tickle flies from the skies: Some reflections on London

Reflection in London.

I'm working in London now, and have sampled two rather nice areas of inner London as places to live. I do things like catch the tube in rush hour (although I think I'm going to get the bus, it's half the price and from where I have to go at the moment not actually too much longer) and buy lunch at Tesco's when I haven't got myself organised properly.

The population of London is about twice the population of New Zealand. Did you know that? That's, like, pretty significant. There are a lot of people in London. Some of them really smell bad.

Tower Bridge and the brown Thames.

I work near the Thames, and Tower Bridge (which I have not yet seen raise). The Thames is brown and flows surprisingly quickly. It ripples and eddies in bright grey and shiny scum-green. I've noticed that all the inland water in London, and those towns I've visited on excursions, is greeny-brown or browny-green. Canals and ponds and little lakes, all a murky green, all with a thin layer of slime. But still, somehow, it's pleasant to walk beside them and around them - and they reflect so well. London is a city of reflections. I do a bit of reflecting myself, sometimes.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you a few things I've discovered:

Never shop on Oxford Street on the weekend. Your soul will be destroyed by 50,000

What? Where are the # and @ at?!?!?!

bustling women jostling co-shoppers onto the road in front of buses.
Keys are in the wrong place on keyboards.
There are so, so many old and beautiful books in London, and so many museums to house them.
The majority of buskers make use of empty air - whether they are robed Yodas holding onto a staff or seated men in greatcoats with invisible heads but mysterious spectacles.
Eating out is very expensive compared to home. Fruit and veg is expensive. Some groceries are cheaper - you can get cans of soup pretty cheap. And you can get four delicious rolls at Sainsburys for 1 quid. Go Sainsburys!
A bald guy called James (27, tube-rider, large beard) is returning to education after 20 years, and he knows he'll fucking thrive.

Oh, there they are!

Hipsters gravitate to Shoreditch.
There are lots of Russians in Kensington. They don't like it when people use the lift for one floor only (I tend to agree).
Every second person smokes.
Very few cyclists cycle with helmets on, despite the crazed traffic, and there are quite a few cyclists. Some cyclists (quite wisely) wear those mask things to help keep out the pollution, but the result is you feel like you'r being pursued by Hannibal Lector on a bicycle.
Some parts of the pavement are so worn by trillions of billions of footsteps that the sun reflects in them.
Law firms don't like sharing their building with charities.
My boyfriend's extended family and very generous and kind. And good cooks.