I’m both …

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Happy and sad.

I have lovely memories — of visiting Bath with Manjula eight and nine years ago.

We went in this church (Abbey) and on this bus for a tour.

Imagine a two thousand year old Roman Baths

Well there is one here.

Sorry but I didn’t pay to go in this time, it’s expensive.

So I can’t show the actual bath.

Lots of tourists from U.K., USA, Europe, Japan, India, have paid.

The famous Royal Crescent.

A visited with Manjula and now those times together trigger a waterfall of memories, sometimes felt in tears.

Factoid

It’s so expensive here in England in London’s famous Covent garden it costs £1.50 (150 Rupees) to go to toilet (washroom).

Bath is a beautiful city and very middle class.

Grief is always with us. It diminishes (relatively)by other parts of life surrounding it.

Memories remind us and we’re both happy and sad.

That loss sends our life Ourselves and our worlds in different directions.

It’s hard at times.

Portugal.

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is on the list to visit this year — maybe I’ll get there but meanwhile ..

I’ve discovered little Portugal in South London

a local Portuguese cafe

In Vauxhall, a shortish walk from Brixton.

Its — Just around the corner from the very first place I lived in London in the early 80s

It’s changed a bit now

Posties now have too much to carry in their tradional one bag.
A favourite place for MAnjula in Brixton market
I’m staying nearby
Accessible buses

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.

In the park

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Watching people run…

and cycle

play football —- in a cage. 🤭

Climb trees

Adventure

Pedal their ‘cars’ (semi -incumbents)

Walk their dogs

What a fun day, but there’s one or two problems.

BB— ball bearings help solve a complex worldwide problem — friction but it’s another BB namely Bad Behaviour, that helps create friction between the people.

An example of this is not following the rules.

I’m not talking of these rules

But these…

…. the people who rent electric cycles, often break the rules.

Cyclists are typically considerate of others — pedestrians and cyclists, obey the rules of the road, including stopping at red lights but in the last few years there’s been a big change.

The inexperienced cyclists who rent electric cycles are often reckless and unsafe —- ignoring the traffic lights and the general rules of the road, riding fast, weaving in and out at high speed,

It can be very risky …

But for now

I get back to my book.
and watch the water.

Peacefully

There’s even a zoo and FREE toilets.

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.

…

The layout.

Last few days.

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A few friends got together to say farewell to Farrell.

I’ll be away for a few months so we arranged an early birthday gathering.

Thank you so much to my wonderful friends and yes it’s the young ones I’ll miss the most.

The Directors of Manjula’s Mysore who as part of being a responsible business organised ways to support young people in memory of Manjula

Radhika and Kaveri who’ve been my main family here for over three years.

Plus the new addition Kush

And another new friend …

We have a lion at our gate.

Friends from Bangalore also came to say bye.

Footnote

I plan to be back in January when we’ll share important news. In the meantime I’ll use my exile to explore more countries and myself.

Cycling is like flying

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Well not really

I have flown a chipmunk trainer and glider in my teens. I can tell you … Cycling can’t match it.

Nor is it like swimming

But IT IS liberating.

It’s one of our best ways to adventure and get us moving.

Back home now

And it’s cheap!

Stephen

What’s the first classroom of the day?

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After leaving home the first space they enter for many students is the ubiquitous van.

As we know our children (aka future adults) are constantly learning

Through observation, sounds sights, our behaviours show them ways to be —- not always thought through or the best examples.

Imagine for a moment what they pick up from that first space in the morning after leaving home.

Is it calm, kindness, helpfulness?

Maybe but most likely in that van —- they’re recklessly sped around, constant horn, regular screeching, aggressive insensitive behaviour of a seemingly uncaring driver.

Please note: vans posed by models. They maybe the best behaved, we don’t know.

Not all the apples are bad.

So let’s not assume they’re all the same —

I’ve observed careful, safe drivers

—- but too many demonstrate the worse road behaviour.

So often our children are transported in a bad van and shown the worse behaviour.

So should we be surprised if we are creating future inconsiderate aggressive pushy people on the roads and maybe elsewhere?

What can we do about it?

Challenge bad behaviour when we see it?

Discuss this with our children?

Kaveri isn’t taken to school in a van.

But when we walk the streets, or she rides pillion, or cycle, we both notice and comment on both good and bad behaviour on the road.

My duty is to help her observe, evaluate and ultimately think for herself

…

We often forget that everything is an experience that we can learn from.