London is HOT !

British Airways leaves Edinburgh on time and arrives ten minutes early into London. Getting into Heathrow without delays is always something to celebrate. The plane is full of Canadians and Americans who know that the quickest way to cross the Atlantic is to fly into Edinburgh. On a good day, with a healthy tail wind,  you can do it from Boston or Philly in five and a bit hours. After day or two recovering from jetlag what better place to connect with London or the rest of the continent ?

The flight has a bouncy Glasgow crew who enjoy bantering with their passengers. Three sixteen year old boys from Portland order champagne and try to brazen it out with fake ID's when challenged about their age. They might have got away with their ploy if it had been a London crew. As it is they're firmly told what they can do with their champagne order. They settle, muttering and complaining, for Cokes. " In America we always get champagne ". Good try guys. Their parents have sat well away form them as any parents of teenage boys would sensibly do.

London when we get here is  hot. 32 yesterday and 34 degrees + expected today.

We're up early. 'The Font' has chosen a trendy hotel which is big on style but low in creature comforts. The room looked to be a reasonable size on the website but turns out not to be. We have to choreograph our movements in the limited space left by the  right angular furniture. The room does have ferocious air conditioning which is rare in the UK but in weather like this very welcome. We manage to sleep well despite the soft mattress and soggy pillows. The bathroom shower requires a PhD in fluid dynamics to operate which causes Angus to 'mutter'. Continental breakfast is £53 + VAT which we both think is outrageous. A full English would come out at £78 pre-tax. We head off to the little French restaurant a couple of blocks away . It has great croissants and we manage to get the last table outside. A labrador sheltering from the sun under a neighbouring table watches us take every guilty  bite. We pay £14.58 for our coffees an croissants.

London in the cool of  dawn on a sunny morning is hard to beat. Just us and local couples out walking their dogs. We stop to admire a rather wonderful door and the intricate brickwork chimneys on a large house.

We used to live in this brightly coloured cul de sac ( you had to reverse out onto the main road ) ...

... and then when more space was needed we moved all of a hundred yards to the next street down which was double the size but much less colourful. We kept a base in London until eight years ago but I'm not sure we'd like to live in a big city again .We most certainly wouldn't want to live in a big city if 30 degree temperatures in June become the norm.

We see the doors open and pop into St Columbas - the Church of Scotland in Chelsea. We've been in for weddings, funerals and christenings bit have never had the time to look around.

It has gloriously deep perspectives  graced with row upon row of columns and arches. In its spartan regularity and simplicity it's rather like that hidden and forgotten gem the Garrison Church in Delhi - https://apollo-magazine.com/the-tragedy-and-triumph-of-a-british-architect-in-new-delhi/

By the time we reappear outside the streets are getting busier and the ponies are being taken out for their morning walk in the park. Traffic, which is usually cut throat in its aggression, stops and placidly makes way for the ponies.

Labubu dolls . The big thing in toys ( seemingly ) :https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4ydxlm9n9o

Why did I not know about sand batteries ? :https://www.zmescience.com/research/inventions/sand-battery-finland/

Maybe this is why Blogger is playing up:https://gizmodo.com/this-large-and-unstable-sunspot-just-slammed-earth-with-its-strongest-flare-yet-2000617387

Ancient dogs :https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/early-farming-societies-forged-bonds-with-ancient-dogs-in-the-americas