2017

And so 2017 is coming to an end, its been a crap year for many reasons. Its been a year of Donald Trump as President, with perhaps 7 more to go.

It was a diastrous year for Puerto Rico.

A horrible year for many in Venezuela - I know one story of a man who came to London a few weeks ago, struggling to speak English in a foreign land. A proud man who had his own business back home, but because he was in a situation where he had a little when so few others did he was unable to go to work each day and earn for his family with the certainty of coming home at the end of the night, instead had to come find work at Heathrow airport on a low paid job so at least then he would know he would be alive tomorrow and have something to give his loved ones each week.

It was a year that the arrogance and predatory behvaiour of Weinstein and Spacey, and others came to the fore.

Another year of Brexit and its lack of direction from government, and accountability from any sort of opposition. A year of rising prices, and wage stagnation for limited job security for the many.

A year when a man knelt down for a cause, became the symbol of a just movement and yet lost a year's worth of work, and maybe more.

And Cheggars died.

There has been good things that have happened this year too. The long overdue #metoo might well not put an end to predatory behaviour by arrogant men in powerful positions but it might help draw a stronger line in the sand of what is and isn't acceptable. It might make more men consider their mothers, sisters, and daughters before they make any selfish advances.

When sport allows so many to make vasts amount of money on a week by week basis its heartening that a man such as Colin Kaepernick can put his liveliehood at risk by standing up for a cause that he deeply cares about.

Mugabe is no longer leader of Zimbabwe. I have no sure that the next leader will be any better, it might well be more more of the same but here's hoping that a once proud nation can find the strength to kick on and the people prosper once again.

Max Clifford died in Prison. I have no words.

Coco, the movie....it might be the end of the year but at last here's a movie I have to see. Anyone else?

Listening to Mau y Ricky, Karol G - Mi Mala Where's mine?

Carnival

So this weekend was Notting Hill Carnival weekend.

I've been living in London for 4 summers now, and never had the Monday off until now. So I have always missed out on this spectical. Today having the bank holiday I was determined to enjoy the show. Turned out having an appointment earlier on in the day and unsure of when it may end I was jimmy no mates doing it by myself.

The atmosphere starts early. As soon as you get off the underground train at Notting Hill Gate you are met with a wall of sound. 'Bu bam bam bu bamm bamm bu bamm bamm' as the metal sheeting of the escalators is hit in rhythm by eager festivity goers. For one horrible moment I thought the vuvuzelas of the South African World Cup were going to be heard throughout bu thankfully were mostly only heard on the way up to the street level. Had to feel sorry for any police whose duty it was to keep an eye on the happenings underground though - a few hours of that party sound might not be as enjoyable as it was for the rest of us.

Once you hit street level, its somewhat chaotic, you are dragged along by a sea of crowd - some of which knows where they are going, but a heck of lot don't. Some are going against the tide. Which just adds to the confusion. Eventually though you get on path and start the parade proper..where the fun begins...apologies for the photographs...a lot of them are just overhead shots trying to get past the  camera phones and above the fantastic hair line level which puts my lack of effort in the hair style  to shame.

It was a fun day, not without troubles. For most its an excuse to party and celebrate like any carnival should be. For some its an excuse to use the crowd as an opportunity, I had a backpack that was a temptation. But with one camera around my neck and another in my hand I had nothing in it worth taking. An unfnished book intended for the travel home wasn't pilfering but its certainly worth being smart about what you take with you. Other than that a couple of moments of chaos when the crowd surged is nothing to really write about - its to be expected, not so much when a line of police run away from the surge....that was more worrying. Just as I was about to take a picture of what at the time looked like some very bored policemen. My timing sucks!

More Barcelona

Spending 5 days in Barcelona and 4 days in Glasgow, after over 2 years without a holiday was a sweet relief. It sure helped to blow some cobwebs to the side that had been built up when a 5 week job turned into 2 years of  long hours and not a lot of room for life.

Barcelona in particular had been a long held ambition of mine. For some reason Spain in general has never been on the radar for me, but since the 1988 Olympics the city of Barcelona has been drawing me in. Something about those Gaudi buildings, the streets, the football club left an imprint on my mind from a young age. Life though always had me going in other directions and destinations.

When I finally got there the city did not disappoint. The weather was every bit as good as it was in Glasgow. One morning of rain that delayed me going out as early as I could have but other than that more blue skies and warm temperatures to enjoy the city with. When I forgot to do something about my sim card before I left for Spain, I used the rain delay to spend extra time indoors to enjoy the wifi to better plan my day's iternary. Not that it worked to good effect on that particular day. I arrived at Parc Guell to enjoy the Gaudi mosaics at 12:30ish climbing up the hills and steps in 27C only to discover if I wanted to enjoy that part of the Parc I would have to wait until 8pm...well no, paitience isn't a virtue of mine when there is so much of the city to see, and so little time. The best laid plans of mice and men....I usually work better on spontanaetity when in strange cities.

One of my favourite places in Barcelona, when so many of the tourist spots seemed to be overwhelming busy was a chance discovery off Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas itself is a busy promenade where tourists tend to get their bearings for the city, along here they can drink Sangria by the jug, or enjoy the La Boqueira Food Market, which sadly now seems to cater more for tourists than the locals. Personally although I liked the area, I wasn't tempted to eat along this street as I felt though there was plenty of options to do so along the length of the promenade it didn't really have a local vibe and certainly for the prices charged I felt there was probably better options in other parts of the city. 

It was actually away from the hustle and bustle of this area, just up one of the side streets that I found my favourite place in the city to chill. I'm an explorer my nature, I like to get lost in strange places in order to find my way around, It was on one those let's get lost and explore, that I came across this area.

Doesn't look much at first glance. but through this opening, a mere 15 minute walk away from Las Ramblas is a little piece of heaven in Barcelona. Here you won't see too many tourists. Its a locals spot where people chill out in the hot sun, play with there dogs, talk to old friends. When I had enough of the city and its tourists, I came here for a little bit of quiet time on 3 seperate days.

Here the people of Barcelona claim a secret spot of the city as their own, but on each occasion i'd spend enough tine here to chat away to some local people. On my first day a couple of old Spanish ladies were chatting away to me, after a dog decided to say hola first. I was really struggling, I couldn't make out a word they were saying, either my Spanish needs some serious practice after being under used over the last 4 years or they were speaking Catalan (always a possibility in Barcelona), but together we were trying to communicate, mostly me nodding my head alot wondering what they just said and throwing in the odd Spanish phrase here and there and opportune moments. That dog was the one pushing it though. Once we were up and running he decided he'd done his good work for the day and went off to play ball on his own again.

The next day you see a man the siting next to the pigeon, we were chatting away for half an hour, my Spanish was a little better by this stage, still struggling but between my bad Spanish, and his slightly better English, I was finding out a little about his life story and how he ended up coming from Morocco and settling in Barcelona. You don't get too much of that in the tube in London. Everyone is always on their phone in their own little world, not even wanting to interact with much in the way of eye contact. In this little oasis in the city of Barcelona though, noone brought their phones out. they were either just chilling in silence happy to be away from the buzz of the city, having something to eat or drink in a small restaurant to the right just out of  viewpoint from this photo above. Playing chess with giant pieces on the slabwork, or chatting to old and new friends.

When in Barcelona, explore. Beyond the tourists hotspots the true city hides little gems.

Had I planned this better, had I had some foresight of what I was going to do in Barcelona I might either have taking more pictures here than just the one, or at least straightened this one up and had more foreground. But really I don't really plan my shoots too often, instead I tend to go with the flow and see what I come across.

The reason I took a quick photo of the lawn bowlers in Glasgow was after 9 years away I completely forgot it goes on. In America, all bowling is indoors and involves pins. In London I don't know of any outdoor sites where bowls is played. There may be, but in a city where space is at a premium I certainly haven't seen any. In many towns around the Scotland its a sport played by middle class old ladies, but here in Glasgow judging by the voices of many of the anticipants it seems to be played by the young working class men of the city.

Its certainly not as nerdy as dressing up like Harry Potter and putting a fake broom between your legs that can't fly and playing a game of quidditch - that went on in the same park, I kid you not! Sadly at the time I was too confused at what the hell was going on to take that picture. It was only when I was some distance away that I put it together.

Un, Dos, Tres!

Vamos!

Glasgow

After 5 years of living in the States and coming up for 4 years in West London I finally made it home to Glasgow for a few days. I have always been proudly Scottish and a weegie to boot but it really took this trip to hammer home just how much I have Glasgow in my veins. Getting off that Virgin rail train it hit me hard just how much I miss this city.

I've worked hard at liking London, I go in and try and take in as much of the city and what it has to offer when I have my days off work, but despite my efforts I don't love it as much as I love Glasgow.

Now I got lucky on this trip home. The weather has been superb every day I got here. So those blue skies sure helps, but it goes so much deeper than that.

Glasgow is a young city. Its full of life. Young people seem to be everywhere. In London there is 10 million peope and of course there are young people everywhere too, but London is pricy to live in it seems to push the young aside, somehow Glasgow just seems to be all that more abundent with young people. Its affordable for housing. The music scene for such a small city is redicilously strong. It seems to be a city where if you aren't in a band you are going to watch a band.

The food scene has got really exciting too in the 9 years I've been away. I passed a bar that plays jazz and serves New Orleans style gumbo. In my London travels I have yet to see that, i'm sure its out there, but it sure wasn't available in Glasgow when I was last living here. As a foodie who has travelled somewhat, I'm immensly proud at the growth of my home city in my absense.

Then there is the art scene, it seems just as strong as the music scene, probably in no small part down to the affordability of living here. It might not be a city you come to for a tan (normally - this week is not the norm folks), nor is it the place you come for silly priced bottles of rosé, but it is a place where music, food and art breathes without taking you for a ride at the expense of your wallet.

Just walking the streets is testement to that. Car parks, underneath roads, or just bare walls, street art jumps out at you.

I Am Not My Hair

Growing up as the son of a hairdresser I spent too much time as a kid sitting bored during holiday season or after school as finished in a quiet corner of the salon so as an adult the last place I want to spend any time at all is the hairdressers or barbers. I want to get in and, as little time sitting waiting for my name to be called and having my head in front of the mirror as possible

Not much in the way of chit chat, or small talk. No fussing, no running a hand through my hair looking into my eyes through the mirror reflection and asking me whether I want it this way or that. I'm happiest when there is no wait, and they just get down to it, spray my greasy hair with water, ignore any instructions I may have because quite frankly beyond getting rid of that annoying bit at the back that curls up when its getting too long I don't really know anyway. I'm quite happy if the barber just treats my head like its the Australian Sheep-shearing championship, scissors, comb, shoves my head from side to side, snip, snip, snip, done.

And yet dispute all this being true for me, there is a part of me that walks past strangers in the street and sees amazing hair on a daily basis and has a little bit of envy, not jealousy as such (because I'm way to lazy for that) but more awe. Some people seem to have hair that is like an extension of their character and personality, and others can rock having no hair. And then there is me washing mine with cheap shampoo and wondering why it feel likes straw afterwards and not caring enough to change it, as long as its not starting to curl up at the back – because then it has to come off.

Maybe I should start a new photo project and capture some of that wonderful hair out there, now that would be irony - something Mr I've spent so much time avoiding any interest in turning full circle to his roots.

At this time of year, my heart has been at its heaviest the last couple of years. Back when I was married and living in the States, it was about this time of year that we as a couple got to keep the kids for the Summer months. As a couple we always busy and having two kids that needed to be entertained did add a little extra stress at for those 12 weeks of Summer, especially when both kids seemed to have very different eating choices at night. However despite the stress, it was a beautiful time of the year, it was a time that allowed to me to build a relationship with two loving needy kids, time that was denied us for much of the year but for every second weekend when they were getting schooled in another State.

I wasn't around for their births, I wasn't their blood father, but when I came into their lives at 5 and 3 respectfully, as someone who was marrying their mother I made the commitment to be part of their lives forever. Being a step father is never easy, trying to get the right balance, when their real father is still very much part of their lives, can be difficult. It can also be trying, I am not someone who cries easily, but there were times when something my stepkids could say something that could hurt deeply that maybe on another day wouldn't hurt so bad. And yet there was so much joy, for five years I watched as those kids grew up, and experienced life, and I miss being apart of that every day.4

I will always be there for those two beautiful kids, that my heart thinks of as my own, I still hope that one day I can take them around Scotland, and the world. I just hope that now that I am no longer with their mother, that the chapter I was in their lives doesn't become forgotten in the annuls of time.

A lot has been made of what happens to kids and parents when a marriage breaks down, but not much is written or talked about when a second marriage breaks down, and relationships are built up and pulled apart between kids and step parents. It can be truly heartbreaking.

So I ended up making myself some ceviche today instead of taking the one hour trip from the West of London to a Peruvian restaurant in Soho which tends to be my weekly excursion. The commute is getting old, it would be better if the portions for the main courses after a ceviche appetiser was worth the trip, but sadly I can't in all honesty say that it is. So yes after buying the fish yesterday, which again involved another long trek - boy do I hate living out in the sticks, I made my own ceviche and I have to admit it was delicious. It was all I could do to not eat it all in one sitting. Its been quite a struggle to leave any for tomorrow, especially when my hands smell of ginger, garlic and coriander - I wouldn't mind having a new aftershave that smelt that good. Of course that would probably make me hungry.

Adventure begins with you

Well thats another Summer in London gone! An initial five week temporary assignment at work turned into 3 - 4 months and just like that summer came and went and I'm like hey its September how come I never saw any of the Summer. Dates in the calender in June, July and August got lost in 15 hour days, crappy take away food and not enough sleep and before I knew it September slapped me in the face and all because someone who was supposedly having a life saving medical operation was talking complete bogus!

Do I not like selfish people at the moment!

Seriously need a holiday after all this. Mars looks good, maybe a one way trip would be best.

Actually I like this picture, it reminds me that I don't hate people. I do like to seeing people have fun. I need some fun in my life. 

Soapy bubbles anyone?

Listening to: Pedro Aznar - A Primera Vista

Summer Time Eating

Its starting to feel like summer here, well the temperatures are rising anyway, even if the clouds like to remind you that this is London still. With summer I seem to get even more lazy with cooking. Ideally I'd walk out of work and pick up some food being prepared in the street but I'm seriously fed up with the choices here, Indian though good is expensive, Chinese is just blah, if I have any more fish n chips or burgers my heart will probably go into reject mode, and though the Turkish Kebabs here are decent i've had them way too often on a saturday night. Choices exhausted I had to get inventive. What was I missing out on? I hate shopping when I'm hungry and have no ideas. Especially at the overpriced shop that pretends to be a supermarket in these parts. Begin at the veg aisle and just start throwing shit into the hand basket.

Tomatoes
Coriander
Radishes
Jalapeno
3 Limes
Red Onions
Pineapple
3 Granny Smith Apples
3 Oranges

Add some Cayanne Chilli Powder
Some Salsa
Some Mince
Some Tortillas
and don't forget the Irn Bru

Now the hand basket is overflowing its time to pay for it, go home and find a use for this mixture.

Dinner was easy fried off the mince with the red onion and salsa, threw that in with the cherry tomatoes, coriander, radishes into a tortilla making some tacos that reminded me of many a cheap night on the streets of Salt Lake.

Dessert was much harder work. But infinitely worth the extra effort. I love pineapple but I hate cutting one, but this fruit salad I had in mind called for the sweetness of the pineapple. The pineapple cut into one inch chunks, together with the oranges and finer sliced apple on its own would have been just like any other boring fruit salad, tasty perhaps but probably not worth all the energy expended. This is where it started to get interesting. I took the red onion that I hadn't used in the tacos, Finely sliced it, took the jalapeno and finely sliced the hell out of that too, threw it with the rest of the fruit, giving it all a good shake. Added a little salt. Took the 2 and half limes I hadn't used on the tacos, and squeezed every last drop of lime juice out on to the fruit salad. Took a spoonful of the cayanne pepper and distributed it around the fruit so that each piece became dotted with the dark powder. Ah fuck it! I like me some heat. I added another spoonful. Now to taste. Holy shit !!! I could sell this. The sweetness of the fruit, the refreshing combination of the lime and corander, merge with the heat of the jalapeno and chilli powder and your mouth is having a party unsure what the fuck is going on but loving every bite. I ended up adding another couple of spoonfuls of chilli powder because I loved the feeling of my mouth being on fire whilst the juice of the fruit refreshed it with each bite so by the time I ate two bowls of fruit salad I was in need of a glass or two of Irn Bru. But then again I did sip up all the firery leftover juice once I cleared the bowl of fruit.

If I had the time I might have been tempted to get myself a little market stall and sell this - then again I hate cutting up pineapple, screw it - this is one fruit salad I'll be keep for myself.

Listening to: Creo En Ti - Ana Tijoux & Juanito Ayala

Feeling A Little Melancholic

The day I fell in love I wanted to give the world, the moon, the sun, the sky, the sea. Give the gift of flight. I didn't need to be a hero to no one, but I did want to protect my love from dawn to dusk. Then when it all turned sour I realised I needed all that as much for me as for my love. Without the one I love being my focus I grew weak, lost my strength and became directionless. With love I was powerful, exceptional, without - ordinary, and weak, rudderless  - all my apparent strengths swept away in one wave. Missing half of my being, my strength, my shelter, my compass, hours pass and tick away and I am not whole. All I thought I wanted to give away, I wasn't giving any more than my love had already given me just by being the map that showed me the way. Love it makes us strong, it makes us weak, it makes us selfless, it makes us needy, complete and so damn complicated.

Listening to: Franklin - Lullaby

When not in Gotham ....

... Batman hides in plain sight in  - Peru, in a simpler type of vehicle.

Chile 101 - 1

Pancito

Today, Scotland Decides!

WOW! Where do I begin with this post? Today, yes TODAY, this is going to be a momentous day for the future of Scotland, and for the rest of the United Kingdom of Great Britain too. Sadly events conspired in my life that in this day I don't get the chance to vote on the issue. I would not change the last six years of my life to allow me to do so, not when most of those 6 years were the best years of my life. Still it is sad that as an expat Scot that I don't get to take part in this historic day

Rightly or wrongly, whatever you think about empire building, the facts are Scots as part of the UK over centuries helped build an empire, they helped build countries and nations, with skill, knowledge, ingenuity, and back breaking endeavour Scots have been the tool to shape countries far and wide. Now today, in September 2014, some in the No campaign would have you believe that Scotland doesn't have what it takes to build its own nation. Thats utter crap of course. There are nations out there with less that what Scotland has that has the means for a prosperous for future.

As a Scotsman, I'm proud to be British, and I'm proud to be Scottish. Whatever the result that we wake up to on Friday I will be proud and a little saddened. I will be proud that 97% of the possible electorate has been energised enough to exercise their right to vote on this issue. I hope that the result is just the beginning for that electorate, I hope people of all political persuasions are encouraged to continue to keep interested in the issues going forward, and that the politicians are held to account by a hungry electorate demanding that their voice be heard.

As a Scotsman I would vote Yes to an independent Scotland. The Better Together campaign in charge of galvanising the No vote lost the argument for me when they ran a campaign based on telling people what we couldn't do if Scotland was an independent nation. I'm sorry but my wife would tell you I am as stubborn as they come, you tell me what I can't do and I'll tell you what I can. In a country of 5.3million people, 4.2 million are signed up to vote. 97 out of every 100 people eligible to vote has signed up to do just that. A very small number won't have a voice, and most of those people will be under the age of 16. I am hugely disappointed that the No campaign thought the way to win this election was to those millions of voters what they couldn't do if they weren't part of the UK.

I would have much more respect for the Better Together campaign message had it been run differently. Had they run a positive message based on a vision for a positive British future with Scottish interests at the heart then I would have listened to that message. I was born in Scotland, but I grew up British, I grew with Scottish values and British made opportunities. I was ripe for the taking of the Better Together campaign. However after living in the US for five years and coming back to the UK and having lived in London for the last 10 months and I don't recognise the Britain I knew. We have a British government that is entrusted with the powers of budgeting for the UK as a whole, but largely pays no heed to the issues that concerns that of a Scotsman, a Welshman or a Northern Irishman. We have a British Parliament responsible for the future direction of four nations but only pays attention to the issues concerning the people of one country, and then those people entrusted with those powers have the arrogance to say you couldn't do a better job than us.

It is hard for the Better Together campaign to paint a positive future for Scotland within the UK if they are only now paying any attention to what the people of Scotland have concerns about.

If the majority of the Scottish electorate votes Yes today, it is not the end of the debate. It is just the beginning. Every Yes voter I've heard speak has a different vision of the future going forward. That is exciting. That means there will be lots of voices thats going to need to be heard and encouraged to voice those thoughts and ideas if the steps of potential are to become steps of progress

I look at my own past. A past from six years ago. I had never truly been in love before. I had never truly had to take care of anyone other than myself before. I was afraid and scared. I was scared of rejection. I was scared of failure I was fearful of myself and what I was and wasn't capable of. Then I met a beautiful woman and I learned to love. I learned to love her, I learned to love her family, I learned to love the act of love itself. It empowered me. I discovered I already had the tools to allow me to face any challenge. I learned that all the self doubts I had before were nothing that could not be overcome. I learned how to hope, and dream of better futures. I grew and I flourished and I learned the meaning of fulfilment. Self-determination starts within yourself. And I made mistakes. I'm human, I've made mistakes but even today I'm not broken by my mistakes, I've been empowered by the love that I have to believe that I can grow, and flourish and continue learning to be better.

Six years on, Scotland is on the same journey. The time is here. The road has been long. We’ve laughed and loved and lost along the way. In the two years of this debate Scotland has learned to hope, learned how to make dreams come real. Beyond the question itself, no one has all the answers, and that is ok because the question, yes or no to Scottish Independence is just the beginning.

Going away, and living in the States and coming back to the UK I've learned that the people can be the power in the land of my birth. Living in London I see people afraid to look others in the eye, I see people scared for the future, scared of the future, scared of incoming immigrants taking their piece of turf, their piece of the pie threatened. I've learned that being Scottish isn't just a state of mind. There is a sense of justice embedded within, a state of looking forward, a state of inclusion, a state of self-belief, a state of hope that seems to be lacking at a  British level right now. That lack of hope at the British level scares me more than the uncertainties of an independent future. That hope that this debate has lit up at a Scottish level excites me. Hope can be delusionary, but without it the future can be very dark indeed.

There are potentials that live within us all. If we can find the words to make them sing we can find the words to change a nation. I don't want to be part of a nation that bites its tongue, I don't want to be afraid of what can go wrong. I don't want to be stuck in silence. If no one ever hears our words no one will ever hear our version of events, and no one will ever know what we could do. That will be sad indeed, when you stay quiet when words could make a difference, mistakes happen.

I've been there I've done that, and I don't want to do it again. I don't want to be fearful. I want to see Scotland have the bravery to step up and shout and share with the world its own solutions for a scary world and shape a better future and sharing new ideas that other parts of the world might adopt for themselves, the rest of Britain included. Right now the UK seems devoid of ideas, whereas the debate that has gripped Scotland for the last two years has encouraged ideas to come forward that wasn't there previously. Just like the love of a good beautiful woman sparked the belief in my own capabilities, the question that Scotland must answer today has allowed voices and ideas to be heard and with it hope for the future.

Those voices, 97% of the Scottish electorate, have finally come together to be heard. There has been no concensus of what the future may be, but nonetheless all those voices paint an exciting vision of what the future could be. I don't want that that to stop at a No! That would be an anticlimax. A yes is not the end of the journey, a no would be, but a yes would be the beginning of something infinitely more powerful. Something that is going to get in the papers around the world, but something that goes beyond the headlines for one day.The repercussions of today could be felt for generations to come.

Adios Espana - A London Celebration!

Outside Shakespeare's Globe

Six Months Without Dessert What The Pho!

I've been living in London now for a little over 6 months, without going into London itself very much. Living by Heathrow, working the hours I do, and getting little time off, going into the city is just inconvenient. Yesterday was a killer day though, after working over 14 hours I just needed to get a break. So I got the bus, and the tube, so as to walk around town while the weather was still good.

Of course when you go walking you tend to build up an appetite. I've been craving some Vietnamese for weeks now and I just happened to pass a Vietnamese on my travels, instantly I was craving Banh Mi sandwich and some Pho. I was going to satisfy the urge for both then saw the prices and realised I wasn't in Kansas I mean Salt Lake anymore. Decided just to do the sandwich, and forget the soup this time around. Added a little kick to the sandwich with some Sriracha sauce. Needn't have bothered. This sandwich was hot, hot, hot! Tasty enough had I not had a really great banh mi sandwich that I used to eat weekly. This sandwich was one I might eat once a year - nothing special.

So far I have yet to really enjoy eating out in London. I love Peruvian food, probably my favorite cuisine, but in London my experience of Peruvian dining has been though trendy, a little too pricy and the portions a little too small and missing that homely experience I've had in the past.

Vietnamese just didn't hit the mark at all.

Indian in London so far has been a let down to some of the food I experienced in Glasgow.

However today I did put something right. I was wandering around town, working off my sandwich when I passed a french crepe cafe, when it dawned on me I haven't had dessert since I got here, excluding a few lychees (which is just fruit) in a Chinese restaurant in Soho. No ice cream, no cake, nothing in six months! Me, Scottish, sweet tooth, no dessert, how long? - really! Feck off! No really!  Walking on through the city I started craving dessert. Hadn't thought about it in weeks, months maybe. Eating at 1am - 2am as I do, dessert doesn't really come into your thoughts much. But now I'm thinking those crepes looked good. I can hear my wife's voice in my head all those times she offered crepes and I wasn't in the mood for them but I find myself walking back to the Cafe not needing to look at the menu - I know what I want - crepes, nutella, banana. Look at the menu anyway just to be sure its there, scroll quickly half way down, not really seeing anything else, just see what I want and place order. Drool a little.

Wait a few minutes for plate to land on my table. Tuck in. Leave Cafe happy.

Six months really. Why?