7 June 2015 - Living like a local

And so it is Sunday again.  The week has rolled around quickly.  Tim is still unwell with his ear infection and the antibiotics are making him feel pretty rundown.  Today was not a tourist day but a day of living like a local!

Annika, Luke and I trotted off to the Tube to go to Walthamstow.  Even on Sundays the trains are efficient and well patronised.  We were only slightly late for the church service at Greenleaf Baptist.  it was a family service so the kids were catered for.  

Elaine, Luke, Edna and me.

After the service we sat around and chatted and drank tea and ate delicious cakes left over from the Family Fun Day yesterday.  The elder members of the church are feisty with great stories to tell.  Edna, in her late eighties is quite a raconteur and we were all engaged and entertained by her stories.

One such story was when she and her mother were in a bomb shelter in Middlesex during WWII.  The bomb went off about 200 yards from where they were sheltered and blew the door of the shelter open.  Her mother was covered in dirt and something that was ticking had landed on her lap....imagine the fear!  But it was an alarm clock which had fallen from the shelf with the shuddering of the shelter.

She also told us about a fair in which there was one of the first chair-o-planes.  Edna and one of her friends decided to hold onto each other's chains and spinning around with the fairground guy shouting at them.  When the ride stopped, they made a quick get away!! Cheeky!  In her mid seventies she was still a dare-devil and went on a toboggan ride down a hill in Madeira, Spain!  Good on her!  I hope I am like that in my eighties!

We stayed for a delicious Fellowship lunch with some of the congregation of roast chicken, potatoes and salad followed by sensational cheesecake.  It was great to sit and chat over a meal.

As the sun was shining, Winette walked with us back to Lloyd Park so Luke could play and we could chat.  People, people everywhere, enjoying the sun and outdoors and each other.  We had a lovely cappuccino in the cafe there.  In the end, we had to literally drag Luke away from the sand pit.

We wandered back through Walthamstow, through the street parties taking place in the community which reminded me of scenes from the 1950's with kids and adults swirling around and music playing.  Walthamstow is a happening place these days.  There is a community arts festival at the moment.

Captivating street art!

As shops close at 5 PM on Sunday, we dashed into a Turkish shop for some supplies for dinner.  We were delighted to find some ayran, like buttermilk but tastier, which we had enjoyed in Turkey.  Such a multicultural place!

Back home for dinner - another day which has just flown by.