Some Thoughts and Memories

For me Indian cuisine is far more superior to bland English food. It has an unrivalled richness, and character rarely found anywhere else on the globe. My favourite dishes are saag aloo (spinach/potato curry especially with coriander mixed in) punjabi choley (a chickpea curry in thick sauce), dal (lentil curry with a good quantity of chilli), and masala dosa (a very long elongated savoury pancake which is wrapped around mashed spiced potato in the middle and has two or three small dishes containing "sauces"). Incidently, indian sweets, or ladoos can "unfortunately" be "too sweet" for the palate. Indeed, they can often taste of  sugar, and nothing else. There is even a diabetic version..which I never ever tried..as yet! Over many years I have frequented in Slough, and elsewhere many Indian cafes, and restaurants. Sometimes, products such as samosas have red markings created by chilli powder indicating that they are meat! Being vegetarian I make sure I...

Back in the 1970s swimming was my favourite sport. Indeed, I even won scout badges for it. Pater, and myself would on occasion jump into a swimming pool in Windsor when it was freezing cold...The water was likewise cold too!! However, the experience was just simply invigorating! Recommended for those in good health! I had a number of swimming strokes such as the crawl, the breast stroke, and the butterfly. I used to swim very fast in a flash from one end of the pool to the other.. One thing I learnt from all this is the great importance of diving in properly. A special posture was required in order to safely "slide" into the water below....otherwise it would be dangerous.. When I went underwater I never used goggles as they continually filled with water. Instead I used my open eyes to see into the depths of the swimming pool. Due to the chlorine they soon became red but this did not concern me much. One of the things I used to do was to swim right down to the bottom...

The Two Gurdwaras On occasion I go to the Gurdwara, or Sikh Temple.  There I have langar, or free kitchen (ie free food spiritually blessed). The Gurdwara I refer to here is the Siri Guru Singh Sabha in Slough. It is there also that I may go upstairs to pay respects to the Guru Granth Sahib which is the Sikh Holy Scripture. This  Book is also regarded as the Living Guru of Sikhism. However, the Sikhs had a line of Ten Human Gurus culminating in Guru Gobind Singh instituting the Guru Granth Sahib as the Living Master. When  I am upstairs in the Gurdwara I naturally enough give a small donation, and meditate upon It. Quite often, depending on one's sensitivity to energies of higher conciousness can be experienced. Simran, or repetition of holy phrases also acts as a means of concentration. Though the Granth Sahib is not a Living Human Master it does infact radiate Power as it has been charged by a superconciousness. It can be experienced by anyone instantly or via conce...