Of snails, spiders and chalk trails

Back in London after an exhaustingly hot summer in France, so hot I did not even feel like lighting the new tandoor oven outside. The sheep grumbled and sought the shade and Roger the ram gave up jumping over fences.

Our return travel took over nine hours, door to door via train and plane, even allowing for the catch up hour between France and UK. Unlucky, no one really to blame (apparently) but at least we got to see the storks’ nest at Coutras station and then the darkened countryside between Gatwick and north London – the latter cost £111.00

To cheer us up our favourite toll-gate spider is back. So we have carefully to lift his single thread that spans the path and put it back near his starting point in the ivy each time we pass. Some weekend we must go away if only to see whether he manages to make a multi-strand barrier across our steps.

Here he is, in his ivy departure point - how do you apologise to a spider?

London is still a-building. A near neighbour appears to be digging out not just his basement but also a large part of the garden – sack after sack of rubble piled up along the front garden path. Tender memories of the time we did the same in another part of London. So far, it is all happening quietly.

Unlike the immediate future for my beloved Club, the University Women’s in Audley Square, Mayfair which is facing years of noise, dust, lorries  and general disturbance.All to create another n number of high value apartments  complete with underground parking and pool. The demolition contractor explained that the car park, which takes up about half of Audley Square would be taken down ‘by hand’, gently sliding over the fact that those hands would hold pneumatic drills. Let us not even think of the noise made  when the rest of the site is knocked down by machinery. This to be followed by the joys of building it back up again. 

hieroglyphs that can be seen all over central London

A small pavement sign makes me wonder whether possibly negative implications of Brexit for the London property market are beginning to be considered. London pavements, in areas of building work, are well decorated in coloured chalks with meanings only for initiates. They are skilfully executed in quality red, yellow, blue and white chalk by people who have obviously learned to draw circles freehand but who are may not be future distinguished graffiti artists. The local scribbles in N1 – and Audley Square – are roughly drawn in chalk that can be scruffed or rained off. They are tentative, impermanent signs….it’s just a hope.

Rub it out and do it again!

One sad note on our entry into the flat: a snail had died trying to get into the jar of black truffle pesto - what was it thinking?

The one below, at least, was joining us for a drink.