Marble Arch Mound Piglet

I had some time to kill before the rehearsal, and there was this strange-looking mound by Marble Arch where usually there are provocative sculptures, so I thought I'd climb up and see the view. It's not much of a view, and turns out that the Marble Arch Mound is also maybe a bit of a disaster, at least according to the Guardian, the BBC online and Forbes magazine.

On the other hand, Matthew Green, Westminster Council's cabinet member for planning, business and licensing said, "it's a fantastic celebration of arts and culture, which are central to the City of Westminster's unique role at the heart of London."

All I know is that climbing up and down the c. 130 steps (very bouncy scaffolding - thought it might break at any minute) was good for my heart. The view from the top, though, was rubbish. The new building at the start of Edgware Road is taller than the mound. Green treetops of Kensington Gardens with the Knightsbridge Barracks barely visible in the distance over the leaves, a bit of a view of the beginning of Park Lane, and then off in the distance you could see about half of the Shard and a quarter of the London Eye. Could barely see Marble Arch itself, or Oxford St, or some Xmas lights, or the point. A mound is not a hill. It's just not high enough for any interesting views.

And finally, there was the lightshow. Two kind young docents opened the curtains for me to stumble into a dark room with geometric patterns in various boxes. Piglet enjoyed it very much. When I finally found the exit curtains, I needed to lie down. And then it was time for the rehearsal.

Halloweeny Matzah Ball Soup

 

Today L had a hankering for some matzah ball soup, and found some fantastic purple carrots at the supermarket for the vegetable broth. When I went into the kitchen she tried to prepare me for what I would see. The soup was the colour of blooooooood. I told her it was very Halloweeny. It was also DEE-LISH-US (said in best Craig Revel Horwood voice)!

Giornata Europea della Cultura Ebraica: Italia

Today has been a day when Jewish communities across Italy have opened their synagogues, cemeteries and museums to visitors as part of a European Day of Jewish Culture. There have been lessons and tours and lectures, inviting each other and our neighbours to learn more about our life as Jews in Italy in various ways.

Two years ago on such a day, L & I went to visit the Jewish cemetery in Finale Emilia. It was first opened at the end of the 16th century, and finally closed just over 50 years ago, with the demise of the local congregation. It has now been restored, as befits one of the oldest cemeteries in Emilia-Romagna. In a way, it is a microcosm of our history in this region, demonstrating the contribution its members made to their community, and marking their oppression and suffering.   I'm really glad we went. It was an important experience for me as I try to develop my understanding of what it means to be an Italian Jew.

 

Piglet's Empathy

We are in Castelnuovo Rangone, near Modena. The production and treatment of pork is the major economic activity of the town, as celebrated by this statue in the centre in front of the church. Piglet is delighted that he is fated to live with a vegetarian & someone who keeps kosher, and is relatively glad he's not a sentient creature. Yet he still manages to feel some empathy for his porcine compatriots, and stands here in solidarity with their plight.

 

A Second Yahrzeit for Evelyn

Tomorrow marks the secular anniversary of my mother's death. The pandemic has really twisted my sense of time - 2 years ago seems so far away and yet so recent. Many who know me will remember the difficult relationship the two of us had had. I am, however, blessed that in the last 10 years of her life we faced that past together, and began to build something better. We each said what we needed to say, and worked things through. It wasn't easy, but we did begin a process of healing, and I will be glad about that for the rest of my life.

Thus today I can say that I am sad, especially that we haven't been able to share the quotidian events of our lives; small things such as who she'd seen recently, my adventures in jam-making, the latest Strictly news. I wonder what she would have said when I baked a cake for the very first time! She would have enjoyed the rise of Emma Raducanu, another season of the Proms, a trip to the Artemisia Gentileschi exhibit. But I am also grateful that she doesn't have to suffer any more, from the pain of her illness, the threat of Covid-19, and the mess in which her beloved homeland appears to be.

Nu, her memory should be for a blessing. So please do something enjoyable in her name! Eat Chinese food and/or some Cadbury's chocolate (a Caramel for example). Listen to your favourite music (she rather liked this). Watch a favourite movie (Preston Sturges was a screenwriter and director she loved). Let us make the most of what we have!