But I Get Up Again

Hello my wicked witches,

Only 11 more days until Halloween! Do you get many trick-or-treaters? I finally saw the first Halloween decorations on my street (photo directly below). It was thrilling, albeit slightly underwhelming, but that's because I used to live in SE Portland (scroll down to see how it's done).

SE Portland goes all out with their decorations! I miss it. Chris and I were known as The Graveyard House of Salmon Street (okay, I just made that up, but it sounds cool). We loved digging up the worm-infested earth and burying our fake headstones all over the yard (I'll post photos of our graveyard closer to Halloween). Chris got so excited handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Even though we live in an active cemetery these days, we miss the month of October back at the old house.

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Today has flown by! My to do list this weekend was long, and I have yet to accomplish it all. Do you ever add things to your to do list that you've already completed just so you have an accurate picture of everything that you did? I did that this morning.

This Week:

• I drove a few times to and from work. It went well. The navigation app knew where I was the entire time and it was fine. I don't like the stress of driving but we'll see how it goes for a couple of weeks before I cry like a baby and demand to be driven.

• At Sky Studios, we visited the gym that they built where the cast will get swol. It's pretty great. The trainer told me that they have a tough decision to make about where to put the ping pong table. Rough life.

• We also visited the stunts stages -- one stage is for the actors and the other is for the stunts team. They were filming a few takes of something when we got there. It was cool to see. I'm looking forward to seeing their stunt-vis put together.

• I received a lovely surprise in the mail! A good friend/coworker sent me a Halloween card, a wooden butterfly, and a tea towel. All so unique and beautiful (like her)!

Today -- Breakfast, An Intermission, and Some History:

Breakfast: Sam’s Café Primrose Hill

A cute, colorful, and lively café just steps from Primrose Hill Park. Offers local artists a place to exhibit their work without paying for gallery space. (No cut is taken by the café for their sales.) Seating is fairly limited, but I was able to sit down right away.

• Ordered: Americano with oat milk. Corned beef hash.

What is that?! I’ve never seen anyone eat that here before. Uh, looks good! -- Regular at Table 6

• Food: All restaurants make corned beed hash differently, but I wasn't expecting it to be sloppy joe consistency. It had baked beans and lots of onions in it, which was also unexpected. It was pretty good but I would explore the menu before going back to that dish. Tell me your favorite brunch spot and how you like your corned beef hash prepared (if you eat it)!

• Loved: Halloween decorations! Good coffee. Bright and airy. Servers were lovely.

• Regretted: Not bringing a book or headphones, but I always have my trusty little notebook, so I jotted down some notes for this post.

• Disliked: I get sensory overload in certain spaces and it definitely happened here. The noise of all the conversations and the hot drinks being made became overwhelming. I felt a bit nauseous at the end there, so I left a bit quicker than I intended.

An Intermission: I fell again.

Me tripping into a handshake

Me tripping up the stairs

Me tripping on the sidewalk

To sum up my falls:

1. Me tripping into a handshake -- I didn't write about this one but it was impressively embarrassing

2. Me tripping up the stairs

3. Me slipping on the sidewalk today

• After breakfast, I walked across the street to take the longer way home. As I stepped onto the sidewalk, I slipped on some leaves or maybe the sidewalk was just slippery, and I went down pretty hard. I landed on my right hip but my left hip hurt after I got up. My phone was in my right hand and I smacked it down on the sidewalk when I fell. Luckily, the screen protector and case saved it. There's just a very small abrasion on the bottom right of the phone. I didn't get hurt -- not anything obvious, anyway. Just like my last fall, I shot right up and immediately started walking away.

• I came back to the apartment, took some ibuprofen, and then did AM Yoga to stretch it out. (I highly recommend this yoga routine. Fair warning: Rodney Yee wears a small banana hammock in the video. Thankfully, I memorized this routine a long time ago and didn't have to look at the screen. You can try not to look, but it's impossible.)

• The photos below aren't related to my falls. Just a few that I took on my walk, one of which is an inside joke for my mom!

Some History

Before I go (are you still there, dear reader?), I thought I'd share some information about the area that I live in, which includes a few historic places nearby. Nothing too in-depth, but may interest you. I've included links in case you want to read more.

Primrose Hill

• One of the best views of London is from the top of Primrose Hill – one of just six protected views in the city. In Roman times, the hillside was actually a thickly wooded forest full of wild wolves, oxen, boars, and deer. By the 1400s, the forest gave way** to meadows and open fields. The hill was renamed Primrose because of the spring flowers on its slopes. **AKA humans chopped down thousands of trees.

• My review: Slightly overrated(!). I walked up the steep incline to the top and there were lots of people there. I didn't quite understand why they weren't looking at the sunset behind them, but maybe they knew something that I didn't. While it was impressive, I didn't find it interesting enough to stick around. What do you think? The park itself is beautiful and I enjoyed walking to and from more so than being at the top of the hill. Bring back the wolves!

The Old Piano Factory

• In the mid-to-late 19th century, when the piano was an essential part of the family home, Primrose Hill was once the heart of piano manufacturing. The photo below shows the beautiful gate of what was entrance to the John and James Hopkinson’s piano factory. Almost all of the factories have been converted entirely to residential dwellings, but this property is also home to the Primrose Hill Community Association (PHCA).

Blue Plaques

• I visited three of London’s Blue Plaques this morning. These plaques “link the people of the past with the buildings of the present.” There are more than 1,000 plaques across the city – think I can visit them all before I come home? Neither do I.

• You'll see me one of the photos taken a couple of months ago because I almost chose an apartment next to Sylvia Plath's blue plaque (the tan building on the end). That's just me being a weirdo.

In case you're not familiar with the folks on the plaques (I didn't know who Dr. Rizal was):

William Butler Yeats

1865-1939: Irish poet and dramatist

• One of the greatest 20th-century poets of the English language. Received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

• Excerpt of the poem Under Ben Bulben:

Many times man lives and dies   

Between his two eternities,   

That of race and that of soul,   

And ancient Ireland knew it all.   

Whether man dies in his bed   

Or the rifle knocks him dead,

A brief parting from those dear   

Is the worst man has to fear.   

Though grave-diggers' toil is long,   

Sharp their spades, their muscle strong,   

They but thrust their buried men   

Back in the human mind again.

Dr. José Rizal

1861-1896: Writer and National Hero of the Philippines

• Symbol for Philippine independence from Spain. While studying in Spain, José published two novels outlining the Spaniards’ brutality in his home country and, upon returning to the Philippines, he started a society devoted to nonviolent political reform. In 1896, Andrés Bonifacio led a violent uprising against the Spanish government, and even though Rizal was not associated with the insurrection, he was executed on December 30th by firing squad. José’s death united the Filipino people, and he became the face of the Philippine independence movement.

• Dec. 30th is Rizal Day, a Philippine national holiday commemorating his life and works.

Sylvia Plath

1932-1963: Poet

• One of the most admired poets of the 20th century.

• Excerpt of the poem Elm:

I am inhabited by a cry.   

Nightly it flaps out

Looking, with its hooks, for something to love.

I am terrified by this dark thing   

That sleeps in me;

All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.

Clouds pass and disperse.

Are those the faces of love, those pale irretrievables?   

Is it for such I agitate my heart?

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Thank you for spending so much time with me today. Don't forget to check out my photos page! I've uploaded photos there that aren't included above (more SE PDX Halloween photos - Eeeee!).

Take care and be well, my darlings.

Till next time,

Your WereMack in London

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P.S. Wix's AI-suggested post topics today included:

• Midnight Howlings

• Abandoned houses exploration

• Haunted Hotel Escapades

OK, I will tip my hat to these, AI, but not much else that you do. (Has anyone else started seeing super creepy AI animals in your suggested reels on Instragram?)