Peace and Concord and Rasmali

Considerable kerfuffle on the tube today as a "customer had wandered onto the tracks" causing "severe delays."  I cannot say whether this customer might have been the same one from last night.

 While JY went on another part of his walk along the Thames, I enacted my plan for the perfect day and went to Marylebone High Street - kind of a poncy area with shops and restaurants.

 It has in it my favorite branch of Patisserie Valerie, which has decorative murals in pale green on the walls.  (CR: Croque monsieur and an eclair.)

 And it also has the best branch of Daunt Books.  Daunt has everything, but they specialize in travel books, which are contained in a two-floor gallery with a skylight at the back.  When I was standing at the till, buying The Fry Chronicles, a woman came in with her friend and she gasped audibly.  He said, "See??"  I have previously been around here mainly at Christmas shopping time, so it was a pleasant change not to be squashed in the whole time. 

I might also, I can't say, have gone to the Cath Kidston sale. 
http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=cath%20kidston&utm_content=38652125031&utm_campaign=Brand

Then I met JY at Westminster Abbey for evensong.  This is, without question, the coolest thing I have found to do for free in London, and he had never been.  Evensong starts after they have cleared the abbey of the paying tourists in the late afternoon, and so you go up to the gate and say, "Evensong?" and they let you in.  Since the last time I went, the clerics have progressed to using walkie-talkies to communicate with each other between the quire and the nave.  It's very funny to see them, in their robes and all, with the walkie-talkies.

Then, if you get there in time, which of course I do, they seat you with the choir,so that when the choir enters for the service, you are sitting right there next to them. 

I was happy to see a good representation, among the boy choristers, of my Chinese brethren. A good number of the boys wear glasses, and with their starched ruffs and choir robes and all, it's just too much.  There were also four very small boys, obviously from the choir school, who entered early and sat together, in their red robes but not the white surplices.  I speculate that this is like being red-shirted as a freshman in football. Possibly house mother at a choir school would be a good job for me, but I might be disciplined for too much squeezing. 

This service was conducted in the presence of the High Commissioner for India and his staff, if you please.  Also, there were special prayers commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz and for the relationship between the Jewish and Anglican peoples.  JY and I were happy to represent.

There was no mention of relations between the Anglican and half-Buddhist peoples.

Have I mentioned there were tiny snow flurries?  It continues to be very cold.  Since we did not have a theatre appointment, we went to Punjab in Neal Street for a leisurely dinner. There were more delays on the Jubilee line, this time because of a train that had broken down.  You can tell we are in England because absolute silence greeted the announcements:  There was no whining (CR: It's because of the war.) 

Punjab has continuously been in business at the same location since 1946.  It's my favorite Indian restaurant in London.
http://punjab.co.uk/
(CR:  Chicken madras for JY, acharri murgha for me, saag paneer, pilau rice, naan, and rasmali for afters.)
We considered pointing out that we had been at the service in honor of the High Commissioner for India and inquiring whether we might be entitled to additional pappadums therefore.