On the bus go
LET’S START with some bright news. It was great to see that an eatery in neighbouring Southall was named the best family run restaurant in the UK.
It took me back to when I taught at Stanhope School in Greenford in the 1980s, and one of our staff, Jitu Shah, recommended the Brilliant Restaurant (yes that’s its name). We had several staff Christmas celebrations there, and although constantly amused by the name, the food really was ... brill.
Nearer to home, we also have a fab family-run Italian restaurant that’s been in Uxbridge longer than the 30 years Mr F and I have lived here. Many’s the meal I’ve shared at the Nonna Rosa with the street ladies. That’s my lovely neighbours, by the way, in case you were wondering.
Talking of a taste of Italy, it seems that their food – healthy continental cooking with lots of olive oil – is not the only thing that’s different to us. While we moan and munch a burger during the Coronavirus thing, the Italians sing.
If the UK was having a school report written about us it would be ‘try harder. Be more positive’. Less inward looking.
When I trained as a teacher, we studied a lot of child psychology. When looking at a pupil’s work, or speaking to an anxious mum or dad on parents’ evening, we were always told to find a POSITIVE first, well before any negatives.
If a child’s behaviour was bad, or you despaired of their written work or lack of progress, you could always find a good point to start and end with. It doesn’t stop the bad news of course, but it cushions it.
My heart sank at our MP Boris Johnson’s early press conference when he started by saying that we would ‘lose more loved ones’, but he and his wonderfully calm experts are doing much better now, thank goodness. We crave reassurance as much as we need the facts.
While we moan, the Italians sing from the balconies of their homes, but best of all someone thought to video it, share it with the world, and teach us all a lesson.
There’s no doubt these are testing times so let’s be a bit more Italian and find our spina dorsale (backbone).
We know living through a pandemic is not going to be a piece of cake. But we need cheer and hope. Just a slice will do. Or even a few crumbs. But don’t leave us with a bleak plate of nothing.
Buona fortuna - good luck. Keep in touch (email at top of column), particularly if you are self-isolating alone. Or need help.