Halloween party October 29th form 7pm to 2am

(Before the party: Marta, Mariona, Joan and Marc at the Spitz, the famous jazz bar in Spitafielads market, wearing fangs)

On saturday we're going to a Halloween party in one of London's spookiest venues in the cobbled streets of Jack The Ripper territory for a big old Halloween knees up. We'll be a bunch of us: Sarita, Nikos, Mariona, Marc, Ali and all is organised by Sureyya.

The pace is an an entire pub decorated especially for the event. We are told to wear a costume, and apparently there will be prizes for the best and worst costumes.

What does halloween mean? Where it comes from? Here it goes some briefing:

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

For Marta's birthday: a poem by Joan Sales

This is a poem from a Catalan writer about life (thanks go to our friend Ramon Tremosa for handing us this text over).

EDAT MADURA (1942)

"El plaer no deixa record.
Només són dolços en el cor,
un cop els anys lleugers han fet folla carrera,
els instants que ens van fer sofrir.

L'home, sorprès, s'adona un bon matí
que enyora la presó, l'exili, la trinxera,
el camp que amb mil angúnies i suors va cavar.
I que dels seus amors el que més persevera és
aquell que més el va fer plorar".

Joan Sales (1912-1983)

Tomorrow " Marta's birthday" (in Catalan)

La Marta en fa “29 i tres dotzenes de mesos”, precisament demà dijous dia 27 d’octubre. Més enllà del "qui dia passa any empeny”, aquest dia és potser l'únic que no cal empènyer.

L’aniversari, és aquesta festa “pagana” que ens recorda el dia que ens van parir. Serveix per “ rememorar també que existim”. Un any més i encara hi som! Conscients per un dia (només un a l’any), de la restricció temporal però també conscients del fet que “res és per sempre”, si el “per sempre” rau en un mateix, és clar.

Tot i que estant en una altre ciutat fa difícil o impossible ser amb tots aquells que ens estimem més, val a dir, que us tenim a tots molt presents. Demà anirem a sopar amb la Marta , sera un dia normal, ella prefeix no agafar-se festa i aquest any, com és convenció, també tindrà un “regalet”,....... no, no ens casem ni aquestes coses,..... només que “els homes (dones) són a les coses, com les coses als homes(dones)”, suposo,...pero les coses no són res comparades amb l'estimació de les persones. El millor regal és sentir els teus "ben aprop"! Aquells que us enrecodeu demà, sempre podeu fel·licitar-la amb un email al Martav@Futurefoundation.net.

Joan "elkosta"

This our other city "Clapham" (but not for long)

The origins of Clapham date back to Saxon times, specifically a settlement known as "Osgod Clapha". This was pretty tiny, and it didn't develop much beyond hamlet size for quite some time. The Common provided grazing for livestock then, and was still being used for this purpose right up until the start of the 20th century.

The land around Clapham was fairly marshy, and this limited development in the Middle Ages. By the 17th century highwaymen were a common sight on the Common, with Robert Forrestor one of the most unusual. Described as a "notorious sinner", Forrestor rode his horse dressed in ladies' nighties and pinched as much money as he could from passing stagecoaches.

Clapham began to develop at the end of the 17th century, as the Fire of London led to many homeless north Londoners arriving in their droves. Prostitution also became quite big business, although the women concerned mostly avoided the Common, which has now become the focus for furtive night time encounters.

The 19th century saw the construction of Clapham Junction station, and industry grew up around this part of the borough. Industry brought in more workers, and so housing development occurred as a result of this.
The 20th century didn't really see that much more development. Today Clapham is a popular residential district, with a thriving atmosphere and plenty of pleasant pubs, bars, restaurants and shops.

Tim Minchin: Dark Side

Diumenge vam anar a veure les comedies guanyadores del Festival "Edinburgh shows "2005. Ens varem endur una sorpresa amb en Tim Mitchin, un actor d'allò més polivalent i entre les seves lletres aquesta: "this is my country, its where I spend the vast majority of my time. Its not perfect, but is mine......".

Tim Minchin is such a brilliant virtuoso pianist, it would be a pleasure to simply listen to him play for an hour. Any incidental comedy, you could consider a bonus.But, as it turns out, he's not only an immensely talented musician, he's also a bright, quirky and hugely entertaining comedian, too. It's the sort of all-round package of genius that could drive other comics furious with envy.

On the face of it, what he sets out to do can sound very ordinary; which makes the fact he creates something extraordinary all the more remarkable. How many disappointing student-grade hacks might tackle a comic song about an inflatable sex doll with painfully predictable results? Well, this unedifying topic is the subject of his second song, performed in a cocktail-lounge jazz style, and itís unexpectedly wonderful.

Restuarant guai a Bilbao "Etxanobe"

Si mai aneu a Bilbao, us adjuntem una recomanació:

El restaurante ETXANOBE situado en el palacio Euskalduna está dirigido por Fernando Canales, chef y propietario. Cuenta con Mikel Población, jefe de cocina, el cual lleva unido profesionalmente a Fernando Canales más de diez años.Es un restaurante en el que la prioridad es la satisfacción del cliente por medio del trato en un marcoinmejorable con una decoración sorprendente y cálida al mismo tiempo.La cocina es de esas que se recuerdan, sobre todo en la memoria gustativa: rica e intensa de sabor,pero con una estética cuidada y respetando al máximo el producto, que es el auténtico protagonista.

El casament del dissabte

En Natxo i la Maduli es van prometre "amor per sempre " el dissabte 15 d'0ctubre. Noslatres, érem padrins (per primer cop) i varem fer un poema (adjuntem a continuació).





Ofrena del Ram d'en 'Natxo' a la '(Maria) Dolors'

Seguint la tradició del Principat, i fent gala de missatger de l’estimat,
et lliuro "una mes" de les "penyores" de l’amor d’un nuvi ja fa temps enamorat.
Així, núvia aquí tens aquest ram: símbol d’amor i de bona voluntat.

En 'Natxo' ho ha volgut així, tots dos i vet aquí: sereu companys en el camí.
Amics, confidents, de vegades amants, sovint còmplices i ajudants, doncs sí:
vau jugar al "Natxo que bo que estàs" i no us vau poder resistir.
Equip envejable, signeu avui el compromís, per arribar més lluny del que éreu ahir..

Matrimoni no tan sols és compartir, sinó voler seguir, malgrat a voltes patir.
Només així és possible el que els enamorats anomenen la desitjada fi:
"ser per existir". Dolors, mira enrere una vegada més: Montgrony, l' Ebre, Mura i molt més. En fi: "sunshine after rain " com diuen per allí , cal no desistir, la clau del misteri resta en el núvol del destí.

Avui , revetlla de trobada, tardor daurada, ens trobem per sòlida amistat..
Celebrem la vostra mútua voluntat, sí, que heu identificat "roses en el mar": el de la felicitat .
Aquest ram, inici d’una nova societat, ferma i sòlida, digne de catalanitat.

Escrit a Londres a l'Octubre de 2005