Friday, August 25 - Bolton annual Foid and Drink Festival

 It begins at noon, and the plan is to visit Queen's Park enroute. Well, at 7:30 AM the sky is gray,  and I see rain from Priscilla's bedroom window. The forecast is rain off and on.

After the painter arrived and started work and Rajkumar left for an errand I began Tony Blair's book. A Journey. I enjoy his conversational style.  After Rajkumar returned I left for the day, around 10:30 with umbrella, just in case. It was still overcast and cool. In fact, mittens would have been welcome. 

I went to Queens Park and walked on several paths and made it to the lake to watch the waterfowl.  The ducks were noisey and often chased one another. They floated around in groups, pairs, and also singly.  The swan was on the bank. It watched it come near the water and reach its long neck into it. I also enjoyed seeing the swan extend and flap its wings, as in a morning stretch.

Near noon I walked to Victoria Square where the 18th annual four-day Food and Drink Festival was underway; lots of people and families were enjoying perusing the many food and craft booths. I was hungry and ordered Chinese noodles with vegetables and gave them a note, i.e. bill to pay. I was informed they couldn't accept it because it was outdated,  that I needed to exchange it for the new notes at a bank, AND that I should take the food anyway. After protesting  I did take the food and environment enjoyed it. Then I went to a bank and was informed that they could not "swap" the three notes and pound coins  and that the new notes are plastic, whereas the outdated ones are paper. They were most apologetic and referred me to a post office and located one very close by on goggle and directed me there. At the post office I was successful, and I returned to the Chinese food stand and paid for my noodles. I am glad to have shared a bit of kindness and friendliness shown to me.

The next two plus hours I wandered and watched and enjoyed. Particularly a foursome of gentlemen dressed in what I call barbershop style and playing tge banjo, trumpet, clarinet, and bass saxophone.  They sang melodies I recognized growing up in a jazzy style. They sang along and I did, too-quietly. I purchased some small Cornish pasties and some small meat pies, and some dollar to bring back to Shyamala and Rajkumar to enjoy.  Yes there was food from around the world, even Japan and India, and US barbecue.

As I sat enjoying people watching at one of the many picnic tables a woman at the next table offered me the remaining Spanish church's of her young daughter, saying her daughter didn't want any more. I politely refused and suggested she could bring them home for her daughter to enjoy later. She figured out how to fold the container and put it in her bag and departed. I told her. Hurrah for women!

I returned to Queens Park and enjoyed walking and watching people and waterfowl in peace and quiet. When a few raindrops fell I decided to head back "home" not knowing if it would increase or stop. It stopped. I never used the umbrella.

When Shyamala arrived from work we shared tea and snacks and the BBC news. We then watched a concert of the Royal Albert Hall, London Proms with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and soloist pianist Andras Schiff in Schumann's piano concerto. It video included an interview with tge conductor and soloists who gew up together and were special friends.  We Google the Royal Albert Hall - seating and ticket cost, and learned tge stand area tickes are around 11 pounds and located in west we call the front orchestra. I like that plan. We also Google Albert and Victoria, and Henry VIII, and his wives and children and how Elizabeth I came to the throne. It was loads of fun with some good laughs. This research would have taken longer using encyclopedias. 

We enjoyed the pot pies with a salad; the dollar was new to their taste. There are pasties and more dolma for Saturday lunch.