Thu 1: There comes a day when you look at an old pair of trainers, perhaps several, and think "I've loved you but you're worn beyond repair so you've got to go, now hop into this black binliner", something I did today alongside half a broken office chair. Fri 2: The last time I saw my balconysquirrel this season. Sat 3: Ooh I got a Beatrix Potter 50p in my change. Oh I've already got a Benjamin Bunny, they're nothing special. (I still haven't seen any of the new animals)
Sun 4: There always seem to be three number 72 buses on the stand just to the north of Hammersmith Bridge, the drivers twiddling their thumbs for over 20 minutes until their timetabled departure time, which does suggest somebody official contracted a much too generous vehicle allocation. Mon 5: A sign on the door of Sapphire Court, a Stratford apartment block decanted in August last year, reads "Do not enter the building under any circumstances". It's amazing how many groundstaff in hi-vis it takes to stand around outside structurally deficient flats in case they collapse, but that's modern building standards for you.
Tue 6: Seen near Sutton station, this cobblers sign with inconsistently awful apostrophes. What made them write Repair's but also Repairs? What made them write Key's but not Fob's? (still, at least they dodged batterie's, trophie's and glas's) Wed 7: Nextdoor's builders spent the day bashing a door-sized hole in their brick wall, so I'm glad I went out to Newbury Park and Abbey Wood, what a racket. Thu 8: As my followers on Bluesky will already be aware, today I visited nine different postcode districts (E3 E15 E20 E10 IG2 IG3 RM6 RM8 RM7) whilst travelling on only two trains and no buses.
Fri 9: West Ham and Bromley-by-Bow stations have gained new digital advertising screens, and what grates isn't that they exist but the carousel of welcome messages suggesting we should all be excited/happy/grateful they've appeared. Sat 10: A small child threw a prolonged tantrum because the front seats on the 307 bus were occupied, so I vacated mine because I was getting off two stops later, but what I wanted to say to her father was "you've got a spoilt precocious brat there and you need to learn to say no to her".
Sun 11: This is a photo of the Thames at Strand-on-the-Green at low tide. I also went to Plumstead but I won't subject you to that. Mon 12: The Radio 4 quiz pilot 'Your Number's Up' must be coming back because they're seeking audience members again, which is excellent but I think it's someone else's turn to squeeze into a Bloomsbury pub cellar for two hours. Tue 13: It's sad to see Gabriels Wharf sealed off and emptied out, kicking out all the independent traders, some of whom have been there over 30 years. Something fundamentally temporary will replace it because the not-for profit deeds insist, or in projectspeak (sigh) the site will be "entering a new chapter with a refreshed meanwhile use".
Wed 14: This spraypainted gate in Parish Lane, Penge, may be the best representation I've ever seen of "Beware of the dog". Thu 15: Here's a truly excellent thing - Local Wikipedia, courtesy of Ed Jefferson. You enter a place or postcode and it presents a short list of locally-relevant Wikipedia pages (usually within 1-3 miles). Obviously I checked home first, then other homes... and yes, the possibilities for local research are multitudinous! Fri 16: Got the new Richard Osman out of the library - normally they have no spare copies for months. We Chase Shadows is amusingly adequate.
Sat 17:Hall Place in Bexley probably has the best topiary in London, a fabulous line of heraldic beasts with assorted sculptured yews behind. Unless of course you know better. Sun 18: Spotted a huge film crew in and around the block where Slough House is fictionally based, which must be for Slow Horses but could be for either series 7 or series 8, both of which are being filmed back to back. Mon 19: Getting off the bus in my Dad's village was particularly awkward because there were two wheelchairs in the aisle and I had a suitcase. The driver rolled his eyes and smiled as I finally escaped, as if this kind of thing happens all the time.
Tue 20: For my Dad's birthday cake I brought out our longstanding collection of plastic numbers. Alas it wasn't possible to make 88, but in good news it would be possible to make every other age up to 100. I eventually compromised by using a silver '18' and hiding the 1 behind the 8. Wed 21: In gossip over lunch, my niece's two-month old baby has already been to his first pumpkin patch and sat on his first tractor, but that's Norfolk for you. Thu 22: I enjoyed (but was disturbed by) the Channel 4 documentary 'The Experiment', in which Nazi opinions on disabled people were dressed up as a cost-cutting residential home and visitors were asked what they thought. Lesson learned - it can be very hard to see through well-marketed cruelty.
Fri 23: Hurrah, I've discovered another super-traditional suburban baker selling old school cakes and pastries for next to nothing. It's Mr Bunns Bakery on Chadwell Heath Lane, not far from the Crossrail station, who do absolutely massive Belgian buns for £1.70 (see photo, pound coin for scale). The icing was super thick and I struggled to finish it in one sitting, and maybe next time an Eccles cake or a hunk of lemon sponge. Sat 24: Ooh, the long-awaited letter is finally here! Oh, I wasn't expecting that choice! Obviously option 2 (except BestMate will persuade me probably option 1).
Sun 25: Seen in Harmondsworth churchyard, a freshly-filled grave topped with floral tributes in the shape of a white van and a chainsaw. Rest in peace Derek. Mon 26: My neighbours have an extractor fan with an incredibly long time setting, and I only realise how low-level distracting it is when it turns off and suddenly my flat's properly quiet again. Tue 27: An unnerving moment on the Jubilee line as the man next to me suddenly folded up his copy of Metro into a bowl shape so his wife could be sick into it.
Wed 28: Supermarket update: Tesco have changed the branding of their budget-priced thick-sliced Toastie loaf. Well it surprised me. Thu 29: According to today's RAJAR data, the 10 most-listened-to programmes on BBC Sounds are The Archers, Whodunnits (R4E), Desert Island Discs, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Drama on 4, In Our Time, Just A Minute, Friday Night Comedy, Sounds of the 60s (R2) and Today. The most-listened to podcasts are Newscast, Limelight and Americast.
Fri 30: Croydon's Whitgift Centre is bleak these days isn't it? Now plainly much too large to support the number of stores who want to trade there. Still, at least they're trying with a few Christmas decorations. Sat 31: If you enjoyed Hallowe'en being on a Saturday, either for maximum social potential or because it was easier to avoid, be aware it won't be happening again until 2037.
