Mon 1: I watched the New Year fireworks from the western edge of Canary Wharf, and they were a bit small and the Shard got in the way but at least I celebrated midnight at the right time, rather than slightly delayed on the telly.
Tue 2: After watching the first episodes of The Tourist and Mr Bates vs The Post Office yesterday, it was obvious today that only one was worth carrying on with. Sorry BBC, well done ITV. Wed 3: I have since been back to the A24 to check the pubs I appear to have missed, and yes you're right the Mayfair Tavern is totally obvious if walking in the opposite direction. That adjustment would make the 24th pub The Rifleman in Epsom instead, and that would have been a much better place for a pint if only I'd realised. Thu 4: My Morrisons Experience: The family-sized chicken pie was supposedly half price according to the label on the shelf but it came up as full price at the till, and this is one advantage of self-scan because I aborted my purchase and put it back. Fri 5: I walked up to Fish Island to see the flooding by the lock, but all that remained were some leftover floodlights, a couple of sandbags and folk on Dace Road clearing out their studio bucket by bucket.
Sat 6: The blogpost I didn't write: The history of Sussex Ring, Woodside Park. Apparently the avenues in this swirl of pre-war semis were named after Sussex villages because the developer came from Sussex. I don't think there'd have been much more to say. Sun 7: Every time I open up my email I keep my fingers crossed a certain email isn't there, and this evening it was, and I fear it's now annual. Mon 8: I don't know where you were when the snow arrived and flurried for half an hour and didn't settle, but I was in Welling. Tue 9: That wasn't my best day, it was expensive and I think I have a developing issue and I didn't sleep well and they'd sold out of cucumbers.
Wed 10: The blogpost I didn't write: The Hartley Memorial Obelisk on Putney Heath. I stumbled upon this redbrick oddity in the woods by Tibbet's Corner, an unusual memorial to the man who invented fireplates in the 1770s, a security technique which so impressed the City that they paid for this gushing tribute which now lurks beside the A3. Thu 11: I caught the bus through Harrow School at lesson changeover time and wow, the seething mass of boaters was incredible. But on the way back again ten minutes later, you'd never have known. Fri 12: I was really sorry to hear about the death of Annie Nightingale, a pioneering DJ for whom new music was always number 1. She was somehow still broadcasting regularly on Radio 1 in her 80s, but for many of us will always be the eclectic accompaniment to doing our homework on Sunday evenings. Sat 13: They have a cunning solution to mitigate the number of potholes in Mogador.
Sun 14: I caught an Overground train from Stratford to Watford Junction. Not all the way, you understand, but just so I could say I had. Mon 15: The post is now so terrible/irregular that my electricity bill (please pay within 14 days!) took 10 days to arrive. Tue 16: The blogpost I didn't write: A comparison between the shops in Dulwich Village (brunch, boutiques, art supplies) and the shops on a typical parade anywhere else (fried chicken, barbers, vapes). Wed 17: I always think TV news is at its most tedious when it leads with a story about how a family doesn't think justice has been done, and it's not even the first time they've said that. Kick off with something that matters.
Thu 18: The Welcome to Bexley sign on the Crayford/Dartford border is sponsored by Stone4Life kitchen worktops, and I think this sums up the borough better than their official motto 'Boldly and Rightly'. Fri 19: That's the coldest it's been in my living room first thing in the morning since 2019. It's been quite the cold snap this week, and yet it's still not icy or frosty outside. Maybe one of my neighbours who used to have their heating pumped up has moved out. Sat 20: I enjoyed the Radio 4 series The Children Are Alt Right, ostensibly an investigation into youth politics across Europe but in truth a fascinating analysis into why how we vote changes. Sun 21: Today I found a bus stop still displaying a timetable for route 10 which was withdrawn in 2018. Normally you might allow TfL some leeway for overlooking an anachronistic timetable in an obscure location, but this bus stop is in the middle of Oxford Street ffs. Please pay more attention.
Mon 22: At the library I'm continuing my alphabetical journey through classic authors. For C I picked Agatha Christie, for D Roddy Doyle and for E Bret Easton Ellis. So far Agatha's the only one whose book I've finished. Tue 23: The Great British Rail Sale - up to 50% off a million advance tickets - wasn't as Great as I was hoping. I could get to Shrewsbury on the cheap but not back. I could come back from Sunderland on the cheap but not get there. But I did manage to find three new farflung towns to visit (average ticket price £4.40), so look out for reports in the next few weeks. Wed 24: The blogpost I didn't write: Multiplicative dates. Damn, I forgot until it was too late. But today was the first of seven 'multiplication dates' in 2024, more than any other year this century.
Thu 25: After five years I've finally reached the end of The Crown, having watched all six seasons round at BestMate's because he has Netflix. It was definitely over-Diana-ed, and increasingly obviously fictionalised in the latter years, but I thought the final scene in (what was supposed to be) St George's Chapel was a narrative masterstroke. Fri 26: Well done Harry, although if Mollie had been a logician she'd have seen Jaz's bag burn red and deduced he wasn't a Traitor and then shared the money, but it's all too easy afterwards. Sat 27: Thank you for your speculative email. I will not be plugging your Monopoly-related podcast, sorry, nor am I subsequently interested in appearing on it. Sun 28: The blogpost I didn't write: The Fishmongers Almshouses in Wandsworth (mainly because they were demolished in 1923 and replaced by council flats, and all I know about them I read on a plaque by the gates).
Mon 29: The blogpost I didn't write: Is this London's dreariest park? I speak of Aylands Open Space in Bullsmoor, a drab slab of grass frequented by straining dogs, centred round a pylon, a drained paddling pool and a prefabby shed. Maybe it looks more appealing in July. Tue 30: The Mayor has already tweeted about his Off-Peak Fridays fare trial 15 times, and he hasn't finished yet. That said, his free school meals pledge is currently on 37 tweets and maybe he's over-bashing his big themes at the moment. Wed 31: I can't believe today is the last ever edition of Stereo Underground on the BBC. It's regularly the most downloaded local radio programme but it doesn't fit the new remit so it's been thoughtlessly ditched. Good luck to Richard Latto relaunchingon Mixcloud but gaaah, it's just not Radio 2 enough for Radio 2 nor 6Music enough for 6Music.
