A Hidden World in London ....

Hidden away from the main throughfares like Piccadilly, Park Lane,and Oxford Street, are small pockets of neighborhoods where you can still feel connected in a vast, booming city like London. It doesn't take long to remember familiar faces in the post office, the sandwich shops, or be greeted by the doorman at the Ritz. The Over Seas League in St. James, where I stay while in London, is on Park Place, a deadend street that backs up to Green Park. On St. James Place, the next street over, one finds the plaque to Frederic Chopin, who stayed here on his visit to London in 1849, the year of his death. He played his last recital in the Guildhall, in The City, where there is a handsome bust of him on display.

London must be the take-out food capitol of the world. The high class stuff comes from Fortnams, where the assortment of cheeses is endless, and the sandwiches have fresh baked bread for starts. The best sandwiches are made in the small shops that abound off the main streets, where you can make up choices as you order. Marks and Spencer has gone into take out food in a big way, opening small branches in tube stations. One never use to see people eating in the streets...now they eat everywhere, except the tube and busses, where it is just too crowded.

The restaurants at the Over Seas League are just so fine that it is hard to go anywhere else. The Buttery is open all day into the evening, and has classic dishes like lamb curry and kedgeree, plus great grilled fish and interesting salads. The main restaurant is one of the better ones in London, and still has its 30's decor, and an incredible, well priced wine list. Then one can eat in the garden, sandwiches in the Spring, and hot food in the Summer.

London Transport has solved the ticket problem for tubes and buses by use of the Oyster Card, a small yellow card that you press against a meter that registers each use. You can put any amount of money into the card electronically, and many tube exit meters tell you how much money is left in the card. This means that traffic really flows through the various stations with no long ticket lines as of old. Getting transport information is so easy via the internet, and you can make your plans for excursions down to the minute.

Finding a place to practice usually means a ride on the C2 bus from Berkeley Square ( " a nightingale sang..in Berkeley Square" ) up to Albany Street in Regents Park. This is not "The Piano Shop Around the Corner" but a well run affair that does have a big shop for piano restoration and a few practice rooms. Its a casual affair, and cheap. I had lunch across the way in The Victory, a pub with a faded atmosphere, reminding me of pubs from fifty years ago. I ordered a ham and cheddar cheese, expectations running low. What arrived was served on a handsome white sqaure plate, and consisted of a huge sandwich of real cheddar on a wonderful Cornish loaf, rather like french bread but not as light. Also included was a serving of fresh coleslaw and another salad of greens, peppers, and tomatoes. All this, plus a pot ot tea, came to five pounds....aabout $8.50 at the current exchange. A steal...plus the fact the pub instantly rose in my appreciation to the status of a FIND. Dress down if you go.

Lessons From a Late Spring

There's a wonderful song..."Spring Will be a Little Late this Year" (Frank Loesser)..remember Ella and Sarah singing this! A photo on the State Newspaper web shows strange red flowers growing out of tree trunks in Peachtree Rock Preserve. The writer notes that lichens and moss are at record levels this Spring, due to the long,wet,dark and cold winter we experienced. Now imagine my surprise to see this attraction right in my own yard. I have a wonderful rock that my mother picked up in Colorado...she was spotted stealing rocks in all the Western states....and it has a wonderful small hole in it that fills with water, making a great water attraction for the birds. It usually has a small coat of moss. This morning I noticed it was dark green all over, with the heaviest coat in years. The blazing sun on the past few days will take its toll, but for now it is such a beauty spot.I have been fascinated with my squirrels, who have spent days digging up all the nuts they buried last Fall. I made a prediction then that this would be a cold winter, and it proved right. How do they know where they are? All I know is that I don't have to wear those strange shoes with small nails protruding to aerate my lawn!! The squirrels have done it for me.

Which brings up the point that perhaps we do not pay enough attention to Mother Nature. She is trying to tell us things of great importance, but we are deaf in our worldly pursuits. While teaching at USC I was always aware of the beauty of our campus, a real refuge in a busy city, and filled with rare plants from our state and beyond. I would often talk to the gardeners, especially in the earlier days when many of them were still around after long years of working there. I remember the transplanting of the camellias from the yard of a well known professor. There were many rare examples, and I cringed at the thought of their survival, as camellias are loathed to be moved. They moved them, a huge task, to the front of the Administration Building, and then pruned them down to almost the ground. They struggled for years, but slowly regained their strength, and now they are fabulous, especially this Spring, which saw the most amaizing display of camellias in years.

If you walk around to the front of the McKissick Museum, you will note a large magnolia on the right side of the steps. Years ago...in the late 1960's, a Midnight Raid by Clemson before THE GAME made mincemeat of this tree. They tried to cut it down, but botched the job. One of the gardeners took what was left and nursed it back to health. It now has several trunks, and if you know the magnolia tree, that is very unusual. Everytime I look at it I remember the story in The Gamecock, and how offended the whole campus was.

So what is Mother Nature trying to say! I think it is obvious..."Take note and take care of me, and I will reward you with many lessons that will enrich your lives."