Royal Albert Hall

My housemate has a friend who's company has a private box at the Royal Albert Hall.  The employees can select different events they would like to attend and request tickets.  Joanne's friend offered to request tickets for us and we asked to see the BBC Proms.  The Proms are a yearly classical music performance that is also televised.  On Saturday, we got dressed up and went to Kensington to the Royal Albert for a treat!

We had a fabulous spot.  We actually were in a box under the Prince of Wales' private box, although I believe it was empty that night!

It was a very nice treat.  I've been wanted to go to the Royal Albert just for the experience, and through a friend's generosity, I got to go for free!  I love it when life works out like that!  

Bollywood Night

We have a tradition of "Bollywood nights" among our group of singles, or at least, the beginnings of a tradition, considering this year is the third year we've had such an event.  It's fabulous.  We cook, we talk, we watch a three hour Bollywood film with subtitles, we eat more at the intermission...in short, we have a grand time.

This year we watched a really sweet story called Rab ne bana di Jodi, which means "a match made in heaven."  It's a romantic musical in Hindi, so 81% of our group needed subtitles to understand the film :)

It's a great story.  The male lead Surinder falls in love with Taani.  Through a series of events, they end up getting married to fulfill her father's dying wishes.  He loves her, she wants to be a good wife but doesn't love him.  She hears about a dance competition in town and asks if she can take the lessons offered.  Surinder only wants her to be happy, so he agrees.  However, he wants to make her fall in love with him.  He completely changes his personality and appearance and meets her at the dance lessons, identifying himself as Raj.  Taani doesn't recognize him and they are assigned to be dance partners for the rest of the lessons.  Surinder continues to change his appearance back to Surinder each evening when he goes home, and to become Raj for the dance lessons.  Surinder starts to realize that Taani might fall in love with him, but then he realizes, she will be in love with Raj, not knowing he is also Surinder.  In a way, he begins to compete with himself for her love.  It was really a good choice for the evening.

As always, we also made plenty of food.  The few of us who were cooking panicked a little, wondering if we would have enough.  We ended up with loads of food!  We had bhajis (garlic and onion concoctions), raita (a cucumber yogurt sort of dip for the bhajis), saag (lamb and spinach curry), paneer korma (paneer is a kind of cheese, but it isn't like any kind of American cheese and korma is a creamy sauce...I made this one, by the way!), garlic naan (bread), paratha (a flat bread), rice, and a roast chicken!  For 9 people.  We actually did an impressive job of consuming most of the food!

the naan bread is in the centre, and the paneer korma is in the left of the picture)

the roast chicken and the paneer korma

To top it all off, I made a really easy to make batch of "Oaty Biscuits" which are just a cookie made with oats, brown sugar, coconut, and maple syrup as the main ingredients.  It was a very late night by the time I got home, but a very fun one as well.

Life

I really wonder what you think of my life.  Especially days like today.  Grab a cuppa and settle in for a story.

A and I went to Green Street, a very Pakistani area of London.  (For football fans, yes, this is the Green Street of the Green Street Hooligans.  We also walked through West Ham park today.)  I was given a saree by a friend, a lovely blue saree, but she and I have very different builds, and I needed to get a blouse made to go with it.  There are three parts to this outfit, a petticoat (known as many things but the easiest for me to remember is langa), a blouse (called choli), and the long material that wraps around the body, which is the saree.  I had the saree and langa but needed the langa to be shortened and the choli to be made.  Now, you may wonder where this is going.  After all, do I really need a saree?  Well, no, not unless there is a special occasion..  But, having the choli made seemed like a good reason for an outing, and A and I figured perhaps we could strike up some friendships at the tailorshop.

Of course, it was pouring rain.  A and I decided to take two buses, rather than trudge through the pouring rain and arrive drenched.  We hopped on the first bus.  The oyster card reader wasn't working, so essentially, we rode for free.  We hopped off at the appropriate stop and walked to the next bus stop, which was very nearby.  Then, we waited.  And waited.  Ten minutes might not seem like a long time, but waiting for a bus in the rain makes it seem like an eternity.  Finally, our bus came and we got on.  We walked up to the top and two things became very apparent.  1) We couldn't see out the windows because they were completely foggy.  2) Everyone else on the upper deck was male.  Every time that happens, I always do a double take and wonder if London has instituted gender segregated buses.

We went maybe six stops before the bus driver pulled over and announced there was something wrong with the engine.  He was communicating with headquarters to diagnose the problem.  And we waited.  Some people got off, but A and I figured...If another bus isn't coming yet, why wait in the rain when we could wait in the dry interior of the bus.  About fifteen minutes later, another bus arrived and we were able to reach our destination without too much difficulty.

We arrived at the tailor's.  First of all, I'll enlighten you by telling you that "Butt" is a Pakistani name.  However, it is nigh impossible not to giggle when the sign on the shop says "Butt Ladies Tailor Upstairs."  I don't care how culturally sensitive you are, that is truly ironic.  We walked into the shop and there was an older Pakistani man sitting there.  After his "How can I help you?" I launched into my story about my reason for being there.  He nodded the whole way through and then said, "I don't follow."  I reiterated my saga, a bit more slowly and less detailed.  "Ah, you need to go upstairs."

We go upstairs.  There is another older Pakistani man working at a table.  "How can I help you?"  And, blah blah blah, I explain myself again.  Clarifications were needed.  Then he directs me downstairs to pick out the material I need for the blouse.  A and I try to match the material, but couldn't decide between two.  We go back upstairs and ask the tailor his opinion.  I never expected to make fashion decisions based on a 65 year old Pakistani man's opinions, but hey, it's his trade.  We agree on one, he tells me to get three yards, and back downstairs I go.  I tell the man downstairs my choice, he measures, cuts, and hands the material.  Back upstairs.

More chatting with the tailor about the details of the choli.  The neckline I want, the sleeve length, the lining, and the measurements, the date it will be done, the cost, etc.  He showed me an example of one he had finished making. Then, he turned to me suddenly with a concerned expression.  "Do you know how to wrap saree?"  I smiled and laughed.  "No, but I have lots of friends who can show me."  "Oh, very good.  It's ok, you know.  That one there is one I made for another white woman."  That comment struck me as both sweet and hilarious.  It was as though he was trying to reassure me that he wasn't saying I shouldn't wear a saree, he just wanted to be sure I knew how.

After we settled up, A and I left the shop and carried on walking along Green Street for a bit.  We hoped to strike up some conversations but most people were busy doing their shopping for eid, the day of feasting at the end of Ramadan.

We also saw the sweetest shoes.  You can't really tell from the picture, but these shoes are so little!  

When my little niece Anna gets a bit bigger, she might have to get a pair of these from her crazy Auntie Hope.  

We also stopped for lunch at Vijay's Chawalla All Vegetarian restaurant.  I do love the variety of foods I have in London.  I had aloo paratha, which is a potato filled bread sort of thing that I can't describe well but love (although spinach paratha is even better) and vegetable samosas.  

To me, looking at a menu like this is exciting.  I learn so much, even it's just by asking the waiter about different words.  I know you all don't really need to know the details of my dietary life, but it makes me laugh to consider today:

Breakfast: Special K cereal with bananas and a cup of coffee (very American meal)

Lunch: Aloo Paratha and samosas (Very Indian)

Dinner: Fish and chips and peas (Very English)

On the way home, A and I stopped by a colleague's house.  She and her husband made tea for us and also was able to give me some snapdragon seedlings for the garden!  It was very nice and I also have a source to go for gardening help!  

I hope you've enjoyed this long recap of my day :)  

Gardening: Take 2

Today was my day off.  It was so hectic but good.  As I sit here, I realize I'm becoming my father.  After a long hard day, all I wanted was a Pepsi.

Before my day took off with a bang, I thought I'd be good and do Pilates.  I'm trying to be more consistent with getting exercise and mornings are a good time.  So I did 50 minutes of Pilates.  Finally, I'm starting to realize I DO have some muscle!  I could hold teaser for perhaps the first time ever! (Teaser is a move where basically you are sitting on the mat and your upper and lower body form a V.)

Well, Joanne and I got breakfast and then walked to the bank and then to HomeBase (think HomeDepot) to get some gardening things.  (Pause for one moment.  My family keeps emailing me saying...?!?! Hope? Bike rides and gardening?  Now listen here, dear family, I've always enjoyed biking!  Need I remind you that I grew up riding my bike several kilometers to a stable to then ride horses for a few hours? And as for the gardening, I did help my mother garden, mostly without complaining!  Additionally, am I not the one who convinced my two younger cousins to "clean up the barn" because I thought it was too dirty for the cows to live in?  Ok, resume.)

So we spent about £30 on gardening things and managed to entertain the staff there.  We bought seeds for our flower bed, new gloves, a potted plant, weed kill, plant food....We also bought a huge bag of potting soil, dreading the thought that we had to carry our purchases the 1.3 miles home.  The men at HomeBase did seem to be skeptical, but as the one told us, "I used to know a woman who did kickboxing.  I was terrified of her.  Ever since then, I haven't dared to doubt a woman's strength."  Wise man.

We were equally wise.  We took the bus, which wasn't direct, but saved us part of the trip.  We also walked by a fruit and veg stand, and added onions, apples, and apricots to our handfuls.  (That part wasn't wise.)

Once home, we ate a quick lunch and dug in (pun intended) to the gardening.  We had to pull lots of weeds, cut back the most impossible bush with huge thorns (we have marks to show for our efforts) and planted some seeds.

This is what we took turns carrying home!  

If that wasn't enough, we then walked to Paul and Claire's, another 20 minute walk, to check on their house and feed the fish, and then to the high road to get some groceries.  By the time we go to Tesco, we were so hungry we just bought a frozen pizza and Pepsis for dinner.  (Another sign of my genetic heritage.)  Hopefully soon we will have some little sprouts to show in our flower bed, aside from the few little flowers that have withstood the destructive power of weeds through the years.  I'll be sure to post pictures :)

I posted my picture from my bike ride yesterday on Facebook.  A friend in a very dry climate commented on the greenness of the park in envy.  Michele, I had to laugh.  We clearly live in different climates.  I take the green for granted.  What I notice and celebrate is the blue clear sky!  

Barclay Biking

Barclay's in London has established a system of cycles in central London for hire by the hour.  It's a great way to explore London and it's actually fairly cheap when you manipulate the system :)

First, find a docking station.  

You can rent them by a membership registered online, or you can just use a credit card.  There is a station where you swipe your card and agree to terms and conditions and print your code to rent the cycle.  You pay an access fee of £1.00 (only paid once within a 24 hour period) and then your first thirty minutes of the ride are free.  The next 30 minutes are an additional £1.00.  I think the second hour jumps to an additional £4.00.  

After church and lunch, A and I decided to go for a bike ride the frugal way.  We hopped on our cycles and started off on our journey.  After an hour, we found a docking station and returned our bikes.  We popped into a Costa Coffee for a drink of water, and then returned to the docking station and got out two more bikes.  

We biked another hour and then returned our cycles and walked to the nearest tube station to go home.  It was a beautiful day by the way.  The weather was gorgeous. 

Don't let this picture deceive you.  These were taken in Hyde Park, on a bike path.  A good part of our time, we were forced to venture onto the road.  Parts of London have designated bike paths and the rest, you make your own way.  I kept thinking...Should have read more about traffic regulations...  However, we stayed safe and had a great day.   Once home, I hopped on googlemaps.co.uk (I do love to do that) to see our route.  It turns out we biked over 7 miles!

It was a great way to spend an afternoon.  And we helped other people learn the Barclay rental system, because apparently we looked like we knew what we were doing ;)  However, now it's time for me to say goodnight, as I head to bed for a much needed sleep.

Bread Machines and Baking ;)

Another difference I've found in England is the use of scales in measurements for recipes.  Rather than using measuring cups, recipes will call for a certain weight of a dry ingredient.

So, in my recipe for cornbread, which I made in the bread machine for the first time, I needed to measure out 350 grams of flour and 140 grams of cornmeal.  I'm not sure why there is a difference.  Although, I'm trying to remember that I only really know the way the women in my family cook.  (The men in our family don't really cook, so therefore, I can't know their processes.  If they venture near, it is only to the barbecue or the ice cream churn.  I'm not mocking, merely observing!  We always appreciate the outcome!)  Perhaps other families in the USA do use scales as well.

Regardless of it's done in the oven or the bread machine, the end result is a house that smells like fresh bread and a nice yummy addition to my black bean soup that I'm hoping to make tomorrow.  It was to be dinner for tonight, but I ran into complications.  I remembered that dry black beans should be soaked overnight.  Got that part.  Somehow, I didn't see that they needed to cook for several hours still. Which meant, leftovers tonight and black bean soup tomorrow!

New Growth!

I'm so happy!  Our garden is finally, FINALLY, growing something other than weeds.  Our tiny little tomato plant has grown a lot in the last month and we are starting to see some tiny little green tomatoes!

I'm sure this will inspire me to get back into the garden and attack the weeds that are threatening to overtake once more.  Fortunately, my housemate Joanne (who is my fellow gardener-neophyte) is now home from her holiday travels.  On our next day off, we shall tackle the flower beds once more.  

Grocery shopping amusements

Today was moving day for my friend A.  Last night, I went over to her old house and helped clean, since she was already packed before I arrived.  I had some extra linens at my house, so I piled them into two big reusable Tesco bags and walked them over to her house.  I would have taken the bus, but I was feeling impatient :)

Once at A's new house, we started unpacking.  Once clothes were put away, we walked to Tesco.  Her new house is closer to mine and now she'll be using the Tesco where I do my shopping.  I got to share my Tesco wisdom :) 

While in Tesco, we found something very unique.  RAINBOW CAULIFLOWER .  I've never seen this before! 

It's not dyed.  Need a closeup? 

I love the entertainment of shopping at Tesco.  I find absolutely everything. Today Mango lassi smoothies were on offer.  

There were lots of signs announcing ramadan mabarak (basically, happy Ramadan).  Most meats (not that I often look in the meat section!) are labelled halal (appropriate for Muslims to eat).  There is a fabulous Asian vegetarian section :)  It's easy to find several different kinds of paneer cheese, and curry powder comes in mild, medium, and hot.  The mild is probably as hot as regular curry powder in the USA.  (I learned the hard way. I bought a curry container and used it for chili, since I didn't have chili powder.  Not only was it curry powder but also cayenne pepper.  I couldn't finish the chili, not even with lots of cheese!  My friend O could enjoy it, but then, she also enjoys vindaloo curry, which is a particularly spicy type of curry.)  

A at her first grocery shopping excursion 

We got a few household things and groceries for her first week in her new house.  It ended up being five big bags of groceries, which we then carried home.  We unpacked those and finished the last few tasks, like making her bed and hanging up the remainder of her clothes.  At 5:30, I walked home.  

Out of curiosity, I went to googlemaps.co.uk to route my journey.  It turns out I walked 3.5 miles today, most of which I was carrying heavy bags!  I think I got my exercise today.  

Peanut Butter and Phantoms

Jif knows my peanut butter needs.  In May, a kind soul sent me a family size jar of Jif peanut butter.  I'm still not to the bottom.  (And I'm an huge fan of peanut butter!)  This doesn't connect really with the rest of this post, but to make a long story short, I just got a snack of an apple and peanut butter before sitting down to write, which is what prompted the praise of peanut butter.  (I didn't even plan that alliteration!)

Last night three friends and I went to see Love Never Dies.  It is Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to the Phantom of the Opera.  It has not been as popular as the Phantom of the Opera, and the show is actually closing this month.  Perhaps partly because of that, I was able to find discounted tickets and the four of us travelled to the Adelphi Theatre on the Strand.  

We snapped this picture before being scolded by the somewhat grumpy usher.  To be fair though, he had been watching us for a while and I'm sure he knew what we were doing.  I think he let us get away with the picture before telling us that we weren't to take pictures.  

And the music started.  Ramin Karimloo, the Phantom, has an incredible voice.  His voice made the show for me.  The story continues, starting ten years after the end of the Phantom of the Opera.  It takes place in New York, mostly on Coney Island.  (The American accents were atrocious, by the way).  The story is that Madame Giry and her daughter Meg were able to save the Phantom from the destruction of the Opera House in Paris and smuggled him to New York.  In New York, he started a show called Phantasma on Coney Island.  Christine and Raoul arrive in New York with their son, Gustave, expecting Christine to be preforming at the Manhattan Opera House.  Instead, they are unknowningly redirected to Coney Island by the Phantom.  The Phantom has composed an aria especially for Christine and the story unfolds from there...

I have loved the story of the Phantom of the Opera for years.  Somehow, and I honestly don't remember how, I got a copy of the soundtrack on cd while still living in Southern Africa.  Perhaps my parents gave it to me as a gift or else I just came across it in a catalog (I loved musicals) and decided to order it.  That CD was my introduction to the Phantom.  My parents took four of us to see the Broadway production for my twenty first birthday.  I was captivated.  My dad fell asleep.   How do you sleep through the Phantom of the Opera??????  To each their own, indeed.

Sadly, I don't think Gaston Leroux had an inkling of how famous his story would become.  It was published initially in 1909 but it wasn't really popular until it was adapted for films and theatre productions. 

Love Never Dies isn't as good as Phantom of the Opera, but really, I'm not sure any attempt to match the story could be successful.  The songs were good though and the cast was very talented.  I've been listening to the soundtrack all day while I work!  Admittedly, I've been listening mostly to "Til I hear you sing" and "Love Never Dies" the most. The story does have an element that I appreciate.  There is an interesting paradox in the question of beauty.  Raoul is the handsome character, but throughout the show, his nature is revealed to be quite selfish and dark.  In one song, he sings, "Beneath this mask I wear..." recognizing that he wears a mask as well.  The Phantom is the one rejected by society for his appearance and yet he has a deep appreciation for beauty and mystery.  In one song, Christine teaches her son to see the beautiful by looking with his heart, not his eyes.  

After the show, we went a few blocks further to the Haagen Dazs Cafe and had a sugary treat to finish off our evening.  It is a fantastic thing when there is a sit-down restaurant devoted to ice cream.  

I met my match for sugar last night.  I had a waffle with two scoops of ice cream, one of dulce de leche and one of chocolate chocolate chip.  I couldn't finish it.  It was incredible though!  All in all, a wonderful night.

Changed

I must say, England will have left her mark on me.  There are things I've come to love about this place, although the ever changing weather isn't one of them.  However, last night, as I lay curled in bed, trying to sleep but with a headache that made it impossible to sleep, I started to think of the things I have learned to appreciate.

1.  Cornish Pasties-a pastry filled with some delicious concoction.  My favorite is broccoli and cheese, although I do like others as well.


2.  Hot Water Bottles-wonderful.  On a cold night, it's so nice to wrap yourself around a hot water bottle or with a headache, as I did last night, to rest it behind your neck.  I have a soft fleece cover for my hot water bottle and believe me, it gets used a lot!

3.  Lemsips-a powdered lemon drink with paracetamol.  You add hot water to it and it is a drink as well as your medicine for a cold, sinus pain, or some sort of flu.  They actually taste good!

4.  Hot drinks-Oh yes.  I realized the other day while talking with my sister, I think I drink at least five hot drinks a day here.  One cup of coffee, sometimes two, and the rest are tea.  Rooibos (an herbal tea), a fruity herbal tea, or green tea...I'm still not a fan of black tea and personally I think Earl Gray is sludge in a cup, but I do like my herbal teas.  I think I'm truly adapting because I've noticed a certain pattern: I come home, I set down my handbag, and I walk straight to the kitchen to boil the kettle.  Once the tea is made, I can sit down, breathe deeply, and drink my tea to settle in to being home.

Which brings me to the next thing...
5.  Electric Kettles!  I love 'em and use it every day, several times a day!  (Three earlier "likes" all relate back to this one!)

6.  Cockney Rhyming-tthis particular slang is really entertaining and I don't quite get it.  However, my housemate is teaching me a few phrases here and there.  For instance, "Get your daisy roots" would mean "Get your boots."  "Up the apple and pears" would mean "Up the stairs."  And for you gents, "Here comes me trouble and strife," would mean "Here comes my wife!"

Actually, there are a lot of phrases that the British use that I have come to appreciate.  "Everything's gone pear-shaped," (meaning, it went terribly wrong) is one that I've adopted to use from time to time.  Regardless, three years here has had an affect on me.  It makes me think of Thomas Wolfe's famous words, "You can't go home again."  Everywhere we travel changes us and we can never be the same, nor does "home" remain constant while we are gone.  I think we can consider that with sadness and regret or with excitement and anticipation.  I prefer excitement and anticipation!

"Don't put your eggs all in one basket"

Well, we don't follow that adage at our house.  But don't we have a cute egg basket?

Sunday chats

As I took the tube to central London yesterday, a little girl and her dad sat across from me.  When we got to Stratford, he pointed out the construction works for the new Westfield.  

"Do you see that?  That is going to be an incredible shopping centre..."

The little girl responded in a high, childish voice, "Really?  Surely it can't be better than Harrods!"  

I tried to hid my chuckle.  She looked about eight years old, and I found it so funny that she clearly has already formed an opinion of Harrod's as THE standard of shopping.

A good friend of ours left London yesterday.  A few of us were able to sit and have a last coffee and chat with Jasmin before she left.  

London is  a very transient city.  I've only been here two and half years and in that time, I've already said goodbye to many friends who have moved on to somewhere else.  Perhaps some of it is because many of my friends are still single and students.  Regardless, it is one of the more difficult sides of living in London.  But I appreciated Jasmin's attitude as she left.  As we hugged goodbye, her comment was, "See you later," rather than "Goodbye."  I like the sound of that!

Vocabulary Lesson

Today has been dedicated to a final paper for a course I'm taking.  It's due on Monday, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say I've been procrastinating.  I've really enjoyed the course, but writing the paper has not been an inspiring task for some reason.  (Normally I do really enjoy writing, even if it is a formal assignment.)  However, in my reading, I came across a most impressive sentence regarding the identity of the woman mentioned in Revelation 12.

"In any case, it seems obvious that the vision intends a multivalent mythological symbolization of transpersonal divine realities." (Elisabeth Fiorenza. Revelation: Vision of a Just World (Proclamation Commentaries) (Kindle Location 1262). Kindle Edition.)

I'm such a nerd.  I love sentences like that.

Egyptology!

The tour on Wednesday had a great God-organized series of events.  I'm so excited!

Val and I did the tour together, meaning we alternated who spoke.  Early on in the tour, a woman joined us.  We often have strangers hear the tour and just join in.  Often they just assume we work for the museum.  

By about the fifth stop on the tour, after I shared about Tiglath Pilesar III, she came over to me and commented on the tour.  "I feel like I hit the jackpot!  I'm an Egyptologist and I just decided to wander through the museum after my interview here, and now you are telling me about the Assyrians and the Babylonians."  

Pause.  Rewind.  "Wait, you're an Egyptologist?  That's incredible!"  Cue Hope getting very excited.  In response to a question, she told me she is Catholic.  She seemed a bit hesitant to say so, but she had also mentioned that she's encountered a lot of academic scepticism in regards to the Bible.  

We started chatting in between artifacts.  It turns out she just had an interview for a position at the British Museum! When we got to our detour to the Rosetta Stone, I asked her to explain it the group.  Honestly, I just couldn't bear to stumble through my explanation of hieroglyphs with an Egyptologist listening!  

Before we went to the second level of the Museum, J had to leave us.  She and I chatted a bit to say goodbye and exchanged numbers.  She's offered to share some information with me in the future!  When I asked where she lives, J told me.  Would you believe she lives less than two miles from my house?  Wow.  As she saved my number, she commented, "God works in mysterious ways, indeed."  Indeed, my friend.  I'm so excited to get together sometime and talk about Egyptology!  I'll let you know what I learn...

My view before a tour

I love my mornings on museum days! Here's my view as I wait for Val :)

As usual, I met someone on the way here. Every time I come to the museum, I see someone looking a little lost. Because I haven't mastered the art of looking straight through people (and I hope I never do) and I look like a native English speaker, I'm the one most people turn to and ask...."Do you know where the British Museum is?"

Normally this means we walk the rest of the way together.  If they ask, I tell them I give a free tour here that they are welcome to join. I met two sweet Korean girls this way, several Europeans, and today's couple is from upstate New York.  They are just here on holiday and tomorrow leave from Southampton for a cruise around the British Isles.  The husband was born outside of Philly.  I've driven through the town where he was born.

Yes, I learned all of this in two minutes on a London street before my soy caramel latte.  I have truly earned my place as Buck's granddaughter.  I still maintain that I'm actually shy, but I also love people.  Besides, London can be a very impersonal place.  I enjoy bringing a little smile to someone's face.