50 things I saw on my hundred-and-umpteenth walk up and down the Olympic Park
Neatly labelled vegetable seedlings, uplifting Post-It, 20 cranes, outstretched cormorant, lady refilling ice cream chiller cabinet, 290 flowering daffodils (up from five a fortnight ago), Gin On The River, two Muslim teenagers in their Friday best, outdoor gymnast, security guard wondering why I'm writing notes on the back of an envelope, greyhound with dangling medallion, drizzle, a dozen new pedestrian crossing push-buttons inside protective cardboard packaging, embracing anoraks, more magpies than the traditional rhyme enumerates, two padding wolfhounds, murky ripples, waterproof mattress surrounded by worldly belongings, jogger on her second circuit, four phallic mushrooms, errant oak seedling, heron swooping low above the Channelsea River, horticultural operative wielding massive leafblower nozzle, translucent satchel containing two table tennis bats, electric truck parked inside cafe, mother and child in matching scarlet woolly hats, greenfly, smoke ventilation specialists on call, dandelion clock, labrador ineptly searching for an orange ball, lycra-clad cyclist riding the mothballed segment of the mountain bike course, two bags of shopping whizzing home aboard an e-scooter, cartwheeling leaves, oxeye daisy, new cafe with plush velour cushions and three entirely unoccupied staff, lame "free coffee in exchange for money" slogan on chalkboard, 3D windfarm model, abandoned Waitrose trolley, new porch to enhance alfresco winter dining, ten foot artificial Christmas tree, steaming Dutch barge, graffitied gabions, Come In For A Chat + Sniff, barber with a pair of wings tattooed behind his ears, half a dozen unsold pastries, chef in apron firing up oil-drum barbecue, row of greenhouses with bells in, Mr Messy mug in narrowboat galley, wastewater facility caretaker, crouching policeman cautioning BMW driver.
