Central London amazingly crowded today. Or perhaps not so amazing considering that the first coronation in seventy years is taking place in two days. Would actually never have deliberately planned to be in London at the same time, but our airline tickets booked before HM chose a date, so here we are.
Arranged to meet Jenny for lunch before a theatre matinee performance she was attending at Victoria Palace Theatre. Assumed walking from Westminster to Victoria Station faster than taking the tube for one stop. Wildly over optimistic. Call Jenny to say we’ll be with her in five minutes. We aren’t. London full of tourists standing stock still open mouthed. Barricades up along the roads all the way to Victoria Station. Heavy police presence - actually preventing us crossing a side street as someone of importance driven up Victoria. Impossible even to overtake other pedestrians on the narrowed pavements.
Positive buzz downtown but many complaints in the press about cameras for facial recognition in the crowds as well as the possibility of arresting people who « may » be planning disruptive protests. [Short version, but long version not much more edifying]. Apparently 27,000 police officers will be deployed.
Eventually meet up. Abandon planned venue, and have a very nice chat and lunch in a virtually empty pub across the road from Victoria Coach Station, of all places. Lovely quiet corner for catch up chat. As we’re having a drink J spots two plainclothes policemen frisking a young man. Process non-violent and indeed the suspect? victim? seems fairly cheerful. Everything pretty low key and not at all rushed (half an hour?).Enough to make one reflect on what the 27,000 will be doing with their paid time - or overtime. J notes that while the undercover cops are wearing worn clothes designed not to call attention, their trainers are new and they have identical square black cases.
Difficult week for Jenny as her mother died two weeks ago and she’s had all the sad tasks to do including arrangements for the funeral, which will be on Tuesday. She says this is her day off and is meeting friends to see Hamilton.
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