La Plagne-Peterborough..... a link

Sitting in an apres ski cafe high up a mountain in La Plagne, France with a hot coffee I became aware of a group of people sitting behind me. I had my back to them but I could tell from their accents that they came from Peterborough. I am not sure if it is a particularly identifiable accent to the untrained ear but as an ex inhabitant I am attuned to the fenland flat vowels. When I left I stole a look across, all wore tracksuits with "Castor and Ailsworth Rugby" written on the back.

Costa Coffee Liverpool St

In Liverpool Street Station once again with students. I wait in Costa coffee as it's bleak and cold and raining. Two American women sit chatting while another woman works intensely on her laptop. The wait goes on and no students appear for the scheduled crit session. I check the brief I have carefully written for them, 6pm by Costa coffee under the moving staircase by platform 1. Yes I am in the right place.......... There is another Costa coffee by platform 12.

Liverpool Street Station

These railway workers were having a lunch break sitting on the steps outside Liverpool Street Station. They were involved in lively banter but the guy on the right kept looking across. I knew I had to work fast before their break was over. I sat outside Pret and a woman asked if she could share my table, I agreed but forgot that outside seats are for smokers. She swathed me in a huge cloud of smoke which she seemed to blow intentionally my way, then when a table on my left became available she moved and lit up another fag.  When she had done with all her smoking she went across and told the guys I was drawing them........they all came across one by one to look over the drawing and were utterly charming.

In Chiswick Park

 The time of day is late afternoon and children in school uniforms began to pass by en route to the playground situated just behind this group of people. They however were deeply involved in a discussion from which they were undistracted, even by the pigeons which were making ever braver forays to retrieve crumbs of  large and expensive chocolate muffins. To my right were a pair of young mothers discussing a re-working of the tax system whereby you only pay for the specific services that you agree with, every so often one of them had to leave this political debate to rescue one of their three children from scootering into various shrubs. All of these children had rather poor steering skills.

Clapham Common

I was rather hoping that pug club would be taking place in the Bandstand cafe on Clapham Common. A club for pug owners and their dogs, many of whom arrive sporting small garments possibly intended for children rather than dogs. On one memorable occasion a pug called Marion arrived wearing a velvet hairband.  Sadly this wasn't a pug club meet-up day so the common was quiet.