To Barbara Sher's French Retreat: London calling

Day 8

OMG I am in love again.  I remember why I loved london so much for all those years.

Last night i landed at heathrow and got myself on the Picadilly line, late, thanks to signal failure, to meet margie at covent garden at the end of the opera.  I had  been hoping to join her at intermission but alas, i was too late ... So i ask the english dudes along the way 'where is The Globe pub?' ... And the old guy walks me over all the while in his broad english accent, talking about Tasmania an how he hasn't been yet ... Wants to.

i am already in heaven at being in central london with the cobbled streets and the beautiful old buildings, REAL pubs and interesting and varied little shops .... I open the door to the pub, huge red suitcase in toe, and the beaming barman greets me in his very sexy italian accent 'so you must have just arrived from Australia!' ... 'is it that obvious?' says me, wondering if the trademark freckles and sun damaged skin, which usually make an Aussie stick  out like dogs balls on the tube (against all the pristine sun deprived english or glowing olive skins on the Europeans) .

He he, no your friend Margie asked me to call her when you arrive ,... So he hands me his iPhone and i pluck her number out ...

That sounds like margie, quickly and charismatically wooing the barman to go out of his way to  re-unite us!!

Anyway I am still standing at the bar deciding between the three real english ales he just poured me to taste when she arrives ....

I could feel her beaming smile before she even came through the door ... And next she was beside me giving me a huge and lovely hug.  MArgie and i met on the back of a Turkish dolmus (bus) on the black sea coast in 1996!!!  we hit it off instantly and I looked her up when i got back to London and she so kindly put myself and traveling companion Ange up in her west london flat (in the ceiling) to co-habitate with herself and her two raving vegan/swedish/canadian flatmates!!

anyway back to the globe, we shared a pint, and a chat (god, where to start?) and  soon we were in a big ole double decker heading home to their little south london flat and a warm cosy and lovely welcome by her partner Dave (also now, long lost friend) and Barbarella, their 18 year old Ginger cat who drools all over me whenever he revs up a loud purrrrrr.

After more chats, pasta and some wine, 1.30 am, sleep was welcome with it 24 hours since I woke in Thailand to hop on the plane.

the new day dawned and with my hosts off to work, the only thing i wanted to do was walk over to my old home and playground, Brixton. 

Brixton still rocks!!! freaking yay ,,, it has gotten better!!!   I love it.  A mixture of all the old greasy spoon cafes and pubs and 'offies'... Mingled now with suave little street side coffee shops ... New as I don't think coffee good and proper had hit london ten years ago ... Unless you count the infiltration of star bucks, which really darlings ... I don't think so.

so as you can imagine this is janiney heaven.  I am now sitting in a little colombian restaurant in Brixton arcade ...

brixton markets generally are a mixture of the most wondrous fresh produce, fish markets, coffee shops, op shops, wigs, gadgets .... And cries of oi darlin' ....

And i walk in here, to my colombian lunch place, nearly all the punters are south american and i get to have a blast from the past with my South american trip .. South american cuisine is not exactly proliic anywhere i have seen ... So this is just gorgeous and quirky and highly authentic.,.....

FReaking delicious!!! can't believe it.  Frijoles, rice, beef, scrambled egg and the thing that totally tops it off and flew me straight back to colombia ... The salsa picante and the arreppa!  Did I say I am in heaven??

Love it ... With the planes flying overhead, the ambulance sirens flying by, the latin rhythms then around And about thrre is the organic fruit juice shop, free trade community shops with the 'give and take' table ... And very edgy eclectic mix of every shape, size, ethnicity and persuasion of interesting looking people!!! He he.

Next stop is the little place right around the corner that says 'best coffee in brixton' ... And now i am here, my god ... It is!!! The Anzac biscuits on the counter clued me in, and so was unsurprised  (and rather proud) that the guy was an aussie.  The five punters that flowed through my table all concurred that it was bloody good coffee .

I sit Down at one of the few tables. Which get shared because there are more people than table space and instantly get chatting to the punters ,,,, after a couple of mad english men asking if you have to have an iPad to be allowed to sit at this table cheekily engage ,,,, we have a laugh and then the canadian girl and i strike up a conversation.   She's been living here for Three years and just finished her art degree ,,, and lo and behold she is a yoga teacher!!!  by the end of our chat I have the address of the best yoga place in Camden and her phone and email!!!  so sweet .   funny how these things work hey?

The canadian girl said 'what is it about you aussies ... Are you just good at everything???' (referring to the great coffee) He he thinks me... Then the english guy said 'yeah .. I heard the kiwis and aussies are getting so obsessed with coffee ...they even have barista competitions that are Full on ( like der ... That's meant to be newsworthy??) I told him my local coffee place in hobart has a coffee menu and tasting notes to help me choose the blend i want  for the day!

Sigh ... I miss this stuff i realize sydney had nothing Ike this either ... I have a sneaking suspicion that melbourne might though :)

alright ... I thought i had heard it all ,.. And from my last time here in Brixton ,,, being asked for money at many a turn by the abundance of homeless bods... I am reminded again whilst sitting at my coffee table, by this beat up looking woman that 'I need to get a bus ticket please mam' ,,,  'please help me', she had a scar on her nose, a red face and eye ... She sounded desperate and continued ... 'he just hit me i am leaving, I need to get home, I live in middlesex,  you are the only one who has listened to me, please help....' when I look her in the eye and pause she continues .... "I will give you my name and address mam, please...."

I looked Her straight in to the eye for a long time, and thought 'con?' ,,, give her money or not? of course she's faking it, she's a great salesperson, yet, I had so totally engaged with this woman,  I thought, ok, here you go,  2 quid .... She said thank you it is four forty . I said well,  here is 2 and all the best i hope that Helps ....  I got to be generous anyway... Bless her ...,

She probably saw my camera an thought, ahhh here we go then!!!

So I found my bus home eventually after the aussie guy told me i was the friendliest customer they had ever had, he he, must be the hick Tasmanian not yet bruised out of me by the nonchalance and solitary nature of normal too-busy-to-engage Londoner mentality .....

margie and dave take me to their local pub with their mates and we chat about factoral combinations of three letter urls, And god knows what else, then wash that down with a good ole English indian curry.  bloody brilliant

By the time i fall in to bed after 12 with my alarm set for 4.20 am, I am beginning to feel my travels, my time zones, my jet lag and my lack of sleep creep up ...

so little wonder i managed it out in to toulouse today for lunch, then fell asleep at 2 pm ..... To awake at 11pm .... Now i am here in the lobby of my hotel, listening to the abundant night life of toulousians, ready to go back up for more sleep,.... I will then be refreshed hopefully for the next week's adventures.

Loads of love
J

Ps i saw my little spunk muppet out and about on facebook!! Thanks so much sonja for looking after him.

Pps i am iPad keyboardily challenged so thats why the capitalization and punctuation sucks on these blogs .... You get the picture anyway i hope :)