In the City

The fluff from the willow catkins lay on the surface of the river, the sun was warm and hazy, the birds were in full voice.  It was a lovely morning so, of course, I had to get up at stupid o’clock to go to London for a days work.  Stepping out of the boat I could smell summer, the first time this year I was aware of that warm, sweet, humid scent.  A much more pleasant smell than in my car, it still smelled of fish.  I’d spilled sauce of a fish pie over the passenger seat last week and the smell, despite lots of scrubbing,  appears to be a permanent fixture.

Once I’ve got to London I’m happy to be there. I was working in The City close to the lovely Leadenhall Market.  I love the juxtaposition of the ancient, the old and the new buildings.  The Gherkin looms over the church of St Andrew Undershaft and the Jake and Dinos dinosaurs in the forecourt eyeball the gargoyles on the church. 20 Fenchurch Street is still under construction but already looks stunning.  The Lloyds building is just odd, it seems to have been built to the design of a boiler room.  I wonder if it will last five hundred years like the church of St Helens which sits close by.  I could wander for hours amongst the churchyards and alleyways off the main streets, in fact as I have no sense of direction I often unintentionally do so. 

One day I will come here, not to work, not to lug a heavy computer around, not wearing smart shoes that hurt but just to wander and look and learn.  The history of the area is fascinating and extensive, even the ultra modern gherkin building has the grave of a Roman girl at it’s feet. One day I will come as a tourist and not a worker who just dashes from office to underground station.