The earth rotates inexorably forwards, eastwards, turning on its axis, irrespective of how one feels and despite the oft-felt cry: “Stop The World! I want to Get Off” (Note 1). Last Sunday London held the 42nd running of its marathon, from the start in the east at Greenwich to the finish on The Mall between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. The Men’s winner was a Kenyan called Amos Kipruto in just under 2 hours 5 minutes and the Women’s by Yalemzerf Yehualaw, an Ethiopian, in a time of 2 hours 17 minutes. Paula who, with her husband Hugh, owns Apartment 10 here in Amber House, ticked off one of the goals on her bucket list as she crossed the line on The Mall after just over four hours.
Thirteen days previously the same streets witnessing the runners finishing rang not to the sound of rubber-soled running shoes and physical exertion, but to the pageantry and military splendour of the State Funeral of the late Queen. Chalk and Cheese! The world turns.
I have missed the smell and the atmosphere of the Hope Café, cleverly created with lighting, carefully chosen artwork, and the buzz from contented customers. This week was the first time I have managed to have a few hours there since mid-July and I am pleased I did. You may recall that Edith died and Sami had left for India since I was last here so, as it wasn’t very busy, I caught up with Susie. I thought Susie had left for some ‘Overseas Experience’ (See PC 155 OE June 2019) but she admitted finances were too tight and at that moment Teresa walked in carrying some Brigadeiros and pāo doce from her delicatessen next door (see PC 267 from February 2022).
pāo doce
Susie introduced us and made us some coffee.
“We’ve been trading nine months, Richard, and I have to say it’s been tough! It seems we chose a very uncertain time to open and now, in the era of a European War and the fallout from your Brexit deal, customers are having to restrict their spending to essentials! We promised ourselves a year but last week someone came along and offered two of my staff more money to work for them. You have no idea how difficult it is to get staff and then have some shit comes along and poaches them. So we’re only going to open Wednesday to Sunday and hope we can survive.”
She passed me a couple of Brigadeiros, imagining I love them. Actually I find them extremely sweet but couldn’t let Teresa know that! She finished her coffee and with a ‘Ciao! Até amanhā!’ left for next door.
Unusually, on the counter are a few pamphlets; Susie’s busy so I walk over to take a look. It’s the latest UK’s Highway Code and I guess Josh thinks that the changes introduced in January are not well known; a little ‘light’ reading might encourage his customers to be more aware of them.
Our Highway Code sets out the rules and regulations for those using our streets and roads, be they pedestrians, runners, cyclists, motorcyclists, riders of horses, drivers of mobility scooters, users of wheelchairs or electric scooters. It’s the sort booklet that’s full of useful information that will help you pass your practical and theoretical driving test …. and then you don’t keep up to date as various changes are introduced to reflect today’s driving conditions! In January this year a significant change was made to the priority individuals have at street/road junctions and the rallying cry is ‘Shared Space’! Now cyclist and pedestrians have precedence – but not many drivers have read it or if they did they didn’t think it really applied to them.
Personally if as a car driver you are exiting a main road and you have to wait in that road while a pedestrian crosses the minor road, potentially you could be in danger from other road users. But hey, that’s the new law! Amongst other changes is the advice to use the Dutch Reach (Note 2) when opening your car door, ie use the hand further from the door.
This manoeuvre turns your head, so giving you a better view of the road. You could probably sum up the changes as ‘consideration for others’.
The news coverage of the research into the science of queues was well flagged during the Lying in State of the late Queen. (See PC 301) The real nugget to take on board is ‘communication’. When we are told what’s happening, or even what’s not happening, what to expect and what not, we are happy. If there is no communication we get unhappy, believing we are being ignored, not respected.
Josh comes over and tells me Duncan predicts The Hope Café will struggle, as energy costs rise, mortgage costs rise, food costs rise, and the squeeze on household budgets means that even a coffee and a pastry will be considered a luxury. We were getting back to some form of normality after the Covid pandemic (Should we bill China for the lost lives, lost businesses, lost loves?) then we left the European Union in a badly-handled manner, leaving the Northern Ireland situation incomprehensible to normal folk. How can anyone have agreed that part of the sovereign country of the United Kingdom should have different rules and regulations? Or is it a nod to the fact that the Catholic population of Northern Ireland are now in a majority, that it could within twenty years become part of a united Ireland? So we’ll just leave the trade in place and one less thing to worry about?
And all because of Putin the Pigheaded (Note 3) who has reinforced the observation that life can sometime just come and kick you in the butt.
Richard 7th October 2022
Note 1 The title of this 1961 musical was apparently derived from graffiti
Note 2 Then there’s Double Dutch (as Dutch is not easily understood anything completely incomprehensible would be twice as hard as Dutch), Dutch Auction (goods offered at gradually reducing prices), Dutch Agreement (one made while intoxicated, Dutch Courage (liquid courage provided by alcohol) and some 25 other sayings starting with ‘Dutch’.
Note 3 The Tsars had nicknames – Ivan the Terrible (Or more correctly translated to be The Strong or The Menacing (C16th), Alexis the Humblest 1629 – 1676, Peter The Great 1672-1725, Catherine The Great 1729-1796, Alexander I the Blessed 1777-1825 (victory over Napoleon), Alexander II The Liberator (of the Balkans), Alexander The Peacemaker 1845-1894 and Nicholas II The Bloodstained 1868-1918 (for his cruelty) and the last tsar.
postcards 