Joanna's Whimsical Life: Talking to old ladies, Kew Gdns 2012, wilderness on a bike

Hello on another Monday. It's June, the sun is shining and the winged singers are exercising their vocal cords (they must have some). When I was listening to the old women on the bench yesterday, the birds giving the background evening concert were of the black variety. Masses of them dwell on the tall trees along Sikorski Street and walking there poses some danger as the sun goes down.

You may have noticed I used the plural form of the word 'woman' above, whereas yesterday I told you about talking to one old lady. As we were sitting and chatting, the other one turned up and sat between us. She had to go home and rejoined her friend to enjoy the warm and sunny Sunday evening. There were more memories shared and something else as well came out in the conversation: LONELINESS of these old women, who went through the atrocities of war, worked hard at the local shoe factory afterwards, being wives and bringing up three children each. Husbands are dead, children live busy independent lives, mostly far away and their days are empty. There is a significant difference between our Westernized society and the Arab world (as I witnessed it) where aging mother is at the heart of the family, not pushed aside. But that's a different story and I want to focus on my yesterday encounter. The first lady was brought up by her uncle in Warsaw as her mother died at childbirth along with her little brother. She only came to Skarzysko following her husband who received a job here. They got a flat in one of the 1950s blocks and she's been living here since. Her neighbour friend and former co-worker comes from a small town west of Skarzysko. Her family, like many others in the mid-war Poland, settled here because of the job prospects in the developing industry.
She also was 14 when during the war she had to work in the military factory that the Nazi took over invading Poland in 1939. I was astonished to hear that she was an active partisan! She told me that her job was to steal ammunition from the factory. She hid the cartridges in her thick stockings in the shoes, five under each foot and sometimes a few in her sleeves. Listening to her, we were both shocked. Her friend thought it was most unwise. She was risking her life and what for? Did she get paid for that? Does she have a high pension? To these questions the answer was 'No, but I was was helping to free the country and besides, if you did it once, they wouldn't let you stop. You had to carry on. There was no choice. And the cause was good...'
The other lady was not convinced. We heard about the searches the labourers were subjected to detailed security checks every day on leaving the factory, about her fear and how she mastered avoiding the nastiest Volksdeutsch women guards. She recalled a day when she was very unwell and her work was not up to the standard. One of the Volkesdeutsch women saw it and reported her to the German supervisor. She was called to his office and not only told off, but also hit in the face with all the strength of a healthy mature male palm. The woman watched the scene. I wanted to know what happened to that woman. Nothing bad. She lived in Skarzysko after the war, but has long been dead.... I also heard about enormous help the Jewish people received from the Poles in Skarzysko during the war. People were risking lives hiding them and when the war was over, the survivors often showed their gratitude. I heard about houses being built with the money received from the rescued. Maybe that is why the first woman kept asking what this one got out of smuggling bullets... After all, she was granted some monetary compensation from Germany.
....
On the 17th of June last year, I went to Key Gardens to see Queen Charlotte's Cottage. Of course, I explored as much as I could while there. Although I often travel or even a few times have walked past the Royal Botanic Gardens, it had been a few years since I last visited the vast horticultural enclave.
Here are a few snaps:

....
Here are today's pictures of my bike ride.
I chose the least steep street and headed for the nearest forest, passing by old a new houses.

'Zrodelko' in the forest near Krakowska Street

Wilderness behind 'zrodelko'

Frog kingdom near 'Zrodelko'

Someone lives in the forest...

Wilderness along Krakowska Street taking you all the way to Krakow, and Rome!

Your 'reporter' at work

Krakowska St looking south

Spot the cat!

Should you not spot the cat, here it is!;-)

Krakowska Street looking north, towards the sea (eventually)

You'd need to look carefully to understand that one, guesses welcome!

This used to be forest, was to be a motorway; nice weed now!

More of what didn't, or hasn't yet, become a motorway

Aren't the yellow flowers some rare ones?

When the forest stood here, you wouldn't see the high rise buildings

This cat just wouldn't pose for a portrait picture

See the toad stool?

Pretty?

How far the forest was pushed from the country road

More of flowers in the weed

Facing the pushed aside forest are the remaining allotments. The ones nearer the road also had to give the way to the new through road that hasn't yet happened. The low sun added charm to the views:

My bike waited for me every time I ventured to take yet another snap. What a luck!

That pretty lupine I captured when getting on the bike. Isn't it beautiful?

The pink shamrock grows in plenty on the fields and meadows in Poland. Hence, I had no inhibition to pick some for a friend I was to see later. She loves wild flowers, just like I do and was really pleased with this little gift.

After a ride through the countryside and spotting nice wild flowers I invited a friend for ice cream and we ate them sitting at a wooden table under a big parasol admiring this pretty garden:

Should anyone of the name 'Jacek' see the name of this cake shop, no offence meant! Cakes sampled twice (so far); the cheesecake was rather boring, but the little yeast bun with blueberry filling can be recommended!