Tag: Duke of York Square

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Dear Diary; Our Soul’s journey

The sun is out, people are about, restaurants in the streets of London Town are full to the brim – outside anyway! 

Diners wrapped up warm out of the sun, coats and blankets and heaters ablaze…

In the sun the ambience resembling the South of Spain…

On Saturday we planned to breakfast in the Duke of York square and arrived to the sound of music,

People were gathered around two guitarists… ‘Oooh I said’, ‘let’s listen before we get our food’.

They started to play Zorba the Greek inviting the children to dance – and the child in me needed no further encouragement; she was off!

I danced to that tune, and then they announced ‘Sultans of swing’ by Dire Straits… I had to continue…

Dancing the morning away.

A little later we sat on the grass enjoying coffee and a small almond slice each… The queues for more substantial food snaked around and stretched back – so we chose to just sit basking like lizards with our ‘coffee and cake’…

But after an hour or so, hunger moved us to south Kensington where we immediately found a table in our favourite Lebanese restaurant – It wasn’t in the sun but… ‘The sun will arrive here soon’ I assured Anadi…

‘I watched the shadow grow as the sun moved further away’ – Anadi laughingly told me –  when my optimistic professions hadn’t come to anything! 

But we didn’t mind – we kept our coats on and enjoyed the experience… 

A breakfast outing that had turned into lunch…

Life unfolding in each moment

Fun in the sun – or not sun!

Fun

Life in motion

Happening now and now and now

Sunday

‘I’d like to see if I can run fifteen miles tomorrow, I had announced to Anadi over supper on Saturday night…

‘Okay, I’m up for that’ he’d responded…

The last time I ran fifteen miles barefoot was on May 12th 2018 when I arrived in Almuñecar on my birthday, having journeyed from the north coast of Spain to the south Coast without any shoes on!

I haven’t felt inclined to go that far since…

We jogged 200 metres from Anadi’s flat to relish our usual pre run pain au raison and coffee in the Duke of York square sitting at a table under a heater – perfect!

And then we set off…

A lap of Battersea Park, then along the river to the South bank, over Waterloo Bridge into Covent Garden and we were half way – I’m hungry I announced, and thirsty.

So we stopped for a mid run/ outing relax in the sun – Anadi drank a pint of lager ‘I feel like I’m in Greece’ he said… We adventured many miles there often stopping for lunch mid run/ adventure…

I enjoyed a juice and a little plate of Gnocchi with peas and spinach…

Barefoot running seems to amplify my hunger!

I ate my way across Spain…
After I’d been on the road three or so weeks, my appetite had grown – I would breakfast before setting off and have a second breakfast of tostado ( drenched in olive oil )con tomato y cafe con leche just 10k or so into the days distance! 

Covent Garden felt vibrant, sunny vital.

Humans together 

Being 

Together

Living 

In the flow of life

Life is consciousness

Consciousness is life

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Dear Diary; Where do you go to…?

On Saturday afternoon at four o’ clock Anadi arrived at my flat for our ‘Saturday morning walk’… Later than usual because I had been working all day.

We set off in the hint of spring daylight and made our way to our usual haunt, the Duke of York Square, where we sat on the ground, close to the roof of a restaurant, under cover from the sudden large and unexpected drops of rain… 

Wrapping our hands round the warmth of our steaming cups of coffee, we sat together exchanging news of the last two days… We hadn’t met since Friday morning to chant the Gayatri Mantra, and now the past two days were disappearing and still occurring in the moment that we shared.

Our conversation weaved and twisted in the space between us, and somehow took us to Juan le Pins… But we couldn’t remember the name! ‘It’s in that song’ I said… ‘Where do you go to my lovely…’

And so we looked up the song lyrics to find out the name of the place we were trying to remember…

And then we started to sing, sitting on the ground, huddled together on a freezing cold – late January – late afternoon… We sang the whole song – people passed by giving the couple sitting singing – with gusto – a cursory glance…

‘I’d like to busk someday’, I mused as we reached the final line…

‘Then we shall do it’ Anadi said… ‘I’ll get a guitar again, and we shall do it…’

‘I’d love that’ I said ‘What fun’…. 

I grew up singing along to  ‘Where do you go to my lovely’

“But where do you go to, my lovely
When you’re alone in your bed?
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head, yes, I do”

Some years ago I ran the Nice to Cannes Marathon and as the race swept through Juan le Pins at just over half way through the 26.2, I’d found myself singing the song out loud – it was a downhill stretch!

And where do we all go when we’re alone in our beds…? 

Who knows? And who knows us; no one if we don’t know our self…

True intimacy is being willing to share ourselves, openly, honestly. To be our selves…

To do this we must be willing to stay present to ourselves; to breathe in and experience the stillness, the silence between each breath and experience our essence.

And then no words are needed. Words are limited in their ability to communicate our truth.

We are in every moment, we are here and there and everywhere.

We are. 

And if sharing ourselves leads us to want to sing in the street, just for the fun of it or dance and play and be free to express in any way we wish – then the world will enjoy the vibration as it shimmers and glitters and sparkles with the essence of our individual unique spark of life…. 

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Dear Diary;Wake up and Have Fun

Anadi and I set off on another Sunday adventure…

When we arrived in Kensington gardens, I suggested a new game for our run – more fun on the run…

‘Why don’t we take it in turns at every cross roads or junction or path going this way or that -,to take it in turns to say which way we to run – and whether to walk, run or stretch out and run as fast as we can…!

It was fun, this run… Twisting and turning, jogging and racing our way around the gardens and Hyde Park… Each turn a new possibility, a new vista opening up…

Like life

Shall we turn this way or that, every moment holding multiple directions down which to travel, to create, to experience, to uncover, to discover …. 

The road less travelled

The road never ever travelled before….

The day was sunny bright warm, a beautiful October day; rich with the smell that I know as this autumn month… Heralding a shedding of the old before a time of sleep and then the re birth into spring…

It felt full of possibilities and joy… We ran to the statue of Albert and I sat at his feet… ‘It feels like a holiday again today’ I said 

Yes – Anadi replied ‘every day a holiday..’

A holy day 

When we are present , when we stay with our breath, when our mind is still then every day truly is a holy day

A holy holi day…

We sat awhile longer and a little squirrel came and scampered all about our feet, really close – he came so close we could practically touch his multi coloured textured tail, waving behind him, soft like a dandelion; then he stood on his back legs, little paws in front…

‘I’m so sorry’, I said ‘We haven’t got any food..’ Later we looked up the squirrel spirit energy – ‘Make sure you’re having fun…’ it reminded ‘Play is essential too’

Our run had felt like ‘playtime’, racing across the grass, jogging round the lake – racing once again, and then taking a walking break…

It felt like being out with my friend all day, when i was very young – playing, running about, flopping down for awhile – and then off again…

We finished at our usual watering hole… The duke of York square and as we ate our Danish pastries and drank our coffee, with the buzz of life, of love or people enjoying being together, eating together, drinking together; a wasp flew up to me – (I thought they had all gone by now!) and landed on my arm, she then buzzed around me and I could feel the flutter of her wings near my skin making a light breeze…

My next totem for the day…

In she flew…

Wasp, beautiful and perfect – with her stripy yellow and black coat – in every way…

 I looked up her meaning too…

She said ‘Wake up’… I am not sure what I must wake up to…

But I am keeping my eyes and all my senses open and aware…

Perhaps it is simply encouragement to keep on waking up… While having fun!

A wake up call for all…

Wake up to who we truly are.

In each moment 

Celebrate being here, an opportunity to heal and grow, and so create in each moment a way of being true.

Spiritual beings

Being human

All that spirit is, we can be too…

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Dear Diary; Innocence to Wisdom to Innocence

Another sunny Sunday outing…

The miles flowed by in our land of parks and pelicans; statues, people, guards guarding a palace….

All familiar now, but oh how new and delightful in each moment…

Through St James park across the Mall and up the steps we ran… The Duke of York column reaching skyward above us several houses high, surveying the scene for decade after decade…

He’s been standing there since 1834

Onwards up Regents street turning left into Piccadilly… As we were approaching St James Church we heard the words of a minister talking about Christ…

A service happening outdoors… We stopped and stood looking inwards from behind the gates, listening to his soothing voice talking about Jesus; dying so that we might have everlasting life.

He held up the bread and the wine, symbols of the body and blood of Christ, to consecrate them…

And I was immediately transported to the years I spent in church listening to these familiar words and partaking in this same ritual…

He invited us all to say the Lord’s prayer together and so Anadi and I repeated with the assembly gathered inside the gates…

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever world without end
Amen.

And as I recited these words, tears arose within me… I know not why? Perhaps memories surfacing and clearing of days gone by…

And on we ran… 

Under the arch at Hyde park corner – a the stream of traffic all around… Another memory flashed of days gone past…

Me cycling around here on my 21st birthday… (much less traffic then!) I’d journeyed on two wheels  – with only 3 gears (in those days!) – some 50 or 60 miles  from my home in Headley to meet some friends in Hyde Park…

Running onwards we reached our breakfast and coffee stop in the Duke of York square, and I stopped to buy a big issue – the vendor engaged us in conversation… He asked how far we had run…

He then told us that he too had been a runner when he was in the army, and so we shared running times and the joy of running for miles.

Time to think he volunteered… I’m in recovery he added; and I feel the fittest I have felt in 30 years… I’d like to run a marathon, or at least walk one…

When we set off on our life journey we were so innocent and unaware of what a huge undertaking this journey would be; the difficulties, the sadnesses and pain we would encounter along the way – as well as the delights and joy and fun too of course….

But it is often through the hardships that our lessons are learned…

The wisdom gained of life lived.

And then can come about a return to the innocence of the child within us, with the experience, the wisdom through the learning etched now within us…

And from this place – whenever in our lifetime we arrive there (maybe many times!) – we can set off once more with the enthusiasm of when we first began….

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Dear Diary; Now is all we have

Anadi and I have continued our weekend practise since we were locked down of wandering about…. 

So on Saturday we set off up the road – first stop ‘Matcha Beyond’ to purchase my new ‘favourite almond croissant’ – onward to Pret for Anadi to pick up his Swedish meat balls…!

And then to the Duke of York square for coffee from Partridges… 

Our breakfast complete, we sat on the grass in the hot hot sun, the artisan fare stalls now set up all around us on small the running track beside the square….

After we’d eaten our picnic we meandered around the track looking at all the delicious food and drink, stopping to buy a young coconut and drink its juice… ‘Where are they from?’ I asked the stall holder… ‘Costa Rica’ he replied…

The last time I drank coconut juice fresh from the coconut was when Anadi and I actually were in Costa Rica… It was the end of 2013… We had set off as nomads on December 6th a year exactly to the day we had met…

Costa Rica was our first – very eventful stop! Within twelve days Anadi had lost his business, and five days later we almost lost our lives in a rip tide…

I remember realising we were in trouble… We’d been running along a huge expanse of golden sand with the waves crashing beside us – not another soul in sight – and so we hadn’t seen the sign on the path above the beach that warned of dangerous rip tide currents… 

We had splashed into the sea in our running kit to simply jump about and play in the huge waves – we weren’t even swimming – when suddenly I realised there was nothing beneath our feet any more and that we were being swiftly carried out…

‘We’re in trouble’ I said to Anadi… A surge of panic rose in me ‘Help me’ I called to him, just as a seven foot wave crashed into him and sent him tumbling away from me…

I relaxed, ‘Please help me’ I said silently as I surrendered to the possibility of dying, a fleeting thought flashed through me that I had ruined some people’s Christmas by dying now on December 22nd…!

I then heard Anadi calling out ‘Use the waves, swim with the waves, use the waves…’ 

And that is what we did… We used the waves, and both of us strong swimmers, managed to eventually reach the shore… Utterly exhausted we leant on one another for what seemed an age – and then we walked slowly up the beach to sit and sit and sit until we were able to very gently jog home…

We were subsequently told by any local we cared to retell our story too, that had we gone with the rip tide, it would have shot us out to sea 200 metres and that then we could have swum the mile along the coast to a safe bit of beach…! Hmmmm! 🙂

On December 25th Anadi proposed to me…

The first 19 days of nomadic life had set the scene for an incredible next five years…. 

And now we are here… 

Wandering about in London Town instead of far flung places… The richness of life revealing itself from the inside out in every step we take. 

Glorious days with Anadi…

We continued our wandering past Harrods into Hyde Park and onto Kensington Gardens for another coffee and – by now, lunch – stop to re fuel, where we watched folk playing bowls, table tennis and actual tennis…

After lunch we wandered on down the path, and I ran my hands over a familiar plant; ‘ummm’… I smelt my fingers… 

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember’, I quoted from Shakespeare…

The stories of our lives; now just stories – our nomadic life now a chapter all of its own… Experienced, lived fully and now just a part of the story of our life…

Fun to remember, in the now…

But now is now, now is even better, because now is here 

Now is all we have

Remember to live it fully, pray, love, remember to live it fully.