With several altercations with cars and motorbikes this summer – why oh why are motorbikes allowed in bus lanes with us – I’d been starting to fall into the ‘Us vs Them’ mentality of cycling in the city.
So I was biking along the inside of stationary traffic this afternoon – oddly with the lyrics of ‘Go West’ whirring round my head – when the car directly in front of me cut across the cycling lane and up on to the pavement narrowly avoiding my front wheel as I screeched to a halt.
With the radio blaring, he didn’t hear my indignant cries of “Hey” nor the less polite cries from the two cyclists behind me. He also didn’t seem to see the shocked look from the man pushing his pram on the pavement. Unfortunately, the traffic picked up and he moved off before the three of us could do anything more than fume at his rear window.
But London being London, I caught up with him two minutes later at the next lights and knocked on his window – yes I am that type of cyclist, cut me off and you’ll know about it.
At the sight of the 6 foot guy in the drivers seat, turning off the loud rap and winding down the darkened window to see me, my courage did wobble as I realised how nasty this could get. Still I had to go on….
“Excuse me, but did you realise that when you cut up on to the pavement back there, I was on the inside of your car?’
‘Oh god really? I’m so sorry’ as a look of surprise flashed across his face.
‘Yeah, so just a reminder to have a quick look ok?’
‘Sure, yeah and sorry.’
Faith in drivers slightly restored.
Its August in London, the weather varies between thunderous downpours and scorching blue skies, England is being thumped in the cricket, the population is consuming Pimm’s at an incredible rate – so it must be time for the ‘Worlds Greatest Classical Music Festival‘!
So it was off to the Royal Albert Hall with a few like minded music lovers to take in a matinee performance what proved to be a super Sunday afternoon. As I arrived too early for the prom, but had plenty of time for a stroll in the sun round the Prince Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. Armed with an icecream I meandered while avoiding the rollerbladers, cyclists, horseriders and melee of families out enjoying the sun – lovely start to the afternoon.
Soon the time came to gather together and file into one of my favourite buildings in London – and we had a pretty good view. With a fuller certified piano player in the group it was a concert filled with Piano duets. The final piece ‘Carnival of the Animals’ even and a lovely cello solo for me – (though the cello is sadly neglected and has had only 3 strings for at least a year.)
One summer tradition fulfilled for the year, now its time to look at a trip to the Globe.
