me it’s cancelled.
I was obviously too pale and linguistically ignorant for him to tell me.
Later that morning is my next challenge.
Billet-Doux clambered through the hall (lounge) window, jumps down and drops the rat which scurries away. A gift?
Sowbaghya shrieks so she doesn’t like the surprise.
I tolerate the louder and louder squeaks coming from under the divan.
I have to take action with the help of a lathe stick .
…
But then Facebook brightens my day. The Donald —whilst destroying the US fabric — entertains.
PS in the middle of the night Bullet-Doux who’s supposed to be sleeping but she’s faffing around. Next I hear squeals and investigate under the bed.
