Sunday, May 3/2026

 Banksy revisited. Couldn’t resist Barrie West’s Facebook post showing the Banksy statue as it’s so much better than mine. Actually fairly difficult to get an angle that shows how the flag is totally obscuring the man’s vision so that he is about to step off the precipice. Into the abyss? Interesting how many FB commentators are sure they know which flag is intended - not that they all agree with each other. And there are, of course, the others who say that any form of nationalism, or indeed any ideology can lead to blindness.

Last day in London. Still my favourite city in the world. Dr Johnson famously said (in the days before gender neutrality was an issue) that when a man is tired of London he is tired of life. Certainly endlessly stimulating, always changing yet full of old favourites.

Saturday, May 2/2026

The latest genuine Banksy is in London. Just went up under cover of darkness in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The figure, mounted on a plinth, is a man in a suit carrying a flag which has blown across his face, leaving him sightlessly stepping off a ledge. A commentary on politicians blinded by nationalism leading to disaster? It has taken its place in an area full of imperial monuments. Banksy won’t tell, though he does take credit for the work, admitting it was his. Pretty impressive installation team, referred to by one man as operating at a level similar to those who can set up a Metallica concert in 24 hours.

Westminster authorities not consulted,  obviously, but seem to have no plans to remove it. Meanwhile we and many others head down to Waterloo Place to admire the new statue and take its picture. 

Friday, May 1/2026

 

Return to yesterday’s plan. No fire on the tracks and a day that’s even warmer and sunnier. So back to the Saatchi Gallery. And we’ve hit it lucky. Two of the free exhibits are excellent, and another one very good.

Best is an exhibition of fabric art. First work is a portrait of a woman with dementia, one of a series done by Jenni Dutton of her mother, accompanied by an explanation:

“The work explores new perspectives on her mother’s dementia and the erosive, as well as the transformative, effects of this illness on the self as well as the mother-daughter relationship. Every fine woollen thread sewn brings the body, particularly the female body, in relation to the threads that tie generations of women together and make tangible the emotional, as well as the biological ties between them.”

The works, by a number of different artists, are quite varied, as are the philosophies of the creators. Like Ian Berry, whose large and complex work The Secret Garden needs to be seen both from a distance, to appreciate the scope, and close up in order not to miss the fascinating detail.

He works exclusively with reclaimed denim and is interested in sustainability and the “shifting textures of contemporary urban life”.

Not entirely two dimensional this work, either. You can walk between the elaborate hanging on the wall and the sculptured denim fountain in front of it.

Not all trips to the Saatchi are equally rewarding but the best we’ve remembered for years.

Thursday, April 30/2026

 A serendipitous afternoon. The original plan was to go down to the Saatchi Gallery, one of our favourites, but as with any plan involving the London Underground, changes can happen. Jubilee line to Westminster fine but the Central line going west clearly in difficulty. Eventually struggle one stop on to St James’s Park, but it transpires that the problem is a fire on the tracks at Kensington High Street so we bail out.

Lovely sunny day as we walk down to Parliament Square. Lots of sightseers including a large group of Muslim schoolchildren, aged about eight or nine. A passing pedicab decorated with hearts asks if we want to hop on. Do we actually look like tourists I ask J. But of course we do - who but tourists would be taking leisurely strolls round the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey on a sunny afternoon. 

J points out the bronze statue of Churchill wearing a naval greatcoat and leaning on his walking stick. The sculptor was Ivor Roberts-Jones and the image was based on a photograph of Churchill inspecting the bombed out chamber of the House of Commons in May 1941.

Think it’s the first time we’ve actually looked at Big Ben since its renovation was completed in 2022, though we’ve been in London many times since. It really sparkles - and so it should after £80 million ($147,835,460 CAD) worth of cleaning and repairs.

Wednesday, April 29/2026

 

Stroll along the South Bank looking across the Thames. Meet up with Jenny, who has come in from Thames Ditton, at the Tate Modern. No current exhibition at the multi storey turbine hall, where we’ve seen a couple of brilliant ones. 

Stop briefly at the Draw room where children are creating pictures on screens. They’re then able to save a printout or put it on a T-shirt. Looks like fun and they don’t actually post a permissible age range, but we suspect it doesn’t include us.

But we’re actually here to chat rather than view, so meet up in the ground floor café. And wait out a few late lunchers to nab a corner sofa by a window.

Part company at Waterloo Station and take the underground back to Kilburn, where we pay our annual visit to Roses café, now renamed bistro (as the ham and egg breakfasts graduate to eggs benedict and avocado). Lamb kleftiko still excellent though. And plentiful enough we bring at least half of it home.

Tuesday, April 28/2026

Sound of a chainsaw early this morning - well, early by our undemanding standards anyway. Thinking it’s more a Sioux Lookout than a London sound. Then see the source in the treed area behind our flat. Two men are working at tree trimming, one brave bloke pretty far up the tree. He’s wearing a helmet but there’s nothing but his own grip and balance to prevent a fall. Hardly visible amid the boughs but located just to the right of the red triangle.

England is so lush and verdant that it looks like temperate jungle in places. And when we’ve come back here from spots like Malta that are almost entirely built over it’s clear that if the people ever left then the trees and plants would take over in no time. And I think of Noel Harrison’s song The Great Electric Experiment is Over, one of my all time favourites:

I can see the grass is growing on the streets I knew

And through the trees

I can see the sun is shining on the sea

And the ruins of the city are in flower now 

For the great electric experiment is over

Over now.
 

Check out the charity shops along Kilburn High Road. There are three now. One has closed down and now we can’t remember which it was. May have been the one I bought my backpack at three years ago. 

And stop at Sainsbury’s. Usually more expensive than Aldi, though it has been driven to post signs on its better buys pointing out, as far as I can see accurately, that they’ve been price matched with Aldi. We’re browsing when it occurs to us that we’re now reading in Polish and not English. Look up and discover we’re in the Eastern and Central European section. Where we get a Polish ham sausage that proves to be excellent - lean, hard, dense and delicious.

Monday, April 27/2026

In the afternoon out to see Jean in West Harrow. Sunny and warm and a pretty easy underground trip from here.

Jean in good spirits and happy to see we’ve brought a bottle of wine, which she probably drinks only when we’re visiting. She’s ninety-one now, which she notes with some pride. 

Things have changed somewhat since our last visit in October. She now has 24 hour carers. This means two twelve hour shifts, eight to eight. The day shift carer now is a middle-aged Somali woman, pleasant and cheerful. Turns down our offer of a glass of wine as she’s Muslim, though she does admit that some Muslims do drink.

Dora, Jean’s regular weekly cleaner comes round. She’s been with Jean for years and is a treasure. Romanian born and not only cleans but does the grocery shopping and frequently brings home cooking. At first we aren’t sure if we’ve met before. The answer is no, but we’ve heard so much about each other that we’re not quite sure.

The carers aren’t allowed to clean as part of their contract, which is limited to personal care. Jean says she does pay, but not a lot, which is a tribute in part to her council, which is more generous and no doubt better funded than many in the UK. 

So there’s always company. And not only hired, though they act more like friends than employees. Next door neighbour Gwyneth pops in every morning to have coffee and disagree cheerfully about politics.

Pass a juice shop on Kilburn High Road on our way home. Window display entirely pomegranates. Don’t buy juice but do pick up a rotisserie chicken from one of the Arabic shops. 

Sunday, April 26/2026

View from the window of our studio. Well earned after the 39 steps up. Though not a record number. That was seven years ago in Bulgaria at 86 steps. Window opening on trees, red brick Victorian terraced houses, and the occasional large magpie. 

Bacon and eggs. London now the only place we stay where we buy side bacon, having given up on water injected bacon where it’s all too easy to stick your finger through

while separating the rashers. No doubt there are better possibilities in Canada but we never hit them.

And the eggs lovely and golden yolked free range ones. Lazy Sunday morning.

Saturday, April 25/2026

 

To Thames Ditton to visit Jenny and Doug and family for the day. Spring thoroughly in bloom here and dozens of kinds of flowers and flowering shrubs in exuberant mode as we walk from the train station.

Take the route through the village which is happily busy with people visiting the little shops and drinking coffee in the sun. A queue outside the obviously popular local bakery.

Met at the door by Doug and Jenny, Doug using a cane - as well as naproxen - in response to a recent knee injury. And we get a treat from the little bakery with the queue - lovely pastries with our coffee. Then over to Laura’s to admire the transformations Damon has  made in their house. Hadn’t seen the before version, but the house is an impressive tribute to his skill and designer eye - as is the back garden, a tropical oasis appreciated by the jungle minded cats.

Late lunch back at J and D’s with soup and cottage pie. Then joined by Emma with Jasmine and Noah, and later Giles and we sun ourselves in the garden. The day had been a little chilly to start with but afternoon temperature decently over 20 in the sun. Overseen by one or two crows - carrion crows, a little larger and stockier than ours, and apparently less sociable though no less intelligent.

And after Emma and crew have left, Jenny’s cheese course. Which turns out to be somewhat more than the excellent cheeses and includes slices of very impressive French sausage with truffle. Very good work on the part of the truffle hunting pigs. Though I understand that pigs are not commonly used to find truffles any more. The female pigs apparently find the truffle scent attractively similar to male pig pheromones and can detect it as much as three feet underground. But then it seems they disgrace themselves by damaging the truffle beds and eating the truffles.

Lovely day and much conversation as well as good food.