Category: it’s not about India

Welcome to Hepworth

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… in West Yorkshire, near Holmfirth

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 shop
Two 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.

Last of the wine

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Last of the Summer Wine .. is a famous TV comedy series filmed in and around Holmfirth.

Photos from the series.

Annie introduced me to one of the three local pubs that are featured on the programme.

… for a drink and to mix with the locals

They have great photos and posters

Cosmopolitan and coincidences

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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?

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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.

How cool is that?

Thinking back

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On this trip I’ve visited places I used to live.

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
Liz
Tricia
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.

More later ..

West Yorkshire

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Warning … when you travel north.

I’ve moved from tropical London to typical Yorkshire— wet, windy and coldish.

Initially I didn’t feel cold as London was scorchy but here it’s a serious to contrast to what I’m used to.

But this morning staying at Jill’s is nice and sunny

A lovely stone built cottage

The fact is everywhere is fab as I’m meeting great friends.

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Next stop South Yorkshire.

Here I am with Belle

My sister Claire’s dog.

Cycling South London

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Visiting places from my first years in London

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.

The sparrow has landed….

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Clearly not an Eagle.

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.

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The layout.

I’m back….

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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 .

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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.

The queen is eating a bat!

I can’t imagine what might happen next.