under another sun

To London, after confirming with Mum that it was okay due to the extreme heat. Flitting between shadows on the uphill walk from West Hampstead Thameslink to Hampstead station where I arrived early, but just couple of minutes before Mum. We slunk down Flask Walk where Mum really likes the houses as they are beautiful, and also remind her of her grandparent's home in Folkestone. Then into The Olde White Bear, which is proving a perfect little pub there, as there's always space and friendly and covered in pictures and prints featuring white bears in vintage advertising and so on. We lapped up some cold drinks, lager shandy seemed to be the ideal drink for me today, and some food. Mum in good spirits. So lucky that we are still able to meet up in Hampstead. Among other things, she told me her miracle herbal pills seem to be really helping her knee. After a couple of hours we sun dodged back to Hampstead station.  Trespassers on the track somewhere in south London had created train ...

Up to London to meet Mum in Hampstead. Pleasant journeys both ways, despite the trains being stuffed with holidaymakers heading for the airports and, on the way home, even one family with heavy cases but looking forward to their holiday in Seaford. Big thundery looking clouds around today, but I saw no rain, although my lightning tracker went off once or twice, mystifying a little girl sitting opposite me as my trousers rumbled with thunder. I had arrived early and so snuck into Waterstones and treated myself to a couple of books and a new Moleskine notebook. I had a fleeting vision slimming my shelves down a highly-curated library and taking the rest to charity. But this was a moment of madness.    Mum also early at the station, so we mooched down Flask Walk past the school and up New End to The Old White Bear. Had a lovely time with Mum enjoyed a long chat over lunch and a couple of drinks and coffee. I gave her a little glass necklace which Adele had made, and she told me a...

To Hampstead with Mum today. Finished Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler. Outside my usual reading ambit, but fun nevertheless. A really easy journey for me, though Mum's train had to be taken out of service. I met her at Hampstead station and toddled all the way down Flask Walk, round the back of a school full of children in the playground demonstrating their healthy lungs. Into The Old White Bear which is one of our new haunts. In the Old White Bear a table full of posh theological students nearby, the most valuable wearing red trousers and a wide brimmed hat. Being God focused clearly not irreconcilable with being a dandified fop -- which I liked. Mum and I were talking about art, and I was reminding her of painting and artwork she did when she was younger and we were living in Neasden, for example a tall totem pole made out of vertebrae, a nail picture of the sun and moon and swirling stars. I remember her hammering many nails into an old door and spraying gold and silver onto i...

A decent night's sleep in Edgware and as Mum had some avocados we had avocados on toast for breakfast. Then we decided to head for Hampstead. Not been on that train ride for some time. We got off at Golder's Green and we caught a bus a few stops up the hill to Golder's Hill Park, where we'd spent lots of time when I was young. Mum didn't remember much about it, but we walked a little about the little walled garden, and met a squirrel who I pretended to have food to give it so it came very close. It was almost tame, and was irritated I had nothing and was leaping up onto the fence very close to me, then ran about near us, to the point we almost felt bullied by it. A quick wander over to see some red deer, and look into a cage where there were a pair of kookabarras, who were noisily doing their call which I'd never heard in real life before. Then a bus up to Whitestone pond, and we wandered down to The Old White Bear again, to enjoy a cold drink, as it had got ver...