English Sunset

Sunset in Islington neighborhood of London, taken just after the rains had stopped... and just before they started up again.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Despite the ten kinds of rain that fell from the sky this weekend, Spring has arrived in London! Finally! Sure, it's the very last days of April... but better late than never. The best part is that Islington Green is actually beginning to look... well, green. This picture was taken from the living room window of my flat in Islington. I love the juxtaposition of the brave tree in the forefront, who is boldly embracing Spring, against the bare, wintry branches in the background.

note: click on the image to enlarge it. A funny little bird's nest is in the top left corner.

Peace Without Quiet

In this week's New York Times, one headline in particular caught my attention: "A City Where You Can’t Hear Yourself Scream". Immediately I thought of Cairo, Egypt.

And I was right. The article cites a study done by the National Research Center that spent five years measuring noise levels throughout the city of Cairo. Their conclusion? "...the average noise from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. is 85 decibels, a bit louder than a freight train 15 feet away."

85 decibels? Oh, I believe it. With 18 million people all crammed together, this city indeed makes a lot noise. The most constant offenders are car horns. When I first visited Cairo, I was quite uneasy with the amount horn honking we encountered on a simple drive to a museum. It never stopped. We were always receiving blaring series of honks from other cars. And when we weren't-- our driver was doing the honking. It took me a couple days to realize that the intent behind all the incessant honking doesn't mirror that of New York or even Los Angeles, where honking is clearly done to express anger or discontent at other cars.

Cairo is different.

Locals tend not to ever use their turn indicators when making any lane changes or turns. Instead they just honk. Everyone there is quite comfortable with it. Passing a car? Just honk at them. Turning left? Honk away! Turning right? Honk, and honk again if no one heard you. Honking in Cairo is basically the equivalent of letting everyone on the road know, "Here I am! I'm coming!". But it isn't just one car. With over 2 million cars on the roads in Cairo, it is every single car on every road, in every traffic jam, on every commute. Car horns honk in unified alarm throughout the entire city for the entire day, well near midnight.

It's the sort of noise that doesn't soften when you close the windows or shut the door. It just is part of the Cairo background. All you can do, really, is turn on some other noise to help drown it out. Like turning on the radio or TV at a decent level.

The NY Times article also noted that often the noise reached levels higher than 85-- often 95, which is the same level noise a jackhammer reaches.

That was the word that took me back to Cairo as I read through it. "Jackhammer." It is the perfect word to capture the jarring, unceasing, maddening level of noise in Cairo. It just gnaws away at you, to your core. And all you can do is either hold your hands tight over your ears and frown or, you can what the Caironese do: You can cheerfully accept the noise as life. You will never, ever hear an Egyptian in Cairo complain about the noise. They just talk louder and louder until everyone is practically shouting to each other on the street.

Life makes noise! After all, there will be more than enough silence afterwards.

London Book Fair at Earl Court

... taken from the window inside the tube station


....inside the fair





The London Book Fair is in town! I checked it out and learned quite a lot about the publishing industry in the UK. The most interesting booth I came across was actually found on my way towards the exit-- Book Aid International.

I learned that Book Aid International sends "over half a million books to developing countries (mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa) each year" to promote literacy in poverty-stricken countries. They send everything from fiction and nonfiction, how-to manuals and children's books. It is a wonderful program that tackles an issue not often talked about.

Check them out at www.bookaid.org

It rained, it poured... it hailed. It was the London Marathon!

Feels a bit strange to be back in England after two weeks in Egypt. For some reason (one that is thoroughly unwarranted) I expected the weather here to be all birds and sunshine and everything that is Spring when we returned. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did it snow while we were gone, but it snowed on our first day back! This is by far the coldest, most unruly and unpredictable Spring I have ever experienced. In fact, it's downright schizophrenic!

But not even bad weather could ruin the big charity event of the year...

Yesterday was the London Marathon! Spanning 26 miles, there were lots of hilarious costumes and incredible athletic ability to behold!

The marathon was quite an experience. The runners had to fare in sun, rain and even hail... all on the way to the finish line. I watched from the London Tower, first near the 11-mile mark and then near the 20-mile mark.

I was there supporting my good friend Jaimie who was running on behalf of the charity "Refuge", which provides much needed help for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. More info can be found at www.refuge.org.uk.

Don't Smile in a Sandstorm... Unless You Want Sand in Your Teeth

And what would a Springtime trip to Cairo be without the grand sandstorm that makes everyone want to stay indoors for the entire day? This is the storm that ruined many a football game that day. You could barely see across the River Nile during that storm... the camera was able to find a little more contrast than our eyes could.

And By Day....

The River Nile, shot from the "26th of July Bridge" into Zamalek neighborhood

The River Nile.... At Night

I still can't believe that my hotel room in Cairo overlooks the stunning River Nile. There is nothing in the world quite like it. There is something magical about this river at night... the way the city lights play off the water's surface... it just comes alive.

Cairo, Up Close

* remember to click on the images to make them bigger. some of the best details can only be seen when you enlarge the image.

Fathi Salama!

So far, the city of Cairo has been even more wonderful that I had remembered it. On Saturday I was invited by my new friend Shymaa to the Cairo Opera House on Gezira Island to watch Fathi Salama and his band, Sharkiat. What an amazing experience. Fathi Salama is a famous pianist and Egyptian composer (a musical genius and jazz prodigy, really!) and the music was incredible. The entire theater was filled with his loyal fans from all over the world, thanks in part to his recent European and Japanese tours. And I can certainly see why! His music really captures the mysterious essence that infuses all of Egypt, while blending it together with French jazz, American blues and even Oriental sounds. The effect is mesmerizing and highly entertaining. You may just look like you are sitting in your seat, but simultaneously elegant and primitive sounds carry you far, far away.

I absolutely loved it.

..............KFJC Interview Update...............

My interview with Ann Arbor on KFJC in the SF Bay Area, California will now be next week at

Wednesday, April 9th, 7:45am

She will do a second reading of Dear Isabelle right before the interview.

I'm so glad I'm able to listen to KFJC online even though I'm in Egypt. Ann did a such great job with the reading today! It was the first time I had ever heard someone's voice other than my own read my book. I loved her British accent for James!!!

A very, very special thank-you to Ian Whitaker for his beautiful music he played on the piano. It created such a mysterious, wonderful background for Ann's reading of D.I.! It really made the story come alive. I was really touched. And Ann was quite right about the story of the piano. Ian's father, Bruce, bought that piano from me right before I left for London. I loved that piano and was so sad to part with it! It was a mahogany Hamilton Upright Grand that dated back to 1900. And it was utterly gorgeous!

But it also weighed a zillion tons and my husband said, "There's no way we're taking that monster to England." He must have remembered the agony and uncertainty when we first moved it in to our Belmont apartment! Four strong boys came out bruised and nearly destroyed that day, vowing "Never again!" along with, "You better play this thing every day after what we went through." I contend it was worth it. It gave such a rich, almost haunting tone when played... no other piano has ever sounded quite like it. But David was right. There was no way we could take it to our tiny London flat (3rd floor with nothing but narrow, winded stairs leading to our door.... ouch!)

And so, we put in an ad on Craigslist and was hoping for a nice family to come and love it, despite it's missing key faces here and there and all the scratches and bruises it had earned over the years.

Lo and behold, just a week before we left for England, Mr. Whitaker and his wife come in through the door telling me they want to give their talented son a surprise for Christmas: the piano that he always asked for. Upon leaving, Mrs. Whitaker kindly tells me that her husband Bruce (AKA "Skokiaan Guy" knows someone who might just like to read Dear Isabelle... Ann Arbor on KFJC.
And now it's five months later and I heard my beloved piano on the radio, accompanying the reading of my first novel. Thank-you, Ian!