Gm,gn, great life.

On my little solo jaunt, I went to the UK for 4 days ( can you believe that?) and had a great time. From Gatwick, straight to Stonehenge and then to Birmingham for the night.

Then, over to the Lake District which is super quaint and to the Beatrix Potter Centre (not read much of her work to the children but Peter Rabbit has a frown just like Ashray did when he was a baby so got him a little momento.) The kids are anyway interested in a certain Mr.H.Potter, so that's that.

Then Stratford to visit the Bard, a tribute to my mother who had introduced me to his work as early as grade 5, bought up all the titles of Shakespeare for kids with all these really nice illustrations, kinda like Duffelbag Theatre, demystifying Shakespeare.

Then a day in London with a walking trip through Chinatown and onward to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery where I 'met' some greats again. Just soaking in the diversity standing on the steps seeing the monuments and the simliarities in architecture between London, Mumbai and Ottawa puts things into perspective.

And two weeks later, London was burning, raging fires from suppressed anger and who knows what else. Sad that. Friends who call it their home were disappointed at the crumbling of the facade of normalcy. And I, saddened watched the parade of the sameness of life everywhere and the hatred that calms down over time. Riots in my new home too whether over a G20 summit or a hockey game, the ugly face of humanity. Yet when all this is over, many watch fascinated as 'those people' scramble for their lives and freedoms over rubble created by the corridors of unseen, frightening power.

A very solemn reminder that arrogance is just a precursor to a rude awakening that we are more similar than we like to admit.

The sun does not set anyway, whether on the British Empire or elsewhere. The world just turns and we, with it.