Well, it wasn't exactly true that we didn't celebrate yesterday. Dave informed me we were going out to dinner but wouldn't tell me where. Then he walked me through the neighborhood to Notting Hill Tandoori, a cute Indian place on All Saints Road right across from the Ringo Starr store. We had a quiet dinner with just the two of us in the entire restaurant, which was kind of nice. (It was just after 6 p.m., early for dinner by British standards.) We sat by the front window sipping our Kingfishers and watched the passersby huddled against the chilly night.
I had King Prawns (aka shrimp) with Bangladeshi Broad Beans. I was curious about the beans, which turned out to be green and kind of lima bean-ish, but smaller and with a smoother texture.
Earlier in the day I had a long Skype conversation with my mom, who mostly grumbled about the current political scene in Florida, and a short conversation with our pal Marilyn in New Jersey, who happily rode out Hurricane Sandy unscathed and now has to drive around in the middle of the night to get in line for gasoline to run her generator. It sounds like a draining way to live. I'd be tempted to let the house go dark, but Marilyn's husband has a fish tank and needs to keep the pump running for the sake of the fish.
Otherwise, I didn't even leave the house yesterday -- just did some cleaning, some work and some reading. I'm still trying to respond to all the birthday wishes on Facebook. It's cool to get a "happy birthday" message from people you otherwise haven't heard from in ages. I sometimes balk at writing "happy birthday" on someone else's Facebook wall, particularly if it's someone I haven't seen or talked to in a long time, but I suppose that's all the more reason to do it -- it's a great way to touch base with friends!
(Photo: Notting Hill reflected in the back window of a Smart Car. If I drove here in London, I'd get a Smart Car. They're cute and you can park them practically anywhere.)
Because of you blog, Steve, I am now thinking of London as being the most exotic place imaginable. Your words and your photos are like a magical entry way to this world. Thank-you. And may tonight's dinner be another sort of lovely.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, happy birthday, belatedly to you!
ReplyDeletethere was a mexican restaurant in our neighborhood for a few years that was next to a ballroom, owned by the same people. we ate there a lot because the food was really good, lunch and dinner. the crazy thing was, we were often the only diners there. and then one day we went for lunch and the place was closed. stuff still on the tables, it was like they walked out, locked the door, and never came back. the ballroom closed too. we often wondered what had happened.
ReplyDeleteWell, happy birthday, Steve!
ReplyDeleteAnd that story of the fish tank needing to be sustained is just too much.
I'm glad you had a good day. Your dinner sounds yummy.
ReplyDeleteI love smart cars - so flippin cute! I don't know if I would have the guts to drive one on the 8 miles of interstate on my commute, but if I could afford one I might try!