Various random business...

I am starting to panic the I am spending too much time around Sussex hippies. They are a lovely group of friends (I always feel like I'm visiting from Planet Shallow Capitalism when I make the big trip down from the nasty Big City) who always manage to ahem..chill me out and....centre me. However, too much time in the vicinity of people who grow their own organic vegetables and hven't bought anything from a supermarket since 1982 has led to to a forbidding, terrifying state of affairs. I really like 1970s folk music.

Exhibit A:

I love this. I can't stop listening to them.

Exhibit B:

This is probably my favourite song of all time right about now.

Clearly I need to invite them up South London next time for some grime listening and crack.

Secondly - my new favourite restaurant is Amazonas on Brixton Rd, SW9. It's a Colombian place - speciality the Bandeja Paisa - an enormous plate of meat, with some beans for mopping up purposes. After many happy ginger chicken and jeera rice soaked years, it has officially nudged Mirch Masala in Tooting out as the 'default place we all go to meet up' for my friends and I. I have been twice in two weeks - maybe not the best preparation for summer, stuffing myself with belly pork and carbohydrates, but it is so bloody good, plus lots of Colombian music to remind me of my time there.

Thirdly, kind of inspired by Jen's 30 Good Deeds in 30 Days idea, and also a bit by seeing in my ordinary job how badly refugees have it in the UK, then realising "if you're not part of the solution.." I have signed up to be a mentor for a refugee in London. I love this city, and would love to help welcome someone to it, but it's overwhelming enough without a blatantly obstructive government and a racist media and society.
Apparently there's a waiting list and a training ccourse to attend, but we'll see how it goes. I think I'll learn a lot from it as well as hopefully helping someone out.

Fourthly, they're taking really good care of my Nan in hospital, and she's doing a lot better. I'm off to visit this weekend. Now we have to see what happens when she's discharged. There are two battles to fight here - one, persuading social services to put a decent care plan in place, and two, to convince my Nan it's worth the fight. She's not used to being ill - she got to 90 without a day in hospital - this is a good thing, but it means she doesn't know what it's like to be ill, and doesn't really that to recover from a major operation you need to persevere. Right about now she's completely fed up and not motivated to do anything. Which is understandable, but disheartening for her prospects when she gets home. I'm just hoping her natural old lady stubborness can be activated, and I'm off to remind her about Bingo and Ballroom Dancing.