If it looks like Custard, tastes like Custard...

Hello Campers, now up to Blog 5.
Another two weeks, still on foreign shores, still rolling with the punches.

Plenty to report, so I'll start with the latest news first. Last week I returned to Poole Hospital for my final report, expecting to get the all clear to start biking......and this is where this blog title comes in. If it looks like Custard and tastes like Custard....it is CUSTARD!

My biking blues continue. The kind doctors at Poole say if I am a computer worker I can go back to work, but if I am a touring cyclist (joke) another 6 weeks off the saddle, so realistically my 6 month cycle tour is rapidly turning to custard. After much internal gnashing of teeth, beating myself up etc, etc. there is no other way but to find another way. At least I'm not in NZ experiencing frosty days, as currently the south of England is in a 30 deg heatwave, and I much prefer the heat.

So let's review Jimu's travels these last two weeks.

Thinking I would be needing the bike soon, I returned to Southampton to get Mike, a fellow Warmshowers contact, to check out the bike for me. First problem was that I'd forgotten that I had chained the bike to several things in Pete's shed and I'd left the key back in Dorset, so we had to get all the bits (including the bike) taken outside the shed to grind off the padlock.

Getting the bike back to Mike's place and talking through the various options and changes I could make, to make it easier for me to return to biking was not easy. Firstly the cycle shops do not stock the sort of parts I may need and I cannot physically look at anything. Secondly Mike had some experience with trailers, saying possibly the Bob trailer contributed to my accident, and also the drop bars not so suited to shoulder recovery. Mike's advice was that the wheels on my bike would not take a lot of heavy touring weight, suggesting a  different trailer for a more stable option.  He had a local bike shop across the road, and less than 100 meters from his house was where the accident actually happened. It's all rather difficult,  so now I know the value of having all your gear properly sorted out and tested months in advance and taking this with you on any trip. A very important hard won lesson, I certainly paid the price. Still need to prepare myself and the bike for cycle touring again, hopefully in September???


This was what caught my eye as I walked into Southampton, something you'll not see in Nelson.

So with that I headed to the Jazz Day and to meet my cousin Richard in the Cambridge area, in the lovely village of Over. And what an area this is, less than 100 yards from his home is this thatched cottage, it was such a pleasure to wander around on some of the many public walkways taking photos.

This is the charm of rural England,  many thatched cottages, wheat fields, with public walkways right through them, the River Ouse, close and interesting with my first look at the locks system and canal boats.

And lots of minature wildlife to record.

The above photos are of the Banded Demoiselle. 

While this one is of the Azure Damsonfly, and  jolly hard to photograph, all done without a tripod.

And all this only 8 miles way from the tourist, cycling, and educational  mecca of Cambridge. Incidentally the local bus (double decker) takes 50 minutes to travel those 8 miles. I sat on the top deck, front seat charging up my iPhone from the power plug on the bus.

The Jazz festival was a huge affair, with mass groups and reading and playing more or less straight off the cuff. In the centre of Cambridge there happened to be a busking festival, and I talked to Mario Morris all about it. A smooth performer, the only street theatre/magic person, as the rest were musicians.

I learnt a lot from his performance and attitude, and when chatting to him afterwards. He also runs a busking school with a book and DVDs available here http://www.schoolofbusking.com/bizzareshows/id74.html

So back onto the streets of Cambridge, many tourists around and I tried to capture some of the character of Cambridge. Never realized before that the river Cam goes through Cambridge, hence the name.

Early morning before the hordes arrive. 

Oh to be in England now that summer is here.

 The buildings are pretty amazing also.

  

The variety of cheeses from all over Europe and UK at the Town Square market was fabulous. I selected and choose only three. My favourite was the Norwegian Gjetost cheese, a very distilled cheese that is the closest thing to fudge.

Having heard from friends in UK about Ely Cathedral, I spent an amazing afternoon taking a tour and wandering around both the Catherdral and the town of Ely. Going by the number of photos I took, Ely is one of the many highlights of this current trip. Here are a few of 'em.

And some shots of the inside, which was staggering. I took a tour called the Octagon tour, a full hour journey around the upper regions of the central tower constructed of wood (Oak) and lead, constructed after 1322s when the central tower collapsed. 

This was where I was up on this roof, and even the panels facing into that light chamber, you can see below in more photos.

John the tour guide.

  

The carved ridge piece in Stone commands this view.

In the adjoining Lady Chapel

  

  

  

These are the huge painted doors as below.

(note the clown with the hat)

  

This is the floor in the Lady Chapel

 This cross depicts the trilogy, Father, Son and Holy Ghost
(strange term that)

A walking meditation maze is in the floor of the entrance way.

Pretty amazing really.

  

The Main Door is solid oak with hand forged hinges and decorations.

 I was very impressed by this very old building which seemed to have a contemporary edge to it with modern sculptures, a choir singing, with modern brochures and guided tours, all easily fitting into the religous nature of the building.

And out in the village more photos

Back into Cambridge, feeling now up to giving the streets a blow with my Saxes.

In spite of there just being a Busking event in Cambridge, I was moved on three times, and was issued with  a guide to Busking in Cambridge (Code of Practise), which basically said, we like buskers, but no, no, no.

So I took the train to London and had another go in the linking tunnels of Kings Cross Station, where once again I was moved on by London's Transport Police. One of them was also a horn player, so I just got a warning! 

So to leave you on a sobering photo, should be easy, this is my shoulder.

Six screws plus the plate. The doc says sometimes they remove the plate after 6 months, charming. I think I'll pass on that one.

A couple more of my drawings.

So now I'm looking at travelling without a bike and have got a trolley bag set up making it easier to take my sax and amp onto trains and buses, and to walk into town centers. Testing has shown not much difference in the money in the hat with or without the amp, though it does give me variety and I am seriously thinking about going wild on London's South Bank. I've come too far not to!

I used to really love custard, not so sure now, but apple crumble, rhubarb tart, bread and butter pudding, etc would not be the same without custard.

Next week's plans are to visit UK's largest sax shop and finnaly see my sax mates in Rugby for the long awaited Buskermania event I was heading for way back in May.

It's not long till Christine arrives from NZ for a month's touring and we're both looking forward to this.

Plently options and places to explore.

Cheers and Ciao

Stay safe and ka kite ano!

Arohanui

Jimu

"Mind the Gap"

London Calling

Now I'm really moving forward toward better health!

Last week was my first physio appointment at Christchurch Hospital where I saw separate nurses for my shoulder and hand. Now I had permission to massage my arm out of the sling (which I daren't do before),  and was given a series of exercises. I asked the hand nurse if I could massage across the cut and she demonstrated so vigorously that the cut started to open. She is Irish, which might explain it.

So now things really improved as I could now use both hands to massage myself and seek out little painful spots, and it's so good to be taking control and actively helping myself.

This gave me the confidence to head for London and I took the new Greyhound Bus service from Southampton to Victoria Station. The advertised wi-fi was not working, and also the air conditioning was working too well, which had myself and some of the passengers wearing jackets inside the coach.

Malcolm the driver told me they have 11 coaches and will be expanding into Glasgow and Bristol in August.

After catching the train into central London to take in the British Museum,  I went out to North West London at Beaconsfield to stay with my cousin Shirley and her husband Charles.  I tracked down one of my Maloof-design rocking chairs, bought by my uncle back in 1995 and numbered #10, and was pleased to see how good it still looks.

I also visited the grave of my favourite uncle Bunny, who I stayed with on several trips to UK over the years, and he also visited several times to our farm in NZ.

A wonderfully, happy jolly person, and I like to think I've absorbed some of his attitude to life.

This brings me to the awareness I  got several days later while watching an underground train come into the station.

With this message written  on the edge of the platform......

 It's also announced as the train approaches - MIND THE GAP

It struck me - life is full of gaps and we continuously go through these gaps without minding them. At that time I was aware of gaps, linking back to my time visiting Uncle Bunny's grave, these gaps are not minded, what do they mean, what can I learn from these gaps, what gap am I in now and not minding - so I stepped forward across the gap, minding the gap, into the train and sped off into the future!

Later on another train I spotted an acupuncture needle sticking out of one of the seats - yes London has variety for those who see it.

The British Musem is an impressive building taking some time to absorb even before going to the "Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance Drawings" exhibition.

Amazing that we can view and take photos from a very close distance. Most of these drawing are only studies for later paintings, and really are supreme pieces of art in their own right. They are over 500 years old and still wonderful and beautiful.

Other parts of the Musem that caught my eye, apart from some of the display cases made in sold American birds eye maple, (should have taken a photo of that) were these few photos.

The "York Helmet" Anglo Saxon from the 700s (Iron, Copper and Silver) only one of 4 found in the UK

A Maori carved bowl, a long way from home

Next day on the way to the Tate Modern I spotted this row of super modern bike locks.

My first experience of the Tate Modern, was taking in a free guided tour explaining Contemporary Art of the 1970's.

I did enjoy listening to Modern Art being explained, and after just browsing the many floors and different galleries it was more than enough Modern Art that I could handle.

I had arranged a visit to the duo called Sax and Honey in North London http://www.saxandhoney.com/ and watched them perform to a small and very appreciative dining room audience as the England-Algeria game was on, therefore making it a quiet gig! The game was likewise 0-0.

Not many 4 year olds get to watch their parents play lovely music in top class venues. His father has already started him on sax lessons, not that he is pushing son Charlie. I'm sure he will have a great start into perhaps being a musician.

I had left my saxes down on the South Coast, though still sussing out places to busk, I spotted these special dedicated spots for buskers in Londons underground walkways.

I talked to Paul an Irish sax busker on one of these spots. He told me it is hard to get one of these spots and there is a long waiting list. You need a permit, and have to audition too, which takes 2 months, and they will fine you (or worse, confiscate your instruments) if you are caught without a permit. Still I will give London a blow when I'm fit and able.

Visiting London during the World Cup, I wanted to watch NZ play Italy and walked through London streets till 30minutes before kick off. I could not believe I had to try 5 pubs before I could get a suitable one.
#1 was showing Irish Hurling.
#2 had live music I could hear coming out 50 metres away.
#3 had tvs with no sound.
#4 had tvs and sound, but no Sunday pub meals.
#5 The Wellington across from the Waterloo Station had the lot, so I watched New Zealand's best ever result in World Cup history drawing 1-1 and Italy had a very debatable penalty decision, to level up the score. As an added bonus to this Scotsman, I got a free meal because they gave my ordered meal to another table and gave me my money back plus a new meal. It gladdens the heart of any Scotsman that does!

Before leaving once again for the south I stayed south of the Thames at Vauxhall with Warm Showers cyclists Nuno and Joana. I knew they were special as they both phoned my cell phone to make sure of my visit. Both  Portugese, these two were excellent company, instantly feeling the confidence and ease of people who have travelled long distances in remote locations. Like my last Warm Showers contact they also inspired me to get back onto my bike, although Joana's question of do I have any hesitancy of travelling in traffic now, certainly struck a nerve. I've yet to cross that bridge.

Being Portugese Nuno used this fancy little set up to project live World Cup coverage from his laptop as we watched Portugal post 7 goals against North Korea.

Nuno has traveled 42,000 km in 2 years 8 months and Joana joined him for 8000 of those in South America  for 1 year. Here is their trip blog http://www.ontheroad.eu.com/English/New%20Blog/UK-Blog.htm They told me the story of meeting a 60 year old Mexican cyclist in South America who had fallen off a climbing wall, breaking both arms and had two arms in plaster. His friend did everything for him for the month till he could look after himself. He did also eventually get back onto his bike, so my experience was lucky indeed!

Collecting all my left gear in Tooting Bec felt really stange, as 5 weeks earlier I'd left on day 1 heading south and here I was again starting again, and not starting again

Returning back to the south on Greyhound a bit tired of the London buzz I decided to go and have my first busk, in the tunnel near Saxon Square. It has a great echo and I managed to get 3.60 pounds in a 40 minute shortened busk. This felt absolutely fantastic, this is what I've been dreaming of for 6 months, so to get back on track after my recent setbacks and enjoy the simple pleasure of playing sax with freedom on the streets is great. Brought a tear to my glass eye!

Here is another go in Saxon Square which proved to be a desert hat-wise, so I headed for the pub to take in England's do or die match with Slovenia. Using my first busking earnings of 3.60p a pint of draught cider came to 3.30p, and settled down to enjoy and reflect on the trip so far.

My latest drawing reflects my mood....hope you enjoy it!

Next week I return for another physio and the following week is hopefully my clearance from Poole Hospital giving me the all clear to start looking at getting back on the bike.

I still marvel at being able to tie my own shoelaces, to be able to lift the electric jug full of water, use a knife and fork (at the same time) and now to be able to take a certain book out of the Library, where previously I couldn't because it was too heavy for me to carry.

So are you "MINDING THE GAPS" in your life?

May be worth a ponder.
In a few days 2 months of this 6 month trip will be gone and I've only busked 3 times and biked for 3 days. Things are changing tho, and I hope England does well.

Cheers and Ciao.

Jimu