Chatter Never on a Sunday

Oh for a Nairns in Palmers Green. Even after a lie in to 8-15 and a gentle stroll to downtown PG the newsagents were firmly shut. Sunday certainly but this is work ethical multi ethnical London. Its also non committal, out of my space, sod off London The guy at no 19 or so was prodding a snail with a plank as I went town wards. I made some apt comment about snails as one does in such circumstances. He grunted and lowered his chin, still prodding. On my way back the snail was in a successfully prodded posture slime oozing from a broken shell. No 19 has good peripheral vision and having sussed my approach lowered his head even further, knuckles tightening around his slime stained plank.' That's that then' I suggested giving his gate a wide berth.

Not even a grunt this time

I will need to get back to Duns for that bright Berwickshire Bandinage.

And indeed for Scotland on Sunday

When I finally found the newsagents open (they had overslept they confessed) I found the Observer-new slim shape? No. Supplements. Overslept?

Irish Times, check. USA today, check; Good Morning Warsaw, likely. Turkish DAily Delight, probably

Scotland on Sunday

WHAT on Sunday?

I am to collect the supplements later

(I did not see the Polish Gazette as in the image above. I wonder if Scotland on Sunday has a Polish edition? Only in Scottish of course)

Labels: Palmers Green Lunnon, Snail prodding, Sod Off London

  ¶ 9:58 AM (0) comments

  ONE FINGER EXERCISE

In Duns as in Hutton there is no problem with exchanging greetings with complete strangers-except after time in Hutton it was impossible to find one 'Good Mornin' they say in the Merse, 'g' swallowed and the 'in' on a rising intonation. Eyes meet, smiles exchanged, move on.

Lunnon is different. I have made a point of greeting one person in Devonshire Road, Palmers Green N13 every morning en route from the Newsagent, thus tackling the dense mob of commuters heading for the station. Anybody over 50 and not commuting will return the greeting; younger and invariably scowling at the pavement will ignore you, or at the best elevate scowl from pavement to somewhere over your left shoulder

Today my primary source material was an attractive young woman, beaming, smiling and chuckling; Ah! a cheery friendly person in a hostile world Level with her I said' What a beautiful morning' Too late I realised that the beams, smiles and chuckles were destined for an invisible contact a mobile call away-not a doddering personal space invader with a crumpled Guardian and an ingratiating smile. But at least she acknowledged my greeting once she had realised that it had come from me and not a passing mongrel, leg cocked against a lamppost-not, it must be said, with a 'good morning' or an 'Isn't it!'; nothing verbal in fact:

a turned back and a jabbing middle finger in my general direction.

What ever could she mean?

Lunnon!

Labels: . Duns, Greeting strangers, Hutton, Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 10:23 AM (0) comments

 
Go South Young Man as is Huttonian to escape the unnatural heat of Duns and indulge in some grand parenting

In the meanwhile you may enjoy this contribution from our youngest poet to the Anthology of Berwickshire Verse provisionally titled 'Spectres on the Landscape'

My Favourite Place

Swaying slowly in between the branches of the tree,
Back and forth on your swing,
Humming a sad song,
Next to where you were once sad, but now happy,
Leaves gently falling on your face,
The creamy yellowy sun glistens on the water,
The sparkling water trickles by,
The reeds sway in the breeze,
Where all your thoughts, worries and memories come back to you,
Just watching the water and nothing else.

Labels: Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 7:40 AM (0) comments

 
Despite a 'Locomotive Problem' at York, National Express deposited Huttonian at Kings Cross only 25 minutes late-'late running service' a grade better on the Railtrack Scale than 'any inconvenience is regretted'. The difficulty at York appeared life threatening to the extent that it was the Locomotive Brake which had a problem. Or as the Service Team Leader (Train Guard in old money) put it: ' The brake is stuck so we are not going anywhere.'

But we did. The resident engineer (York is the best place to break down if you have to) visited the cab, changed the two AAA batteries, flicked a mouse and off we went-inconvenience unregretted but definitely late running

Huttonian and the wife are on a spot of grandparental duty made more pleasurable by a discovery that if you book well in advance its much cheaper to go First Class than 'standard' I had booked one ticket standard and found when doing the other that I could save £30 on a non flexible, no waiting room allowed, First.

So guess who had the First Class ticket?

To be fair the Wife went down the day before. Non stick Brakes. Dead on time.

And tomoorow we both go First. And being a weekend there is the inevitable bus journey involved.

First Class is inside the bus, however.

The image-Ffion and Zoe-thankyou again Erase. Two good reasons for braving brakes and inconvenience)

Labels: Granddaughters, National Express, Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 12:13 PM (0) comments

 
Palmers Green N13 has many stirling qualities but pretty is not a description I would use too frequently. But on a glorious late Spring day, with the recyling bags glistening in the warm sunshine, it has its moments of near prettiness.And astonishingly so uplifted were the locals that I was greeted with an uninhibited , beaming,'Good Morning' by two elderly gents and a rather aggressive 'How are you?' from another. In many years of regular visits I have never come across such spontaneous amiability. It must be the weather-even Mr Fish would manage a grimace if not quite a smile

I am asked what has Palmers Green and Duns in common? Romanian Big Issue sellers perhaps. The one outside Sir Morrison's in PG was doing as badly as her counterpart milking the customers to the Coop in Duns. The eldest grandaughter insisted that I buy a copy saying that mummy would like to have one Of course I did and returning home found that Mummy already had one-bought earlier that day. No doubt Zoe had told her mother to get one for 'Granny and Grandad'

That child is going to make an outstanding social worker one day.

Or failing that

A car dealer

Labels: Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 11:44 AM (0) comments

 
Blogging will be a bit intermittent for the next few days s Huttonian and the wife are off to the Big Smoke for a family gathering to celebrate the 'churching' of the wee Welsh grand daughter. The Chain Bridge Bloggee will need to brace himself for lots of images of small people as the French lot are coming as well. The rather ancient image does not do Ffion full justice as she is now in the transformation stage from baby to toddler.

All this is GNER permitting. Wrong sort of frost perhaps. But at least the leaves have gone.

Labels: Ffion, Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 8:13 AM (3) comments

  The Ceremony of the Keys

Blazing sunshine,23C, burn factor 67 said the Blether Centre so I walked through murk and drizzle to Mr Westlake's in Palmers Green, er Green. Mission to have two keys copied having lost the youngest daughter's Granny Set in the depths of the park yesterday.I asked the new Mr Westlake, Eastlake possibly more appropriate, when would the job be done. 'Straightaway''' He said. 'I'll come back in twenty minutes' 'Fine, that will give me time' He said

I returned as advertised. 'Oh'-he said 'Did you send someone to pick up the Keys?'' My face must have registered alarm. 'Joke' he said. Handed over the keys.

Joke is right. One key did not quite work..so back through the drizzle....Gave the keys back to a young sprig as Mr Westlake was making more jokes to selected customers at the back of the shop. 'No good giving them to me' he said 'I am on work experience'

'Now's your chance to get some' I said, exiting stage right

Not a bad Parthian shot really

Both keys now fine. Sprig learns fast,

obviously

He may now need some pointers on his sense of humour.

Labels: Palmers Green Lunnon

  ¶ 10:47 AM (0) comments