Monday 11 December, 2017
It’s dark before 4pm these days. That seems so early. I can totally understand why there are so many festivals that involve light and fire. I’ve gathered my Christmas lights, placed some strategically, bought the smelly candles, and hunting down the elusive Chanukah candles. (This is getting harder so I think I’ll buy two boxes!) Strange they should be so hard to find in a heavier than average Jewish environment.
At any rate, the living room is slowly taking on a Chistmassy look. It’s a bit of a jumble at the moment but eventually a bit more effort will snap things into shape.
I’m also whimsical about my Christmas – Chanukah mix. I have one ancestor who converted to Judaism and I wonder if it was Mary Ann who snuck the traditions in, or was it merely adaptation across the years after all the various branches migrated to the UK.
One day last week we went out to Angel. It’s a zone 1 area just north of central and just a 20 minute bus ride away from Hackney. Angel retains its independent nature, despite all the chains and franchises that have stealthily crept in. There are lovely churches and greens, a wide high street, a fancier stretch of restaurant after restaurant, three cinemas – two indy – and some mews areas. Soon a new mall will open and it will be interesting to see how this might change the way it looks and operates.
The mews area of Camden Passage has a lot of little shops and cafes. Like most similar places, the prices are a bit steep here. This year it’s not looking as seasonally attractive as other years and the grey weather doesn’t help. I’ll go back after dark when the lights will cheer things up. Meanwhile I did enjoy looking at the windows but didn’t venture inside anywhere.
