Pink Skies and Special Cars

Never mind that it snowed again yesterday – this was what the Essex Road looked like when I left work today:

All the dampness and chill has brought on another sinus hassle, but lighter evenings and amazingly pink clouds make the sniffling not so bad.

Catching the ’special’ train car home makes the commute even better!

I don’t think I’ve blogged about the ’special car’ before. It’s a converted cafe car made up of little round seats in groups of one and two. You never know when it will be attached to a train you’re on – it normally comes as part of the last 4 of 8 cars, but not always, and it’s not always run by the same train line. It’s a silly but slightly awesome surprise when the train doors open and you realize you’ve gotten the special car!

Stitchin’

Tonight a friend and I checked out one of the knitting groups in central London.
It was a lovely, welcoming group full of all different kinds of people and all levels of knitters. Everyone made new friends, shared skills and ideas, and had an all-around good time. The world needs more amiable getting-together and crafting!

End of January Book Roundup

I read even more books that usual this month due to the killer sinus infection I welcomed in 2010 with. Here are three of my favorite books I read this month. Go get them from the library now!

1) Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin

I bought this for M’s mom for Christmas, but she graciously gave it back to me since she had already read it and I hadn’t. It’s a hopeful, inspirational story about a man who risked his life, money, and reputation to build schools for children in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. He started his work well before American troops were in the region, and now his book is part of some forces’ required reading.

2) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Another one referred by Mom Z. – I read most of this while taking bubble baths (freezing cold weather = recreational bathing), and the book is well-suited to that sort of reading. Written as a series of letters, it shares the story of the lives of the residents of Guernsey during the German occupation. I’d never thought about Guernsey before reading it, but if even one person who lives there is as fantastic as the characters in the book, then I’d love to go. It’s very funny, even though the subject is the Occupation. The worst thing about it is that the author died just before it was printed, so there won’t be any more.

3)Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson

Like her other two novels (Gilead and Home), this is a touch of contemporary Southern Gothic, but is set in the rural northwest. One of my favorite things about Marilyn Robinson is that her books are  not meant for speed readers. She writes beautifully in a way that very few contemporary authors do. Her books are not easy reads – no bathtub reading here – but they are some of the best novels I have ever read. I don’t know if there are new classic novels any more, but I’d put her in with George Eliot and all the rest.

What are all of you reading? I’d love to add your suggestions to my (already long) library list!

I <3 the NHS

Dear NHS,

I love you. Far away, in America, there are people who cast aspersions upon your virtue. But I don’t listen to them, my darling. You know I believe in you.

King Edward the VII laying the foundation stone of the Hambleden Wing at what is now King's College Hospital near Denmark Hill.

Since I moved to England, you have been so good to me. When I fell off my bicycle, I walked across the street to the hospital, and got all stitched up. Nobody bothered me about my insurance provider, or a co-pay.

My doctor’s surgery is just peachy. It’s so brand spanking new and shiny with it’s “bacteria resistant plastic” radiator covers and it’s cheerful beepy sign that tells you which room to go to.

You even fixed my back with a course of physio-therapy at King’s College Hospital. I had to wait a few months to get it, but then I’m hardly going to drop dead from a knot in my shoulder. I’m sure there are plenty of people with more seious problems who had to get seen to.

And you do so much for my friends and neighbors too. You pay for my friends’ drugs so that they don’t hear voices, and can hold a job. You are there to catch so many babies everday. You even helped some of my friends have IVF so that some of my dearest tiny friends might exist.

Photo from the hospital's history

You never turn me away, because I don’t have money. I could walk into any hospital in the country (or be driven in) and be cared for. You always take my insurance. You never let me down. You take such good care of me. Thank you, NHS.

I love you, NHS. Nobody can take your place in my heart.

Yours Adoringly,

943 476 5919

The corridor of today's King's College hospital where these photos are displayed along the wall

Not Swanning but Writing

No swanning about today!

I have taken up residence for the day at a lovely cafe near the house so I can work on my application without the temptations of laundry or cleaning. Suddenly blogging has become very appealing.

Two Hours in Town

London is made for swanning – aimless wandering about with no mission or destination in mind. I had two hours between meetings – not enough time to really go anywhere or accomplish anything – so I swanned. The sky was bright and gray, perfect for showing off the city’s charm.

I wandered through Soho and Chinatown, not once getting lost, not even for a minute. I strolled up through Seven Dials and Covent Garden, and finally found myself in Trafalgar Square.

Having nothing better to do, I took myself into the National Gallery and spent a half hour looking at Rembrandt’s “Balthazar’s Feast”, and dodged a rain shower by having tea in the cozy St. Martin’s crypt cafe. I then meandered back to Charing Cross station to take a train back to London Bridge for my meeting, pleased with a London afternoon well lived.

Light at the end…

There hasn’t been much time for blogging lately – all my writing time has gone into working on my PhD application for the King’s College London American Studies Program. The deadline is soon approaching, and I hope to have more time to spend making this little blog much more fabulous!

In the meantime, here’s the most exciting and happy thing I saw today:

Daylight at 4pm.

It’s very cold in London still, and will be for at least another month, but the light is starting to take some of the evening back. Before we all know it, 4pm will seem like midafternoon.

Snow on Snow

This morning London once again woke up to a blanket of snow. About 2 inches fell overnight and more is predicted for today.

The only downside to the snow is that life keeps rolling on – there is no extra time off to hibernate with knitting and hot chocolate and take walks in the wintry wonderland. Everyone tries to rush in to work and keep up a regular pace, which is impossible with icy roads and frozen train switches. Why is the modern world so different from the pastoral world, with its seasonal rhythms of busyness and calm?

Luckily, I work with people who aren’t afraid to prioritize the natural world over the world that is in our computers and on the telephones. At lunch today, we all piled on our woolens and headed out to the park to build a snowman and appreciate the slowed-down pace of winter.

Pedal Peddler

This is my first week of work at Brixton Cycles, and today is my first day off. And what a day off. It’s our second day of snow, here in London. J and I have just returned from the park where we attempted to slide down the hill on a tea tray.

So far the week has been o.k. Usually, on a weekday in January business in a bike shop is as slow as an Omafiets up a hill. Monday and Tuesday were not so bad, though. I credit myself and my amazing marketing skills, of course. Yesterday was very slow, as it snowed constantly and quite heavily all day. I sold mostly gloves and hats. I was one of three people that made it in on time to open the shop.

I love Brixton. It’s an unusual place. It’s very diverse, with people from all over the world living and working here. And yet it’s one of the few places in London that manages to have a neighborhood atmosphere.

The Skatepark in the Snow

It’s a somewhat anarchic place for better and for worse. It’s not uncommon to be offered “skunk” while walking the streets. The market is lined with kiosks where people hawk dodgy merchandise while blaring Reggae music at antisocial decibel levels. Junkies shelter behind the shop skips (dumpsters), and go about commiting junky mischief. But it’s an environment that also nurtures artists, freethinkers, prophets, weirdos and workers’ cooperatives.

Since I began working at the shop I have met many nutcases, but also many creative, energetic individuals. Often these are the same people. It’s probably the only shop in London that has a customer base out of which springs things like these…

Jamaica Pride bike-complete with homemade cardboard+yellow ducttape "dashboard" on the handlebars. I double dare you to ask him is he's from Trinidad.

I don't know how it works. I just know it has a flat tyre.

Homemade Racing Tricycle. Yes, Racing Tricycle. It's an old steel racing bike that's had an axle and two stays (the white bits) welded onto the back.

I really enjoy working for a workers’ co-op. I think it gives one a greater latitude for creativity than working for a boss. And it inspires the desire to work harder. Since I started on Monday, I’ve already defrosted and sanitized the fridge (no small feat, I assure you) and done a large chunk of the annual stockcheck. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I want to do my best for myself and my team.

"England is a nation of shopkeepers."-Napoleon

And I get a day off. Awesome!

I sold and fitted that basket-dog sold separately

Modern life

We are in the London City Airport waiting for the first leg of our flight to take off. So far everything is on time despite the wintry weather, and I managed to hustle my knitting needles through security. Victory!

We are using every bit of technology we own right now – we have two iPhones and a laptop plugged into a kiosk at the airport, just because we can. I am blogging from my telephone. From my phone!!

We’re prepared with podcasts and ebooks. Look out Tucson, here we come! Hopefully we will be able to update from Frankfort.