Last night Dave and I went with one of Dave's co-workers for a drink at our local pub. We decided afterwards that we no longer like this pub, which is a shame -- it used to be a good hangout but then they renovated and it now seems very soulless. It's also a ripoff. I spent £18 on a "black bean salad" that contained romaine lettuce, a scattering of kidney (not black) beans, some hot peppers and a few cubes of sweet potato -- maybe £3 worth of food. And I don't even like hot peppers so I pulled them off.
Anyway, I had a couple of glasses of wine to make it all palatable, and then on the walk home, while Dave ducked into the pharmacy, I snapped the photo above. I didn't have a specific subject -- just random street activity -- and wound up capturing three buses, a furry dog and a woman in a yellow-green coat. Life in West Hampstead.
I went back to the dentist yesterday. Remember my broken front tooth? Well, I showed it to the dentist and she examined it and kept exclaiming how "very bizarre" it was that it broke in the way it did. But fortunately the break was such that it was easily filled. I told her I wondered if it had something to do with my recent cleaning -- not in an accusatory way -- but she didn't cop to that. And indeed it may be completely unrelated. Who knows.
I'm just glad I can no longer feel that jagged absence with my tongue. It was driving me nuts.
This morning, when I opened the back door to let Olga out, a chill hit me. I looked at the temperature and it's 48º F out there! (That's about 9º C.) And today is the Autumnal Equinox, so fall has officially arrived.
Yes, it is a very good street scene of London daily life. I am glad your tooth is fixed, a rough edge is annoying, and definitely worse than losing a bit of enamel.
ReplyDeleteGood to see an old person's seat in the photo. The street looks nice.
ReplyDeleteThe peruvian lilies look beautiful. Oh, I missed that but peruvian lilies are alstroemeria. We used to buy them often as cut flowers. Yours look large.
I don't know why but we rather stupidly change seasons at the ends of months thus 1st of September was our first day of Spring.
I've been wondering if you ever see 3 buses, a furry dog, and anyone in a yellow-green coat.
ReplyDeleteSoulless and an expensive crap salad. The pub sounds awful.
Random street scenes are the most interesting.
ReplyDeleteFall has most definitely fallen this morning here as well.
It won't be long before the foliage on the squash and beans dies down and we can see what has been hiding there!
I rather like the idea of that top picture - no specific focus but giving a snapshot "feel" of the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThe street photo is lovely. 9C? That's overnight temperature here and I choose to stay in bed until the day warms up. Lola stays in with me sleeping and purring.
ReplyDeleteI studied your photo and thought I don't know what he's showing us, looks like a random street scene to me! Which turned out to be what you're showing us! Oh.
ReplyDeleteI'd have sent the salad back and left.
ReplyDeleteI love your windowsill!
I'm happy you got your tooth fixed. Oh gee, what I wouldn't give for a 48 degrees F morning.
ReplyDeleteI really like that photo of your windowsill.
ReplyDeleteDentists can be geniuses.
ReplyDeleteYour photo reminds me of a page from a Richard Scarry book about life in the city where children can pick out all of the different activities going on. I love it! Sometimes these random shots are so interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat salad would have enraged me but I would have done the same as you- just vow never to go back.
Glad you got your tooth filed. Why DOES the tongue go directly to things like that a hundred times a day?
I looked at that street scene picture and fully expected to see the people start moving ... whoa! Shades of Harry Potter ... LOL
ReplyDeleteI would have sent the so-called salad back, as well! By keeping it, you accepted it as being OK.
I converted pounds to dollars to see how much that expensive salad cost. Wow... $22 for that.
ReplyDeleteNice random moment of time there on the streets of London.
Love seeing the Alstromeria there. Ours are still blooming but definitely heading toward the end of the season. Fall is definitely here.
So the equinox and plus 9 makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI've eaten at more than a few places that confuse fine food with a high price tag. I eat at very few of them a second time. If I had been served a salad as you described for that price, I certainly wouldn't go back.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like sweater (and coat and scarf) weather has arrived in your part of the world. I'll keep that in mind.
ReplyDeleteThose Peruvian lilies look fantastic in your window. And, I love the street scene.
I might have sent back the salad. I love black beans, but I'm not a fan of kidney beans. In fact, I have black bean pisole simmering in the crock pot right now!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it the restaurants now feel compelled to put hot peppers in everything?
ReplyDeleteI'll probably bring on a heat wave here since I just moved my shorts out of play and brought my sweaters in.
Sometimes those random shots capture accidental slices of life. My best photos are accidental! That salad doesn't sound great; I don't like hot peppers either--or any pepper.
ReplyDeleteI like the street scene. The yellow coat finds a counter point in the yellow advert (?) on the back of the bus.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful lilies! I am not entirely sure, but I think they are the kind we call Feuerlilien (fire lilies) in German.
How bizarre that the dentist kept remarking on how bizarre your tooth had broken!
Glad you got your tooth fixed with just a filling! And those lilies are gorgeous - that's a very nice tableau on your windowsill.
ReplyDeleteIt arrived the same way here. Rainy and chilly, though not as cold as at your location. I love the "face" pots on the right side of the shelf.
ReplyDeletenot here. still in the 90s. I love alstroemeria. I wonder if they'll grow here. I usually buy them at the grocery store in the flower department.
ReplyDeleteI would have been irritated with salad. It would have gone back. I have only done that once in my life.
ReplyDeleteThat's a damn shame that the pub has ruined itself. There just aren't that many good places left in the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty street scene! 48 degrees is pretty chilly. Our nights are cooler, which I love, but it's still in the upper 80s in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Rachel: It's amazing how even a tiny dental flaw can feel huge!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: I think our Alstroemeria are the normal size. There's often a homeless guy sitting on that "old person's seat."
Mitchell: We won't be going back. It's dead to us now.
GZ: A little late-season harvest, hopefully!
YP: That was exactly my intent. Atmosphere!
River: It was definitely tempting to stay in bed but Olga usually insists on getting up with the sun.
Boud: Ha! I'm full of surprises...or something.
Bob: I don't know why I didn't send it back. The fact that there were no black beans on it was enough of a reason!
Colette: You'll be having them soon enough!
Ellen D: Thank you! I like our little kitchen tableau.
Tasker: Well, I wouldn't go THAT far, but she did solve my problem!
Ms Moon: It IS very Richard Scarry! I used to love his books as a kid. Maybe he helped develop my photographic eye!
Marcia: Yeah, I don't know why I didn't send it back. It never even occurred to me, honestly.
Robin: Yeah, it was absurd. Even for a GOOD salad that was a lot of money.
Red: It does, but I'd say that's a bit cold even for this time of year.
Ed: I can't figure out for the life of me why it cost so much.
Sharon: Yes! It's definitely jacket weather!
Kelly: Yum! Kidney beans seemed a really cheap way out. As others said, I should have sent it back.
Marty: Well, in our case, I think they felt the need to jazz it up somehow. Otherwise it would have been REALLY boring.
Margaret: I used to love green peppers when I was young but I've sort of lost my enthusiasm for peppers as I've aged.
Meike: Yes! Those yellows almost match! I think little synchronicities of color like that often make a photo.
Bug: Dave and I have both been saying, "Why don't we cut these more often?!"
Catalyst: I got two of those when we lived on Portobello Road, near the antique market, and then one more in Hastings last year.
Ellen: I would think if they grow in Peru they would grow in Texas, though I guess you're more arid. (And Peru, at high altitudes anyway, is probably a lot cooler.)
Debby: I can't think of the last time I sent back a meal. I would feel guilty about wasting the food, so I'd probably eat it even if it wasn't what I wanted!
Allison: I just can't figure out what they were thinking. They used to be good for food.
Janie: Our daytime temps are high 60s and low 70s.
Your window area looks good and I just love the street scene -- there's a lot in there.
ReplyDeleteRestauarnts/bar food has gone through the roof. I don't get it. The economy/food costs aren't THAT bad.
I love the whimsy of those vases on the right of your window sill, especially the vase your lilies are in. That is a gorgeous bouquet, by the way.
ReplyDeleteMy take on your tooth is that if cleaning caused a piece to come off, it was only a matter of time before it came off without the cleaning. Que sera, and all that :) ... Unless I missed something and the hygienist was super rough or hit your tooth accidentally or something. Then I'd be asking for the repair bill to reflect that.