Up the Junction was particularly appropriate as we spent Friday evening with Lee, Robin and Rosie in the Falcon, Clapham Junction then met Janet & Neville for Sunday lunch at the ever-brilliant Junction Tavern in Kentish Town where the welcome is always warm and the food first-class. The Falcon too is a decent pub but Clapham wasn't really our cup of tea. We really are north Londoners at heart.
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| The Falcon, Clapham Junction |
On Saturday came the main event of the weekend - Jay's 50th birthday party in Islington - when the arrival of Yvette's crowd from Chile meant a temporary return to speaking Spanish and a lively evening was had by all. The social whirl continued at full speed on Sunday when we dodged heavy showers to call in on Richard & Tasha and their beautiful daughters Jasmine & Amber and caught up with Conrad & Kathryn.
But having complained about south London on friday night it was soon north London's turn to show it's uglier side as we awoke to news of rioting, looting and buildings and vehicles on fire just three miles up the road in Tottenham. You could hear the sirens and the helicopters and the disturbances have now spread to other parts of the capital. Another Clash song comes to mind: London's Burning. They wrote that 35 years ago and the social problems they sang about that led to the riots of the early 1980s in Brixton, Tottenham and elsewhere are still there today. So when Boris Johnson says there is no excuse for rioting, I know what he means but he probably hasn't tried living there.
In less than four weeks it will be back to all this on a full time basis when the sabbatical year ends. If it wasn't for our friends it would be very difficult to come back. The heating is on in August, it is raining, the tubes are full, the traffic is dreadful and there is rioting in the streets. No wonder Cesc Fàbregas wants to leave!
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