Last day at Reading

Had been to the town square before  moving on from Reading  The high light of the day was catching the Mangor duo giving some wonderful performance. 

Did capture many tunes but I liked the Zorba Dance. Unfortunately there was no one around to dance to the tune. Their synchronization was perfect and so was their exuberance. 

There were many street singers and I noticed that the sound system they used was excellent.

There were many interesting things that caught the eye, like the Mind The Gap. On closer look I realised its something about the generation gap.

This guy was sort of dressed up, but I was wondering which watch does he check for the right time. 

And then there was the very colourful merry go round for kids.

Had some Hot Dog from the food truck parked nearby. They made it real quick and it was filling (and tasty) 

Did see a Yamaha keyboard demonstration with the experts doing a good job of showing how to hit the right notes. (captured a little in the video)

Walked into the Waterstone's  book store and it was really big, but well oraganised with a lot of collection. 

I liked some of the book covers especially this one with the early fifties look about bed manners.

On the way back home by bus I noticed that many of the shops were colourfully decorated and there were more cycles on the road. 

While in the bus I also noticed this written inside the bus. Well I am going to write to them as it was one of the best public transport systems that I have seen.

While in the book store I noticed this writing which they had put up on a small board. I agree with Fennel Hudson.

Lemon Plaice

It would be a shame to be in England and not have the experience of eating fish and chips. So had been to this place by the name of Lemon Plaice to experience the same. It is located at Norcot Road, Tilehurst, Reading (UK) 

Was impressed by the way the two ladies went about preparing the meal in perfect sync. 

They were serious and sincere about their work but at the same time answered all the queries that the customers had. Wifey noted the pickled egg on the counter and they explained how it is done. 

Earlier the fish and chips were wrapped in a newspaper by which when one had the fish, they could read some tidbits from the paper.   

This place was voted as the Best Chippy in 2012 by the listeners of the Reading 107FM 

Their menu also included children's menu. 

Incidentally this place is named as Plaice, which is the name of a fish. They serve Cod, Haddock and Plaice skinless and boneless. 

I captured their process of deep-frying the fish and made a small video on it. 

Chinewrde

It is a pleasure to see men dance in unison. 

Yesterday we were at the Market place in Reading (UK) Got to see the Chinewrde dancing the North West Morris. They are based in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. 

Liked their dedication in expressing their art even though the crowd was  thin. This was probably because they had a performance earlier nearby. 

Getting ready for the performance was the major part. 

Having a closer look I realised that the shoes were clogs and its not an easy feat to dance with those heavy clogs. 

The location added to the ambiance with an occasional London taxi adding some colour to it. 

The accordion and the harp gave the right rhythm with the drums holding the beat.

 I did a little recording near the flute and that was when I realised how all the instruments together made the perfect accompaniment for the dancers.

Their next performance is at Sidmouth Folk Week and Warwick Folk Festival in August.
Made a five minute video on it and it is a good visual treat. 

They were ready to answer questions  and said that they would like to welcome new members. Those interested can contact them through their site.

More blogs coming up after exploring a little more in and around Reading.

Kochi Metro

Imagine getting into a colourful station and taking in the ambiance while waiting for your ticket. 

The Kochi Metro has finally arrived. Elias George, the former MD of KMRL has made it all happen. It has many firsts to its credit, one of them being that they honoured about 800 construction workers with a Sadhya (meal on banana leaf) before the inauguration. All these workers are from North India, namely Bihar, Bengal and Assam.

Travelled by the Metro last week and was impressed by the efficiency of the staff.  

The first leg covers 13 kilometers consisting of eleven stations. This is again a first as no Metro had done a trial run for 13 kms. Later this will be extended to 22 stations from Aluva to Petta. 

The minimum fare in this sector is Rs 10 and the maximum Rs 40.

I like the murals at the stations. Each station has a different drawing which has got something to do with the local area. 

At Palarivattom station I saw these pictures of some unique flowers with the names given in English and Malayalam.

I noticed that most of the commuters were there for a joy ride and there were some school kids too with parents. 

Plastic bottle recycling machine is installed in one station and will be gradually added in all the stations.

Another first is the employment of 23 Transgender by a government company.

Some other features of the metro was the presence of points where you can speak to the driver in case of an emergency. 

Even though it runs through the city, one can't miss the greenery all around.

Some of the metro pillars have vertical garden which will use recycled municipal waste. 

The Kochi metro is proud to give equal opportunity to both genders by employing nearly 1000 women, of which 7 will be behind the wheel and serve as loco pilots.  

Another first is the record collection of Rs 1.77 crore in the first week.

I made a one min film with the pictures/videos that I captured during my maiden journey.