Wrap inside;-)

What a fun way to attract customers!  Spotted in Northfields last Monday! 

On Tuesday  I had a wrap at a new Lebanese place in Ealing Broadway. The young men serving there were very friendly and kind. Inside I initially had their sole attention. There were people watching  life go by at the outside tables but they had been attended to. I was after some quiet rest. Noisy street and pollution couldn't tempt me. I get a lot of it when cycling.  The wrap was made exactly the way I wanted it. It was served with some fresh salad with deliciously crunchy Romaine lettuce and delicate dressing.  This and a glass of water trimmed with fresh mint leaves was just what the doctor ordered.

Then and now, here and there

Ladies and Gentlemen! 

Sergiusz Paplinski showing me his precious photos

Let me introduce Mr Sergiusz Paplinski known as 'Kawka' to his comrades (jackdaw in English). He is one of the great WWII heroes I had the honour to meet recently at the prestigious and historic Polish club (Polish Hearth) in South Kensington. Born in Radom, not far from my hometown, he would visit his aunt in Skarzysko-Kamienna. On one such visit he saw the railway station attacked by the Soviet planes soon after the Soviet Union followed the German attack on Poland in September 1939. Our allies did declare war on Germany that September but didn't lift a gun (nor a proverbial finger) as they... weren't ready then. As if Hitler had asked us to rehearse before he struck... Soon Sergiusz joined an underground army fighting in the area of The Holy Cross Mountains.

What a life! That evening Mr Paplinski shared some memories with me and showed me his old photographs. You can see them in this short film along with... his paintings! Yes, this brave soldier replaced his gun with a painting brush having settled in Albion! And did so having studied the arts first!

Sergiusz Paplinski in The Holy Cross Mountains

Silent-Unnamed marching

Sergiusz pointing at his commander Antoni Heda 'Shary'

Sergiusz Paplinski's paintings form the background for Katy Carr and Alexander Smaga

So many British people his age and younger do not realise how different their lives would have been if not for people like Sergiusz. Only a young teenager when the war broke out, he joined the underground armed forces and fought against the Nazi Germans. To my surprise I learnt that his commander was Antoni Heda 'Szary'  , who was recently commemorated with a monument in my hometown of Skarzysko-Kamienna. A new roundabout near my home was named after him too. 

In contrast, an English woman his age I met only last Monday, shared her lighthearted wartime memories with me: how she had danced and laughed in front of her mother singing: 'The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming!'. When travelling to Central London, she and her friends always laughed at the German prisoners of war working hard by the railroads. And what was happening in Poland at the time???

I know a bit and wouldn't like it to happen again. How can we allow such things to happen to others somewhere else now??? !!!

Thanks for reading! A penny for your thoughts! ;-)

To repair or to demolish?

EU Referendum on the doorstep, what will it bring? As usual, a great idea of United Europe is rotting, like so many before. Pity... There is a big uncertainty as to the results, of course. Well, it's worth remembering: building takes much longer then dismantling or demolition...

At Bronek's, Northfields

 
Bronek's Cafe in Northfields really surprised me today! I've been there  at lunchtime before and not in the evening. It was like a Cinderella at the ball!
Mr Bronek, the owner looked fantastic behind the counter and serving appetising seafood dishes:

The boss

 He was too busy to sit down and tell me more stories from his colourful life, but as I was about to leave, two ladies his age started talking to me. They were sharing a bottle of rose while waiting for their dinner:

Dinner served at Bronek's

The one who lives locally shared her wartime memories: about the German POWs she saw having to work hard and how being a young girl she had no idea how terrible the war was. They also expressed their opinions on Brexit, an omnipresent topic in the run-up to the referendum!

Several other tables were joined together to accomodate a large group dining there. They were from the Polish YMCA in Ealing. Mr Bronek spoke to the senior member of the party and I was invited to take a picture of them too:

Polish YMCA team dining at Bronek's

And here a a few pictures of the cosy nautical-themed restaurant in Northfields:

An English waiter serving at Bronek's

Wish I had more time to tell you more about it all, Dear Reader!
Good night!:-)

"Silent Unseen" to be remembered on Wawel Hill

Katy Carry and Alexander Smaga 

 Last Friday, invited by Katy Carr herself, I attended a meeting at the Polish Hearth Club in Exhibition Road. More about the event and wonderful people who took part when the time permits!

Alexander Smaga presenting the project at the Polish Hearth

This man is a World War II hero, one of the few still around. He was one of the guests of honour that evening.I am so glad to have met him. He told me about his wartime experiences. Actually, he fought it the Home Army in the Gory Swietokrzyskie (Holy Cross Mountains) area of Poland, near Skarzysko-Kamienna, my hometown. More about Mr Sergiusz Paplinski soon!

Historical meetings at POSK

 
Yesterday, after a busy day, I popped in to POSK to check out a meeting with a famous Polish historian Andrzej Nowak. Many people arrived and I was delighted to have a word with Mrs Marzena Szejbal, one of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 participants. Unfortunately, the meeting was in Polish only, not good for my English friend.  I listened for a good forty minutes, but it wouldn't have been fair to make my friend wait any longer, really. Even so, by the time I left, the lecturer had still not moved on from ancient history, including the Greeks and Hittites .

The room setup made it very difficult to slip in or out of as the door was right behind the speaker. One elderly man left having lost interest and said to me that he came there to hear about Polish history, not to have a lecture on universal history.

The only pictures I can provide you with, Dear Reader, are the ones of the tables being set up by the two Polish librarians for the reception to follow. 

 You may now  guess that the event was organised by The Polish Library at POSK
The library, headed by Ms Dobroslawa Platt, runs a series of interesting cultural events indeed. I have attended a few, so I know. As she kindly explained to me yesterday, they are not available for non-Polish speakers both because there are many other  Polish cultural events in English and due to financial limitations.

To my surprise, on entering the Polish institution in Ravenscourt Park, I was approached by a man keenly trying to divert my steps to a simultaneously held event on the same floor.  There I encountered the other man on the same mission. They literally were trying to persuade everyone coming to POSK or heading for the lecture on  Polish history to change their minds and go to a meeting with Marcin Wolski. I liked Marcin Wolski radio programs a lot, back years ago in Poland, but I hadn't known about his visit and I had other commitments. So did others, I suppose. It was quite farcical as you can imagine. The climax came when a  Polish woman of more advanced age came along, obviously a senior member of POSK, and a real squabble between the two broke out. It was funny and sad at the same time. As it turned out the woman did not actually want to hear the history talk, just to deliver a message to a member of the audience. However, that's by the way. The squabble seemed to revolve around their rights to be there in the corridor and who had secured more votes in the previous POSK election of worthies - obviously a meeting with its own history attached.

A no-go beach

So much happening all the time, no time to stop and write about all the amazing encounters and experiences. So many wonderful people met, stories heard, places seen... It is easier to keep trace of at least some of it on Facebook, which I resisted for too long.  See you there, Dear Reader?

Meawhile, see a few pics from last April walk to look at the Moroccan beach nobody recommended...

On leaving the Medina we checked out this unusual access route. It didn't look good and did not appeal to the sense of smell either...

Last year we sat here over delightfully refreshing orange juice and Moroccan tea... We fell in love with Essauira...

 The non- Muslim cemetery we visited then was now shut. There was a phone number on the gate though should you wish to get it.

How tourists can travel:

 Got there, seen that:

 On seeing some strange looking individuals, we decided not to hang around there and quickly went back the way we came.

Even the loveliest place has spots like this one...

After a street party

Cycling with a friend towards South Acton Station last Sunday we saw the buntings trimming the street after the party. Was it a celebration of Her Majesty's official birthday that we missed?

Hanwell mosaic

What a pretty eye-catching detail on St Mark's School in Hanwell! If you know this area, you will recognise what it depicts.:-)

Earl of Rhone captured and drowned again!

Great news! I managed to see the Earl of Rhone procession this year, 2016 AD and will recommend it to everyone!

On the way to the top of the street where it all was starting we met a few ladies all adequately clad. They posed for me, no problem.

Ladies on the way to join the procession

 I also photographed a man dressed suitably and may have  posted it on Facebook on the day.

The leading lady was among those who revived the fest many years ago

 Enjoy my pictures and read about this tradition in the link at the bottom of this post or in one of the previous posts here if you are very curious!

I'm heading for the Polish fest at Ealing Common if the rain doesn't stop me.

Great news! I managed to see the Earl of Rhone procession this year, 2016 AD and will recommend it to everyone!

Ladies on the way to join the procession

The leading lady was among those who revived the fest many years ago

 When the procession went past us, we went for the best takeway fish and chips in town which of course delayed us a bit as there was a queue. Hence, following their route along one of the longest high streets in the country, we arrived at the beach and found no trace of the costumed crowd there. Well, with tummies nicely filled we thought with only slight regret that we'd missed the last part - the drowning of Earl in the sea. Well, what could we do? We walked onto the rocks to enjoy the sunset. (I produced another batch of pictures, Dear Reader, as you may easily guess...)
As we were coming back to the beach we heard some familiar noise. The procession was only now arriving on the beach! They must have stopped to satisfy their thirst! Maybe at The House of Cards??? (Would you like to see the pictures of this unusual edifice?) :-)

Hunting of the Earl of Rhone reaching the beach

  You can read even more here. 

 

I hope this year's Acton Carnival will be as much fun as this!