Diaspora

After James got back from church and we had a "full English breakfast" I prepared in our flat (scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins, and a tangerine--we decided to leave off the grilled tomato), we walked the length of Hyde Park along Bayswater Rd, checking out this week's display of art (much the same as last week with a few new artists), then strolled through Speaker's Corner and listened to the usual Christian zealots, Socialist zealots, African zealots, Messianic Jewish zealots, and one old nutjob in an orange mini-kilt and green vest, hat, and socks do a "Peace Dance for a New World" that looked like Transvestite Tinkerbell having a fit.

Having exhausted the possibilities on the Corner, we headed diagonally across the park to the Serpentine to enjoy a couple hours of a 2-day free outdoor music festival called "The London Diaspora," featuring bands from around the globe. We heard a Colombian salsa group and then an Egyptian ensemble headed by a fiddler named Waile (I think that's how you spell it) who has played with Peter Gabriel, among others. Mostly we had fun people-watching; I'll post a couple of pictures next time of the more interesting characters.

This was supposed to be a "light day," so I prepared by wearing sturdy sneakers and bringing snacks and a bottle of water for the inevitable trek over miles of London streets. And, sure as shooting, as we left Hyde Park James told me about a section of town just beyond our neighborhood, near Paddington Station, that he saw this morning on his way to church that he'd like to explore and asked, "Are you game?" Game? Of course I am! And he was right--it's a lovely area with a number of architecturally beautiful crescents and mews, and a pub that served a bang-up Sunday roast complete with Yorkshire pudding.

We went in search of the statue of Paddington Bear that's reported to be at the station but failed to find him. I just looked it up on-line to confirm that there really is a statue there and, yes there is--I even saw a picture of it. Although we all know what can be done these days with PhotoShop...

Tomorrow we're going back to Southbank to see a couple of exhibits we missed last time at the Tate Modern plus hike over a bit further to check out the reconstructed Globe Theatre. At 6pm there's a movie called "Daratt" by one of only 2 directors working right now in Chad, Africa, playing at the Film Institute that we want to see. It's being distributed independently, so I don't know if it will make its way to the US. The other night we saw the film "Water" about the oppressive situation of widows in Hindu society--it was beautifully done and absolutely devastating. James and I both felt like our hearts had been torn from our bodies and stomped on when we left the theater. I recommend it highly, with the warning that it's an emotional tsunami.

And now it's back to the flat to watch the 2nd half of a 2-part mystery we saw last Sunday evening. Only about 5 miles of walking today--a light day.