London bits & bobs & other stuff

Traffic is crazy. Drivers are nuts. Pedestrians are insane. No one stops. It’s a wonder everyone is not killed. Despite that it all seems to flow pretty well. The bus system is superb, you don’t have to wait more than about ten minutes. Great if you know where you’re going…. We can’t come to terms with the tube, too confusing, hot and stuffy. It’s a pretty dirty city, we come home each day with grit & grime on our faces (in addition to sore feet).

This one’s for Geoff: there’s a brilliant bike culture here, cyclists on bikes of all shapes & sizes. Helmets are not mandatory which I can’t believe given the nut case traffic, but there you go. They have even introduced a tax-free ride-to-work scheme which allows your employer to package up a bike and you pay no tax – works out about half price!! Best start lobbying Costello…..

The weather has been superb, 26 yesterday and around 22 today. So much sun that we are both a little red, but there are not many shops out on the tourist trail where you can just pick up the basics like sunscreen. We’ll grab some before we go to Scotland, the five day forecast is for fine & sunny weather, let’s hope they’re right…

The food has been great. The coffee less so. We have found a local Italian place which does OK coffee and great food. It’s called Carluccio’s and is part of a chain run by Antonio Carluccio whom you might be familiar with. Last night we had dinner at Vic Naylor’s which is just around the corner. For movie buffs, this was the bar used in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels…though there wasn’t a Cockney geezer in sight ;-).