Ramble - East Croydon

Another Sunday afternoon ramble, this time starting at East Croydon station.

East Croydon is not a place one would normally think of to start a ramble, as Croydon is such a busy, bustling town.   But in a five minutes' walk you are in the beautiful Coombe Park, where we stopped for a few minutes to admire the flowers.

The walk ended up at a tram stop - I love travelling on the tram, which trundles along through parks as well as along streets.

An Autumn Afternoon

A very touching 1962 Japanese film about a group of older men who meet up every year to reminisce and their attempts to help a former teacher who has fallen on hard times.   Interwoven with this is the story of two unmarried daughters and their realisation by their fathers that it is their own selfishness which has stopped them from marrying, and their attempts to make amends.   There is an awful lot of bowing and polite conversation

Like all other Japanese films I have seen, this reminds me of English films of the same period.  No swearing, no nudity, no violence, just a good story simply told.   There was none of the loud and grating voices you often get in American films today, and definitely no car chases.

It was, in fact, the sort of film you could watch a second time, and just enjoy the different world that it portrayed - a world much more gentle than today.

As the film, which was at the BFI, didn't start till a quarter to nine, it was quite late when I got home.   Walking across the bridge to Embankment is lovely late at night; with all the lighted buildings lining the river it's quite magical.

Ramble - North Harrow to Ruislip

Another Sunday afternoon ramble, this time meeting in North Harrow and making our way through parks and green spaces to Ruislip.   Several of the same people, including a delightful retired biochemist from Romania.

One nice thing about rambles is the is the sort of people you meet on them - usually very friendly and chatty and interesting.   And if the pace isn't too fast, there is plenty of time for chatting.

Concert - St. Pancras Church

A delightful concert in the evening at St. Pancras Church, which is just across Euston Road from the station. They have a  lot of concerts there, including a lot of classical.  

This one was part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, and the concert was preceded at 7 o'clock by a talk by Gavin Bryars on his life and music.   Absolutely fascinating

The concert itself was quite varied, with the Gavin Bryars Ensemble, Addison Chamber Choir and the the Vigala Singers all playing a part.  

Highlights of the evening included the world premiere of "Psalm 126" and the London premiere of "A Time and a Place" and "Jesus Blood Never failed Me Yet" - the latter was a a strangely moving piece, based on the words of a tramp Gavin Bryars had met.

Ramble through Richmond Park

The ramble started at Petersham Gate, which is quite a long walk from Richmond Station - a mile at least I would say, and mostly uphill.    Having not really allowed enough time, I arrived just a couple of minutes before 11 o'clock, when they were due to move off, starting with a walk up the hill of Richmond Park.  

It was a rather overcast day, with the possibility of rain, which is actually quite nice for walking provided the rain doesn't actually materialise.   Later in the afternoon it was really warm.

We walked right through Richmond Park to the cafe on the other side, where we stopped for lunch.   There was quite a range of food, and I had a roll and some soup.  They were also doing a good trade in icecreams.

The other walkers, some of whom I had met on previous rambles, were a very friendly crowd,  so I spent the time chatting while I walked.

After lunch, we continued the ramble and ended up at Barnes Station.   I wanted to do some shopping on the way home, so went up to Rocks Lane and got a bus back to Hammersmith.

Concert - St. George in the East

Another part of the London Sangerstevne, this time at an East End Church.   St. George's was largely destroyed during the War, but has been re-built, although you can still see some of the original building.  The ceiling is somewhat unusual, and so is the entrance - it's very modern, and reminds me a bit of the Methodist Church in Fulham Broadway.

The concert featured a couple of unusual choirs, including one called the Turbelles, who combined singing with movement.    Philip Norman was there again, of course, with his enthusiastic appeal for money!    Unfortunately the audience wasn't very big - certainly not as large as the choirs deserved.

Concert - St. George's Aubrey Walk

Having been out rambling all afternoon, in the evening I went to a fundraising concert entitled "A Festival of Music" at St. George's Camden Hill.

A delightful evening, and I saw a very much older looking Mrs. Stirling, whom I knew from my time at the Kensington Day Centre, sitting across the aisle, although I don't think she saw me.  

I wished I hadn't bothered to have something very quickly to eat before I went, as the tickets included not just nibbles, but piles of more substantial food, mostly deliciously home-made.   Everything looked to enticing I just had to try a few things, even though I'd already eaten.   Well, it was a couple of hours later by the time the interval came round.

Ramble in Twickenham

A nice, pleasant ramble in Twickenham.   We met at the station, which was awash with rugby fans - mostly students, by the look of them, with outrageous costumes.

I first saw them on the platform at Clapham Junction.   Normally on a Saturday afternoon there would be no problem in getting on a train to Twickenham, but today the platform was packed.   And I mean packed!   A bit like the rush hour on the tube when a train has been delayed.   Several trains were too full to get on, even with my years of experience on the underground.   Eventually I moved to the end of the platform in the hope an end carriage might be less crowded.  Well, I did manage to get on, but was absolutely squashed as more people crowded in every station we stopped at.   Mostly young people in outlandish outfits, face paintings and sometimes masks.   All happy and laughing.   And the heat!   I couldn't wait to get to Twickenham!

The walk itself was very pleasant.   There was quite a big group, and as we passed the rugby stadium on the way, we could hear all the rugby supporters.Mostly we followed the River Crane, which eventually ends up in the Thames.    The path was quite narrow and a bit muddy - we had been warned to wear suitable footwear.   You also needed to be wearing trousers, as there were nettles everywhere.

At one point there was a short shower - enough to make you want to put your brolly up, but not enough to seriously wet you unless you were standing in an exposed place - trees were sufficient to break the fall of the rain.   Anyway, it didn't last for long, and it was warm enough to dry out any damp clothing fairly quickly.

Concert - St. John's Holland Road

The concert this evening at St. John's Holland Road was part of the London Sangerstevne, with choirs performing prior to the main all day event tomorrow at St. Matthew's Ealing Common.

The concert, like all the Sangerstevne events, was free, but with an enthusiastic appeal by Philip Norman to give generously to the retiring collection which would go to the church.   And he pointed out, as he always does, that the Church of England, unlike many Continental churches, does not receive ANYTHING AT ALL from the Government, and so needs to raise every penny it costs to get it going.   Notes and cheques acceptable!  

Three choirs were singing - Kensington and Victoria Park Singers from London, Coro Montalbo from Italy and Cor Merched Cwm Llynfi from - guess where? - Wales.   All were very good.   The Italian choir had to use a translator to explain their pieces, and kept moving round taking photos.   Altogether a lovely evening.

The Two Faces of January

Another free cinema ticket courtesy of the Telegraph - this time for The Two Faces of January at the Millbank Cinema in, of course, Millbank.   I went at straight from work so arrived in very good time, but as seats at these free events are never numbered, it's advisable to be there as soon as the doors open, as they are usually fully booked, and latecomers get the worst seats.

The film is based on a book by Patricia Highsmith and is set in Athens and a Greek island.  Fast paced, exciting and with constant twists and turns, it's a thriller, a crime film, a romance, and also has something to say about the morality and deviousness of human beings.    

Canalway Cavalcade

It's May Bank Holiday, so of course Canalway Cavalcade is on at Little Venice.   It was a lovely afternoon for being out of doors,among all the crowds thronging the pathways around the basin and along the canal.   Lots of boats, many gaily decorated; stalls selling all sorts of things from jumble to cheeses; English folk music, and a generally happy atmosphere.

And talking of cheese, the stall where I bought all those delicious cheeses last year was there again, so I stocked up with some more, which will very soon go.   They're in all sorts of interesting flavours that you can't normally get, and if you buy several you get a discount.  

Tea and a cake from the tea bar on one of the boats added to the day; there's something about having afternoon tea sitting on a boat on the canal.  

My Name is

In the evening I went to see "My Name is" at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney.   Based on the true story of a half-Pakistani Muslim girl from Scotland who was the subject of a ,Court case to decide where she would live, with her mother in Scotland or her father in Pakistan, it followed the mother's story from the time she was a teenager in a home with an abusive stepfather.and moved out when she was sixteen to live with a local Pakistani boy - she married him in an Islamic ceremony, but was never married under Scottish law.   The boy was very secular when she started going out with him, but once married, he changed and became a typical controlling husband.   She had converted to Islam, and apparently took it all very seriously, becoming something of an expert on religious practices, so that even her in laws thought she was going too far.  

But it was a stormy marriage, and when she eventually lost her faith whilst on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the fervour that went with it, the relationship was doomed.   Her five children had, however, all been brought up as devout Muslims.

When her husband returned to Pakistan, the twelve year old daughter wanted to live with him - though how much she was influenced by the though of a very comfortable life in Pakistan compared to a life in a small Council flat in Scotland with her mother and stepfather and half siblings is hard to tell.    She slipped away with an elder sister to Pakistan, with her disappearance initially being called abduction, although it later emerged she had wanted to go.   The Courts eventually decided she could stay in Pakistan, though had to be allowed regular contact with her mother.

The play seemed to follow the story quite closely as I remembered it from the news reports, without sensationalising it in any way.  But it did highlight several things very clearly.    The first was the danger of Scottish girls marrying very young into a culture which they don't understand.   Her husband seemed a very ordinary Scottish boy of Pakistani origin - it never occurred to her than he might change if she lived with him and his family.   The second was the cultural differences between them -  he expected her to behave like an uneducated Pakistani girl, rather than an uneducated Scottish girl.   Thirdly, the dangers of marrying without looking very seriously at the implications of changing religion and culture.   The mother mostly saw the marriage as a way of getting away from home and her abusive stepfather - never a good reason to marry.

None of the characters came out as totally sympathetic.   The husband was violent, controlling and unable to realise that he was living in Scotland, not Pakistan.   The wife was from a very rough background, not terribly bright and was also uneducated.   The daughter came out as scheming and manipulative.

But the acting was excellent, and the characters were well cast, making for an excellent play.

Lewisham Rivers

A leisurely stroll looking at rivers in Lewisham in south London.   A huge crowd of people gathered at Lewisham station for the walk - you couldn't miss them.  Part of a programme to get Londoners walking - and so improve their health, it had been quite heavily promoted among those who are involved with services for the elderly, but was also on things like Meet Up and the Ramblers Association.

A bright sunny day, perfect for walking, and I was dressed appropriately - the website said expect some mud, so I was wearing my oldest, most comfortable shoes, which are falling apart from old age, but are just soooo comfortable.   Actually, the walk was only about four or five miles, so not really excessive.  

A really nice crowd of people, all very friendly and chatty, and a leader who was familiar with the local area and interesting details.

One feature of walks like this is that you get to see places you wouldn't think of walking along in normal circumstances.

The river we were following was the River Quaggy, which joins the Ravensbourne at Lewisham station.    It has been forced into a channel with walled sides in Lewisham, but tends to flood if there is too much heavy rain, so arrangements have been made for it to overflow into parks which make up its flood plain, rather than in Lewisham itself.