Neither Here Nor There, But Here AND There

There's one sure way of identifying a true home-grown Londoner in a crowd. Ask them how they got there. I was invited/dragged to dinner and re-met Ben (I didn't recognize him with hair, and he didn't seem to remember me). We discussed, in great length, how each of us had traveled there, and then according to the ritual, suggested alternate routes to each other. You'd be surprised at what lengths some of us go to in order to shave a few minutes off the journey time. A friend once visited from the South, and after ice skating we took one bus, two trains and the tube to get to Central London. It took about 35 minutes. The bus was heading to town, but would have taken 50minutes. It may have been more comfortable, but time is money in the capital.

I've started to babble. I went to IKEA. Mr Ikea is a genius; I love wandering through the mockup living rooms and bedrooms. If you think about it it's like a trip to the art gallery, only in this place the souvenirs you take home are mostly useful. But that's the thing about IKEA, dotted around the store is various crap that looks good. Things you happily buy but later realise have no real use, like wobbly orange diamond wine bottle stoppers (I am the proud owner of two, still in the packaging). I have to praise their food, I stocked up on Swedish meatballs, the hotdog's in the Bistro are a bargain, but nothing beats the IKEA in Croydon; the revolving doors, when obstructed, urge you to continue moving; in a voice with a Swedish accent! Genius!

Where have I been today?
London (extreme South)
London (extreme North)
Basingstoke