9-5-2010 Windsor Mansions W1 Well, you may ask where did days 1 and 2 go, and all I can say is whiz bang whoopty do!! That is, here we are in London.
Just back from a walking tour of Jewish origins in the City, which turned out to cross the Petticoat Lane market and end in Spittlesfield, in the midst of what used to be jack the ripper home turf, and was about as dangerous when i first ventured out to petticoat lane in t he 50s, but now is, as so much of our accessible planet, yupped and tapased and bruchettad and long lines for the cash machines...and of course, also wonderful. Learned that the Synagogue here was Montefiores home temple, and more about the Sephardim of Maida Vale...and as an acculturation pot, its certainly the equal of hells kitchen, or the lower east side in ny. Just thrashed around for half an hour sourcing theatre tickets, and looks like well be seeing at least something.#
And managed to sneak by the Great Portland St and a quick replay of Lord Elgins thieving booty, and to continue my epic video series of faces viewing the Rosetta Stone.
Our pied a terre courtesy of Paul and Bill is quite amazingly comfortable and central and thank you thnak you. Much nicer than any hotel or B and B could be.
\yesterday spent much of the day at Portobello market, buying little, seeing and feeling a lot. The streams of humanity were my overwhelming impression, brought into a common place but unlike airline crowds, or even subway crowds, most of these people were there for some different but well defined purpose. Like the local woman, properly dressed for Sharia purposes, wrestling her shopping cart out of the basement flat near Ladbroke Grove tube station (there is a 24 hr strike coming). I guess i would have to say the predominant language in the street was Spanish, with English being a second, and perhaps Italian French and German tied for third. And of course, unlike the crowd headed into The City of a weekday morning, peoples idea of dress for a Saturday Street market differ wildly...literally one eye showing to more of a tattoo than one really might want to see (well, not me; that was just a comment i heard, i always want to see).
There was complaints from the older stall holders in the upper (antique) part of Portobello...according to several of them, the prices asked for properties along the Road are too high for antiques, and so are bought by people who are part of some food selling scheme or some outlet...and as a result the spaces for real antiques are less and less. Susie would be very unhappy. She loves Portobello...and since i remember filling in for someone who sold in the market, I feel indignantly defensive as well. But lots of great stuff was still there, and we found me a nice jumper (remember thats a sweater) and a mildly noisy tweed jacket, since I had traveled light to avoid checking baggage.
Theyve moved the Welcome foundation medical collection out of the main British Museum and to an annex apparently near Euston Square...will search for that tomorrow. And a week of at least partially rainy weather lies ahead...so just as well we didnt plan to live out in Reagents Park after all.
I am re-re reading Zen Mind Beginner Mind, and will leave you with this, from Suzuki Roshi
"To Cook, or to fix some food, is not preparation, according to Dogen; it is practice. To cook is not just to preparee food for somone or for yourself; it is to express your sincerity. So when you cook you should express yourself in your activity in the kitchen. \you should allow yourself plenty of time; you should work on it with nothing in your mind, and without expecting anything. You shouold just cook!" (ZMBM p 53:Single Minded Way.
And so dear friends, far from perfectly in practice
aloha
alan
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