The tube and bus horrors in Central London have been a fair while coming, but it was somehow inevitable that something like this would happen. Thank heavens that family and friends appear not to have been involved, and huge sympathy for those who were.
I can only say that, so far, everyone is reacting as one would hope: there does seem a willingness to show resilience and to get the transport system (and with it the whole of London) back in working order as soon as possible; at the same time there does seem to be an absolute determination to seek out those responsible for the bombings; and the Prime Minister did exactly the right thing in pointing out that this sort of action is abhorrent to the huge majority of Muslims (indeed the Aldgate area houses one of the biggest Muslim communities in London).
At the time of the 7/11 tragedy, Ms. Joanne Moore famously wrote that it was a good time to release bad news. Certainly there is a counter-effect in that the press has temporarily stopped trying to build barriers between Blair and Chirac, London and Paris, England and France. Maybe the G8 summit will be the better for it.
On another front altogether, I have also had to show resilience. My absence from home (yes, watching cricket) last weekend meant that I missed an impromptu barbecue on Saturday. The daughter’s boyfriend covered himself with glory by cooking “wonderful, delicious, never-better” steaks on my gas-powered range. I was left with lots of “you know barbecues can be absolutely delicious in the right hands” comments, and the washing up. Time indeed to recover my reputation as chief-barbecue-operator.
Waitrose (bless them) came to my rescue with an odd tray in their fresh fish department – “Marinated Swordfish Steaks – Ideal for Barbecues”. I informed the wife that I was going to barbecue swordfish and she yelped in horror. But I persisted (paying a fair sum for the privilege) and, to our surprise, the result was absolutely delicious - served with new potatoes and mangetout and accompanied by a bottle of very palatable Chateau Bel Air Perponcher Rosé which we had discovered in the new Wine Society shop at Montreuil. Well done the noble swordfish! What next – peppered shark or ostrich neck marinated in calvados?
Old fogey, less-than-totally-successful bookseller, husband, parent and grandparent holds forth on his own issues of the day.
About Me
- Rumbling Nappa
- Sometimes referred to as the Rumbling Nappa I occasionally return to blogging. This time it is to comment on the Languedoc marriage of my neice, Louise Ticehurst to Rich Astley.