Shot at Dawn in Edinburgh - Art Exhibition

Whilst in a windy, slightly damp Edinburgh a couple of days ago, my friend's eye was caught by the statement " A dyslexic man walked into a bra ..." printed on an otherwise unremarkable window.

Naturally we walked over, and discovered that it was the venue for an art gallery. The current, free, exhibition was entitled "Shot at Dawn" by Chloe Dewe Mathews - we entered to have a look - if nothing else it would give us some respite from the rather strong winds.

We saw several large format pictures, which turned out to be photographs. Printed alongside each was a name, or names, a date, then below that another date and time. No explanation was printed as to the subject matter, which varied from a splendid solitary tree in morning mist, to a modern looking school. We decided that the photographs must have been "shot at dawn", hence the title of the exhibition.

As we walked around, examining the photographs a chill went down my spine, and I became certain that the photographs were of sites where soldiers were literally shot at dawn, and that these must be shots of how the areas look nowadays. I was proved correct. We viewed the images with a different intensity.

We spoke to one of the curators, who explained that the artist, Chloe, researched the deaths of several soldiers and over a couple of years spent time visiting various sites of execution to take photographs of the modern site, trying to replicate the time of day and the weather conditions.

Although chilling, there is hope in the photographs, too - the new school built for children who may not exist without the sacrifice of the soldiers, and whose lives would certainly be different, for example.

If you are in Edinburgh before the 25th January, do go and spend some time at Stills, Cockburn St, Edinburgh. The exhibition is also on in London at the moment, and then tours Europe for a couple of years.

Rani - a Vegetarian Indian restaurant in London

We're back home, having spent a week away. The weather was kind to us, we even enjoyed some sunshine.  And we ate well:)


We stumbled upon this vegetarian Indian Restaurant purely by chance - I'd searched for restaurants on-line before we left, but didn't see this one there for some reason.  However, the website is www.raniuk.com,  and I think the fact that we ate there twice in three days says much for it.  The address is 7 Long Lane, Finchley N3 2PR.

It was clean, and not cramped as so many restaurants can be.  The manager was incredibly helpful, going to the kitchen to check on the suitability of the dishes on the buffet that evening for me, once I'd explained that I was both vegan and wheat intolerant.


The buffet was organised into cold starters

of which there were four, Aloo Dhai Poori, Bjel Poori, cold sliced Idli, and some "Semolina sandwiches", plus some delicious mini poppudoms.


A huge array of chutneys was available, with useful recommendations as to which chutney would best suit a main dish.

then there were four hot starters, the usual Onion Bhajias, Fried Mogo, Potato Bhajias, and some tapioca patties.

then there were a couple of rice dishes, one plain plus a cashew and vegetable pilau, and four curry dishes.  There was a Paneer curry, though not for me, obviously, Chola (black beans, very gingery and warming), Aubergine and Potato, and a carrot and cabbage dish.

There were also slice dosa, and a Gujerati Dal soup.  Puris were available for those who could eat wheat.


I was brought a specially made bread made from millet and cornmeal, which was substantial and tasty.  I was also brought my own small plate of cold starters without dairy.  So well cared for.


As a matter of course the restaurant has codes on the title cards of the foods indicating the content of such things as wheat, nuts, dairy, onions etc, so they really care about their customers' health and well being, which is so good to see:)


I was even allowed into the kitchen to take photos - how many restaurants would permit that?

On our second visit, there was one different cold starter, deep fried aubergines replaced the tapioca patties on the hot starters, and a Banana Methi replaced the cabbage and carrot, and a delicious Lilotri Sak (aubergines and broad beans) was on offer.  When I expressed the fact that I was unable to eat bananas, the manager arranged for a portion of Chana to be delivered to me.  He also brought over to me a portion of Akhaa Murcha, a vegetable stuffed chilli - one of the most delicious foods I've ever eaten!

So, if you're around London and fancy a great meal, I can heartily recommend Rani.  Our meal cost around £22 as we were "early birds", eating before 9.30pm, so qualifying for the discount on the £15 a head buffet.  Wonderful.

World Premiers of "The Cycle Symphony"

It's not often we ordinary mortals get to be present at a "World Premiere", is it?  And, if I'm honest, I didn't know that I was present at one until after it was finished.  Well, that's life, isn't it?  And, since I enjoyed it, without knowing how priveleged I was, that's all to the good:)

It happened that David and I were walking through Old SPitalfields Market, on the 2nd May in the afternoon.  We heard strains of music, and shortly appeared before a stage on which assorted instruments were being played proficiently by a group of musicians, some of whom were wearing helmets on their heads.

Initially, I wondered if , perhaps, they were prone to epileptic fits, and needed them for protection in case they had a seizure.  A more careful appraisal showed that they were, in fact, cycling helmets.  Several cycles were evident near the staging.

One of the green jacketed members of the seated ensemble stood and waved his arms.  I jumped as a cacaphony of bells pealed out!  Several of the audience had been provided with cycle bells, or whistles to accompany the music when conducted by this Jack-in-the-box.  Very effective it was too!

A television screen near the stage played a continuous loop of footage, but I couldn't really see much apart from a white van travelling along, but clearly this was integral to the performance.

If you see Amelia Robinson's work is to be produced near where you are, I urge you to go and participate.  It was a lovely performance to happen upon.

Eat vegan in London

We've just returned from London, where we spent three days exhausting ourselves ambling around taking in the sights, smells and sounds of our busy capital city.

Wherever I go, food is never far from my mind!  Sad?  I don't think so - we all need to eat, so I reckon it might as well be a pleasure:)  So, as we walked, we looked out for placed to eat.

I'd downloaded the names and addresses of a few Indian veggie restaurants before we left home, but that didn't stop us looking out for other places too!

This one was on my list, and we ate there one evening.  I've never seen dosas as large as those that appeared on the table adjacent to us - they must have been three feet in diameter - they were wider than the tables!!!!  They looked delicious, and I enjoyed watching crisp, golden sections being broken off and dipped in the accompanying sauce.

Our food was slightly less exotic!  We started with a Potato Bonda and an onion Bhajia.  The potato balls were soft inside, and crispy on the outside, with just enough chilli.  The bhajia was less oniony than the traditional northern Indian food we usually eat, but still tasty.  We then shared a Brinjal Bhajee and a Suki Bhajee, which were both tasty.  The single portion of boiled rice defeated both of us, and about a quarter of it we had to leave untouched!

It cost around £20 for the pair of us, which for a central London venue I consider good value.  Sadly, I'd forgotten that we'd gone in with the intention of trying the pre-theatre dinner at £5.95 a head, so it should have been more of a bargain!!!!

I couldn't resist filling a take away box at the Buffet Take Out, on New Oxford Street.  David doesn't eat Thai or Chinese, but I enjoy them, so to see a VEGAN Thai/Chinese buffet just made my day! 

Here's the view through the window.

I could choose virtually anything, as long as I avoided noodles, so I did:)  For £3.50 I tasted heaven in a box.  So many ways of preparing tofu, and delicious salads, too.  I'd love to visit there to eat in some day.

Where did you find your best meal on holiday?