Every week I take a walk up to my local ‘village’ area, it’s called a village but really it’s just a nice little row or collection of artisan shops, french Boulangeries, delis, organic produce shops, bistros , cafes and restaurants.

Victoria Park Village is one of London’s new hotspots for staycation tourists and locals out for a refreshing walk in the magnificent splendour of the outdoor wonder that is Victoria Park. Known affectionately as the People’s Park, bequithed to the people by the Late Queen Victoria herself, to give the polluted neighbours of the late 19C, full of immigrant factory workers, a green space for fresh air and exercise.

The new Londoner who explores the delights of VP are mostly millenial joggers working in tech or creative industry and spend most of their now homeworking life with their best friend, Mac or give his full name Apple Mac PC.

The industry may have changed, the clientel or inhabitants, still many immigrant neighbourhoods, but gentrification has transformed this area of East London and it’s now full of Des.Res., desirable residences where trendy celebrities reside and can feel that they are living back in the home counties and take a stroll to their local deli or pizzeria, cycle their kids around in a tricycle with kiddie box attached, block off streets around their children’s oversubscribed schools, and shop at the local farmers market or organic veg shop.

As an amateur culturologist, this fascinates me, people’s habits and lifestyle choices, generational habits, gentrification, layers of sub culture which influence and affect the eating and drinking habits of a neighbourhood. From chicken shops, to curry houses to the new noodle bars springing up called ‘ Our neighbours the dumplings’ the richness and variety of my East London neighbourhood excites me.

Lockdown three as it’s now called has exposed us, who are we what do we need?

As I can observe from the visitors who descend upon Victoria park each weekend, they are seeking some fresh air, exercise, a place to meet with their friends but more than that they want to be away from the street vibe and don their wellies, buy an artisan coffee or craft beer ( when it was permissable to do so) and chill.

Ultimately what we need when the options are limited actually boil down to quite a small choice of options.

So when I started to ponder daily bread as one of my art therapy topics I wrote down what that daily bread or sustainence means to me.

What do I need, yes the obvious choice of good food, rest, a home, for which many do not even have those basic pleasures or rights.

I was thinking of my health which had suddenly been returned to me at the delivery of a letter from the Cardiac department of my local hospital, all clear – you’re good to go!

Hooray, my daily sustenance of health and vitality is there for me, we take it for granted, don’t even realise what we need until it’s not available and my ponderings have led me to think maybe, just maybe that’s where we’re all at? We didn’t know what we needed until it wasn’t available and now we see what we long for or what we are starved of, what is your daily bread?

The key to living a life of daily considerations is to take one step at a time, savour the moments, enjoy the ride while you can and with your close ones, as we’ve learnt and can see that daily bread is all we need as life is fleeting and plans get cast aside.

Is it a quiet moment of nurturing self care? Is it an hour on the phone to your best friend? Or is it a stroll in your park with your buddy or mate, or maybe taking the kids to the park, or watching your fave box set whilst eating pizza, maybe this is the time, over lockdown part three to ponder what are your needs? what is your daily bread?

Take heart, think about your daily 🍞 and take what you need for today.

Have a great day,

Stay safe,

Peace and Love

From one pearl to another

Mags Lewis
28/1/21