A Londoner?

Yesterday while standing at the corner of Russell Square, two young Latin men catch my attention and one says, “Piccadilly Seerk?”. I look confused and ask, “what?”
He laughs, looks at his friend and tries again, “Piccadilly Seerk?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I just got here yesterday. See? Here’s my map,” as I pull out my mini map of London. “Do you want to go to the Piccadilly train line?” I ask.
“Uhm, no we are from Brazil and we thought you are a Londoner.”
“Me? No, I just got here. Let’s look at the map — oh, are you looking for Piccadilly Circus?” Their eyes light up, “yes, where is it?”
I show them the map, we make hand gestures, they laugh, thank me and blend back into the crowd.

Midweek

Tags

habit, work

Wednesday, on a busy week, after bank runs and organic supplies, work comes flying in the face the moment I step inside.  Unlike the work pace of the 1960’s, American’s fly through days multi-tasking at lightening speeds.  Midweek, there are pauses that revive, slowing colleagues who lighten the load by sharing a story or saying a quick, albeit brief hello, as we all climb on.

Mr. Paddy Carroll, Thurles Train Station in Co. Tipperary, National Library of Ireland on the Commons, April 26, 1961

Old friends

Tags

West, women

Visiting with old friends brings back childlike wonder.

“Girls Skipping at an athletics carnival,” unattributed studio, Sydney, Australia, c. 1880 – 1923, The Tywell Collection, Powerhouse Museum Collection

Winter garden

Tags

California, nature, plants, West, winter, women

Although we are far from harvesting and winnowing, we have started a winter garden from seed, hoping that the sprouted indoor fledglings will transplant well once they are strong enough.  In the meantime, we continue to care for the small seeds that are finding their way up through the soil in the warmth of our well lit kitchen.

Land army girl winnowing flax at the Drouin flax mill, Drouin, Victoria by Jim Fitzpatrick (1916 – ), National Library of Australia Commons photostream

Taking a break

Tags

friends, resting, ritual, women

Not doing any writing today.

“Taking a break,” 1969 (Two women take a break from Church cleaning at St. Audoen’s Church, High Street, Dublin), National Library of Ireland on the Commons

New friends

Tags

Australia, friends, travel

In the 1930’s, Amy Johnson, the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia was photographed with her friends in Sydney by photographer, Sam Hood. As I make new friends in Callie I try to notice those who travel, or those who I see in my travels who might say hello even in passing.

Driving to work on surface streets takes me passed several schools with yellow vested crossing guards. Since my attempts at the traditional North Carolina finger wave have failed, I’ve begun to use the slight hand wave with a directed smile and eye contact to greet my early morning crossing guard. She smiles back, surprised that a driver would acknowledge her efforts to get young children across the street through rush hour traffic.

“Amy Johnson & friends,” 1930, by Sam Hood, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

Making your own small universe

Tags

Australia, creation, gestures, habit, poetry, ritual, tea

Practicing the ritual of having tea with your friends or family is one way to move more deeply into living.  This habit, and others like it:  reading poetry aloud, holding hands while walking, bowing a head in prayer, washing someone’s hands, or extending a cup of tea brings us into the real by pulling us out of time and the tasks that push at us to be completed.  Once in this moment, simple gestures lends themselves to creation – to the making of one small world that connects with many other worlds in bonds one has to be still enough to see.

Tea break for the Lynch sisters, Queensland, Australia, State Library of Queensland