Monday April 16th

Things I will miss most about living in London.

Birdsong. The air is full of birdsong from dawn past dusk.  One of the things I love most about my bedroom at home in California is the gentle wake up calls of the songbirds—interrupted by the cawing of the crows on trash days.  In London, however, the birdsong is loud enough all day long to drown out the sounds of motor cars and talking.  The chorus is more robust—at least here in Hampstead. I will miss that background music.

Church chimes. Every hour during the day in every neighborhood in London, the Church bells ring.  Whether it is Westminster Abbey, the Bow Church, St Clementine’s, merely Hampstead St. John Parish or even St. Dominic’s Priory in Belsize Park—each neighborhood has the hour marked by soft bells chiming—a lyrical backdrop to the big city.

Curry, Chutney, Pub food and sticky puddings.  Overall, the variety, freshness, and tastiness of the food in London is superb.  The varied cuisines of regional Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan are unparalleled  in any one city.  I am committed to learning how to use Indian spices and trying new techniques since the Indian selections in Orange County are meager and stereotypical.  I have figured out how, in theory, to make toffee sticky pudding.  It is such a comforting end to a party meal on a cold day.

Oxfam.  With its charity shops in every neighborhood, these bookstores have been a godsend for me since copyright laws prevent downloads to my Nook (e-reader).  For under £2 I can walk away with a couple of paperbacks.  Their shelves are neatly arranged in alpha order by author in genres on the shelves.  Friends of the Library could take a lesson from these folks.  At home, I recycle my books to the Friends, but NEVER find anything I have not read on their jumbled shelves. I bring back the paperbacks when I am finished and search starts anew.

Waitrose.  This grocery chain is the bomb. There is no food product they do not stock.  The produce is all labeled with country (sometimes city) of origin and name of the farm.  The same labeling is on all the dairy products including yogurt and cheese, which also specify which herd.

School children in uniforms.  It has been such a treat to see the youngsters in their little blazers going to and from school in packs without adult supervision—the sound of them laughing, the funny way they express themselves and, of course, their British accents are charming. The schools here are racially and religiously integrated so it is common to see a group of kids playing together that would be SO unlikely at home: black kids, white ones, East Indians, Muslims with head coverings—all together.  It is a contrast to our segregated communities.  The Jewish kids do seem to go to separate schools.

Neighborhood cats.  Yes, this allergic person who can’t touch a cat without pain radiating from skin and eyes has developed a fond appreciation for the four cats who frequent my backyard.  So often, when writing or grading, I look out the picture window to see some feline antics that are extremely entertaining.  So Inky, Mittens and Hunter have become a fond part of my London reality.

Magpies. Perhaps if I had a garden here, I would join the haters on these pretty birds--but they do nothing to bother me.  The gathering of multiple magpies is known as a “Parliament” because these raucous meetings are said to determine territorial rules among this subspecies of crows. And, noisy they are.  There is a lot of magpie action on and near the heath in Hampstead where birdlife is abundant.

Parks.  The Royal Parks are divine to walk through and often provide a shortcut between points A and B.  The variety of ducks astounds me.  I now know the difference between Mandarin ducks, teal ducks and others.

I have seen grey heron, white egrets, Egyptian geese and kingfishers--all in the middle of a bustling city.  Remarkable.

Flora. To be in London in Springtime was a visual treat.  Partly because one walks so often and covers so much territory on foot, the variety of flowering plants has been spectacular.  I saw this dogwood this morning and it reminded me of Van Gogh's almond blossoms.  First the dogwood--then Van Gogh.

And now, a photo of the canvas we saw in Amsterdam of Van Gogh's almond blossoms.

So my memory and my imagination have been fed rich images that will pop up in dreams and reveries as long as I have my wits.

What I look forward to upon my return.

Hot water on demand.
My music playing  without ear buds.
Cooking.  
Private Laundry 24/7.
Ozzie, my loyal and fearless terrier.

My kitchen.  It has been a challenge to pull together a meal for one in this little space. The sink is about the size of an airplane lavatory sink--not so cool for dish washing; the oven is barely larger than a toddler's Easy Bake Oven--pretty limiting on preparation options.
Family and Friends.  Can't be underestimated.

Gardening again.  Starting the vegies from seed so late in the season will be a challenge, but I know the grapes must be filling out and the peach tree getting ready for its August gifts.