Makin' Headlines

There are some things about London that you never forget - like the guys selling fruit on the street corners, drawing you in with their inimitable sense of pantomime and language that I would liken to a parrot on speed. "Hello darlin' (everyone's a darling), how are you 2day? - like a lovely bit of fruit - you look like you like a lovely bit of fruit you're so skinny, there's nothing to you, here try this, no, no, it's on the house, we need to feed you up 'cor blimey look at you - here get some of these into you, cherries, only £1 a punnet - only 1 punnet? darlin' that's daylight robbery that is, c'mon take another, what about these peaches, oh my mother god rest her soul used to love peaches and these would make her turn in her grave they're so good. what that's it? well come again, 2morrow, you promise, when will i see you again (laughs at own joke), when will i see you again" ............................ all delivered at breakneck speed without drawing breath and leaving both parties buoyed by their encounter.

Another fabulous London association for me, (though strictly speaking it is a UK phenomena), is the headlines in the newspapers. They are inimitable. And I don't mean the gutter press, which of course are a league unto themselves. Today I picked up London Metro, a freesheet which is distributed through the train/ tube stations. It's exactly what you'd expect - light on news, heavy on "topical information" like the weather, which celebrites are doing what to whom, the usual. But even in such a drab news-sheet there's room for amusement. My favourite for today, is an article in the Science section, "Your weekly guide to the world of science and discovery"(!), about the carbon cycle and salps (which remove carbon), boldly titled - Saving the planet ... a poo at a time. This has truly made my day!!!!