Walking around London [over the weekend] it struck me that it is everything and nothing.
Some folk wear masks dangling down around their chins, others are masked up tight, and there are others who completely ignore this contemporary ritual. Soho is full of glitter and hustle but nothing seems to have a clear-and-certain purpose. We popped into Five Guys for a shake and that was fun. We stood staring at Big Ben shrouded in a protective cloth - that was truly bizarre. The Palace seems such a forlorn place. Hide Park is glorious with all those yellow leaves falling to lay down a golden quilt over some perfectly trimmed grass. A stroll through The Tate [modern] is an unexpected delight due, in part, to the entertainment provided by the mingling crowds as they saunter through chatting about this or that piece of art hanging on the wall. Stuffing oneself with food is the perfect past time in cashless London - eat, drink, and swipe a card. But, for me, what was most precious was the brief, unintended, chats I had with perfect strangers [young and old]. The chat I had [at the urinal] with a guy who was off to the first round of the FA Cup, a magical interaction I had with a young female manager of a rather large Pret, a very pleasant conversation I had with a man who owns a fish and chips shop that was established back in 1974, and so on and so on....
If you ask me to describe the version of London I experienced on my visit this past weekend I would have to say it is everything and nothing. It is everything because of the people. It is nothing because it lacks a bedrock culture.
I had a fun weekend in London; and, perhaps, that is all there is to say.....
Richard.
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