Then and now

When my dad came to visit me in London for a short time a while back, we thought it would be fun to go back to places he had been in London 48 years ago and re-shoot the scenes. Back then he embraced the opportunity to come here on a trip organised by the university he worked for, back then you could not travel without the state's permission and the group had a 'handler' for the journey. Because he seemed to have enjoyed Western culture too much on that occasion, he was detained from leaving Poland on the next trip my mother and father were to take together.

We reproduced 3 tourist scenes: Marble Arch, Piccadilly Circus, and waiting outside Selfridge's on Bond Street for a bus. There was one part of Bond Street we couldn't find, a somewhat family favourite of him crossing the street, looking all suave and collected in the city of flux. Perhaps one of you would know where it is. It was a good few days, walking through these places of memory with my dad, blissfully carefree and enjoying the freedoms that he did not have when he was my age.

Back to Motherland

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to see my mom after 10 months since the grand move to London. We met up in Katowice, and where I saw some rad typography (especially like the flag allusion on the blinds).

I ate some things I shouldn't have (they're called rurki, wafers stuffed with cream)

I saw the usual decrepit, soot-covered buildings that I see every time I go back to where I was born.

We went to a puppet show, where we were the oldest parent-daughter combo there.

 I nom-nomed on my bestest, fresh blueberries every day.

We also went to Górki Wielkie, where my mom reunited with old family friends she hadn't seen for 30 years. That balcony is their view of the mountains, enclosed with sweet grape vines.

 I came across some eye-brow-raising memorabilia and caved taverns in the mountains.

 In Poland I realised all you need is beer and God (and fruit juice).

And that you get soup in loaves of bread.

I walked in forests whose trees were getting ready for winter, reveled in the beauty that is Polish folk art, and ate mushrooms picked from behind our house. 

Back in Katowice, I also sifted through some old family photographs. Found some old ones of my sister and me, and my mom and dad looking uber-trendy with their shades. What a treat.

The Great Dorset Steam Fair

Oh my satchel, England has some interesting festivals. This one in Dorset is dedicated to the glory of coal, steam, horse power and diesel. Wandering around you come across rows of beautifully maintained steam engines, some big, some small, the largest collection of musical organs, can-can girls, vintage cars, stalls to test your strength, merry-go-rounds, women on tractors, lots of cider and lots of steam. Steam that takes me back to some distant collective memory I can't quite recall, a living part of history, right there and working hard and honestly in front of me. People come in their hundreds of thousands to this festival, in their comfie camper vans with their family pets, Mr Handsome and I met some folks that knew how combine harvesters work and what time the sun sets, who make things with their hands still, and smile when they greet you, we drank cider with them made onsite, pressed by a harnessed donkey close by. I can't recall the name of the cider, and forgot to take a picture of the donkey, but I can recall that who we met along the way were salt of the earth, who bring their own metallic cups to festivals, drink without their shirts on, don't care that pink hot pants don't go with hiking boots, and understand and treasure the beauty and simplicity of way back when.

Sneaky sketches

Oh how I love to sneakily sketch people. And London's tubes and overgrounds are the perfect setting to indulge in this habit of mine.

And warmth will come to you

Busy streets and secret kisses, Chinese dragons and clean courtyards, Wilde plays and strewn poppys, chimney sweepers and black beauties, street artists and stickers. Even though it's cold outside, I saw warmth in the London crowd.