This green and pleasant land

Ah gentle readers, it has been some time since I updated here. Since I got back from Italy the hum drum of London has sucked me back in but I am nothing if not easily distracted.

I settled back into work, taunting my work mates with little anecdotes that begin “When I went to Italy....” which have replaced the ones that used to start with “ When I go to Italy.....”
And now its a steady flow of days from here until my trip to Melbourne in December. I'll be flying in to Tullamarine at about 7:15 pm on the 29th of November and I'll be around the old town til boxing day before I head back over here and back to work. This marathon stretch of no travelling will be broken only by a trip to Brighton at the end of August which I cant wait for, the sun (maybe) the sea (definitely) the sand (not so much) but I will be sure to take plenty of photos.
So what's been happening since I spoke to you last? I'm glad you asked. We had a tube strike, That was a bit exciting. I have had soft spots for unions before but it has to be said that in this instance the RMT who were responsible for this strike didn't really do a great job of getting their point across as to exactly why we should be sympathetic towards them calling this 48 hour massively annoying stop work action. From what I understand they were asking for a 5% wage increase as well as a guarantee of no redundancies which in this economic climate is probably a bit much to ask. The 5% wage increase is also double that of police and emergency service workers so again, possibly a bit much. I cant help but think that it would have served them better in the court of public opinion to simply throw open the gates to the tube stations and turn of the ticket machines and let everyone ride for free as a means of getting their point across. They have been threatening to throw another strike and last I heard their demands still hadn't been agreed to. Most people that I saw out on the 2 days seemed to be coping pretty well though, those who didn't give up completely and stay home enjoyed a crowded 2 or 3 hour bus journey to make a trip that would normally take you about 15 minutes on the tube. My workmate Vanessa and I resorted to playing I spy, ( I won) and guess that song with Vanessa's ipod (I'd forgotten what Richard Marx sounded like). Two days it lasted, a two hour journey in the morning and a three hour one at night.
The Kings Road was a little quieter than usual but at least it never rained.
Its summer here now, gentle, shoe tying breezes, green grass and drinking Pimm's by a body of water weather. For me its the Thames, I'm spending lots of time in Richmond in this glorious english summer weather, walking up and down the river, exploring little areas like Twickenham, Teddington and Eel Pie Island. Eel Pie Island is mostly a collection of artists studios and boat building sheds. An island in the middle of the Thames, there is only one foot bridge on to it and no cars at all, I think one of the residents has a tank of some sort but definitely no cars. Teddington is the home to Teddington Studios and to Teddington Lock where Monty Pythons fish slapping sketch was filmed, I stood in the place where it was filmed, they were brave men to dive into that water. The other day I had a bacon sandwich at Diners Delight, also known as the cafe where Tim and Daisy met in spaced. Richmond is also famous for its residents, Mick Jagger mostly, he lives up on the hill when he's in town apparently. Somewhat less famous is the site of Fantasy Bazzar, the comic shop run by Bill Bailey also in Spaced. It used to be the real life home of They Walk Among Us but they've moved around the corner now, vacating the immortalised shopfront to some internet hosting company. In the glorious sunshine there is nothing more I want to do than wander around London's vast open spaces, and I've been to a few now. Climbed Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath and saw the brilliant views. Listened to the crazies at Speakers Corner in Hyde park and walked around the Serpentine. Fed the squirrels in Kensington Gardens much to the distain of Prince Charles. Wandered through Regents Park and along the canals in Camden. Climbed Richmond Hill to more expansive views and was a little disturbed by the warnings about rutting deer, but the best park so far would have to be Bushy Park in Teddington. I went the other day and saw a little baby deer and a swan and couts that follow you as you walk along the little river, waiting for you to feed them bread. I saw the surface of said river broken by a what appeared to be some kind of dorsel fin, unexpected and puzzling, only to find on closer inspection that it belonged to a giant carp. Its the perfect combination of open grassy nothings and little woody nooks along with the occasional manicured chocolate box water feature. Its a holiday at home, little sojourns into the country even though its only about half an hour from where I live. And all free, when so much else in London isn't. All winter and most of spring I have been disturbed at intervals by the blood curdling screams of the foxes making foxy love on the green outside my window. Their passion sounds not unlike a young girl being brutally murdered, I do not wish to come back in my next life as a fox. The result of all of this disconcerting ardour is new baby foxes which seem to be increasingly venturing out during the day, sunbathing on the tops of peoples garden sheds and drinking from the watering can we keep filled in the garden for them. Overnight they get into the garbage and spread debris along the lane creating little crime scenes where some plastic bag has had its insides ripped out. In the mornings I'm being woken by a squirrel, which is cute but slightly less endearing when its timescale differs wildly from mine. When I am feeding them barbeque shapes in Kensington gardens on a lazy afternoon then they are supremely cute, when they are dancing on my skylight at 5 am they are less so. We're starting to get thunderstorms as well, I'd missed thunderstorms. The summer ones in melbourne used to be spectacular but had been increasingly replaced by wind storms before I left. We had a huge downpour that apparently soaked those poor Harry Potter kids at their opening, Aw bless. Big booms of thunder like mountains falling into the sea and then the sky fell. As I write this another thunder storm is winding down. Nice little bit of thunder and lighting and now that fresh post rain smell drifting in through the french doors. Days pass decorated by these little experiences, foxes, squirrels, parks and the occasional bit of rain. I take my happiness where I can get it and store it up for the winter. Take care xxx