Redbridge

My Camino takes me to Essex today to meet our cousin Gordon .... What a blessing to get to meet our fathers nearest relatives at last! More later about my day.

What an amazing day, firstly my family each took it in turn to wish me a great day, it being a celebratory one in my calander. I was blessed as abundantly from NZ and here in London. Then a mind bogglingly two tubes to get to Theydon Bois, I know it's a funny name. "Get the Picadilly line" my wee sister said "then hop off at Holburn, go to the central line and that will take you to Theydon Bois".

I let my cousin know and he picked me up from there. His and his lovely wife's Margaret's home is in a place called Abridge on the border of beautiful country with alpacas being farmed just up the road. We had a lot to talk about, his eyes, my eyes have similar characteristics, his arms and some movements very similar to dad's. Gordon wanted to know my story, our story of immigration, how dad knew he had a brother, about us all in the present, now! About all of my siblings he wanted to know.

Very soon Margaret suggested we get on the road to a restaurant where she'd booked us in for lunch. So it was back to the Queen Victoria in Theydon Bois for a repast. It is a lovely pub restaurant with an outside garden as well with nooks and crannies abounding. The vegan meal was delicious and I even indulged in a dessert of vegan icecream and chocolate caramel slice!!

All too soon we were back in Abridge and after a cuppa an a wee bit more chat about family, it was time to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Gordon and Margaret and we made plans to meet again possibly in Wales where they have another home in the country.

My Camino today was about prejudice and making assumptions. On the tube it is so easy to people watch and become involved in a conversation with someone especially as the trip took just over an hour. And so it was today, I watched a family of perhaps Iranian culture, be snubbed by a very blonde woman of around my age. They were a lovely little family and didn't deserve that. I felt very sad for them.

At another stop a gentleman hopped on board plonking himself on the seat one away from me explaining "Oh it is too hot, and this is the hottest tube on the line," I asked him if he took the tube often and he said he did and was attending to three crisis's today.

I was thinking of oor Peter and asked him if he was an engineer, "no," says he "I'm a social worker" at that the tube came to a halt and he jumped up and off out the door saying a swift "Goodbye!" Again, my assumptions embarrass me and I couldn't help thinking of the "crisis" that he was to attend.Read more