The bike in a bag.

Another 30 degrees plus day in London. We skip the super expensive breakfast in the hotel and head off for croissants and coffee at the small French street cafe.  At seven this is already busy with dog owners and their pooches avoiding the heat. We rank the croissants a 9.1/10. They're almost as good as those at the cafe opposite the LeClerc supermarket in Toulouse. Sadly, we have yet to find anywhere in Scotland that comes close to these levels of culinary artistry. They're playing the national anthem on the radio in the cafe kitchen. A quirky constitutional nicety for Prince Williams 43rd birthday. 43 ! I guess that means he can't be referred to as the 'young prince' any more. 

A quick visit to the David Mellor shop. Our twenty year old coffee maker is still  functioning but showing signs of advancing age. We don't like the new design - it's too busy.  The staff will see if they can find one of the older models for us. https://www.davidmellordesign.com/

To the French pharmacy for all those little things we got used to having  :https://en.roger-gallet.com/c/shower-soaps

The breakfast place on Marylebone High Street sells Nougat Sticks. Angus has never had a Nougat Stick. The Font and I have different views as to whether it would count as one of my five a day.

One of those marvelous old Mercedes that looks great but you know keeping it on the road is a labour of love. It has a remarkable 'overhang' at the rear which forces pram pushing mothers to divert round it .

We sit at a table outside for dinner. In the evening the heat of the day has eased and the temperature is on the pleasant side of warm. London really has become the crossroads of the world. We spend three hours over dinner watching the passers by. 'The Font' notes that not a single person is wearing a tie. They've become extinct and now not even 'City' types wear them. The young , largely Australian and South African, crowd at the pub on the Corner are corralled behind a rope and prove to be both well behaved and quiet. A solitary security guard tells anyone who moves onto the pavement to get back on the right side of the barrier. The restaurants wine list has a  Pouilly-Fuisse at an attractive price. This is fun but , oddly, for these crispest of wines  is as buttery as a Meursault. This makes us wonder if it's been mislabeled. The restaurant is having a Provencal week. We order Sea Bass to share and are surprised to discover it's been deep fried. Strawberries come from the same farm that supplies Wimbledon so our choice of dessert is easy. All in all a fun evening.

A gentleman sitting three tables away from us finishes his dinner and says goodbye to his companions. He then unpacks a small bicycle from what appears to be a shopping bag, presses a couple of buttons and Voila! he pedals off on the perfect urban transportation. Of all the global mega cities London has perhaps become the most laid back.

The security camera at The last wee house before Denmark shows that the garden is wrapped in a deep impenetrable sea mist. The temperature there is 13 degrees. Here it's 27. What a difference 500 miles can make .

Questions for any Canadian readers. Where is fun to stay in Montreal or Toronto ? Suggestions , please, for restaurants ( with a wine list - Canadian ice wine is very good  ). Is end of September too late/wet/cold to go ?

An unusual item at auction :https://www.christies.com/stories/battle-of-trafalgar-union-jack-flag-from-the-hms-spartiate-c3f23cd0428d4528bef698ca3c1296f9

Some wonderful piping :https://youtu.be/cTRQqCHbN3U?t=1674