London and back

There's a storm blowing in from France and the afternoon London weather forecast is for heavy rain and powerful winds. By the time we get off the train ( which arrives in London 2 minutes early ) the bad weather has already blown through and it's dry and calm as a millpond. It's also mild which makes us wonder why we've brought coats.

It's the English schools half term holidays which means :1) Hotels are quiet and offering prices 25% below usual 2) Exhibitions are empty 3) Getting a cab is easy. We shall remember to aim for the half term break the next time we come south.

Two Starbucks outlets near the hotel have closed in the three months since we were last here. Have we passed peak coffee drinking ? The concierge at the hotel says that after Covid office workers are still working from home on Mondays and Fridays. The reduction in footfall has made it impossible for many hospitality outlets to afford the central London rents.

The first of the Christmas decorations are going up but haven't been turned on. I guess they'll wait until early November.

'That man' isn't the lead story on the news this morning ( although the Canada trade dispute comes second ). Instead we have the King and the Pope in the Sistine Chapel doing things that haven't been done since Henry VIII'S day. That's what I call a backdrop to die for :https://x.com/oss_romano/status/1981306339566768467

The first Gail's we've been in. They are unlikely to make it to Scotland anytime soon.https://gails.com/ They have opened branches as far north as the Manchester suburbs and seem to be taking over the more affluent Home Counties but have a business model that is unlikely to find favour - or customers - north of the border although Stockbridge and the Great Western Road are crying out for them.

Halloween pumpkins selling out - quickly.

Despite the pre-Christmas quiet the trendy restaurants are still attracting long queues of twenty somethings who think it fun to stand outside for half an hour prior to dining.

On a Thursday night there's also a smattering of folks standing outside pubs for a restorative libation on their way home.

We are now off to catch what I still refer to as the the Flying Scotsman but which is now more prosaically known as the ten o'clock LNER from Kings X.

French music :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQe9q9pNapA&list=RDKQe9q9pNapA&start_radio=1

Likely to be THE Christmas movie in the UK - Alan Bennett writes it and Ralph Fiennes stars :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYMIhLwiHVs

The most beautiful epitaph ? :https://substack.com/@michaelignatieff518703/note/c-165560780

Something I read on the train :https://www.chinatalk.media/p/notes-from-the-bay