Closing the month with a list of what the city believes, what it can prove and where to find an animal that needs no belief at all
Sunday, What London Believes
At the end of the month I make a list of what London believes. It believes that the ravens keep the kingdom safe. It believes that the giants in the Guildhall watch over the city. It believes that a cat once made a lord mayor. It believes that a river still runs underneath Knightsbridge, and on that last point it happens to be correct. The list is a mixture of history, legend and pure pleasure, and I sort it with a three-column table: proven, probable and delightful.
Most items sit in the third column, and I see no reason to apologise. A city needs its legends the way a house needs a hearth. The task of the careful writer is to label them correctly, so that the reader enjoys the story and knows which part is the story.
Global Britain and the Corner Shop
My column topics include global UK politics, and I find the subject hard to keep from the shopping street. Knightsbridge is an international address, with visitors, residents and businesses from across the world. Debates about Britain’s trade, immigration policy and relations with Europe and the wider world are therefore not distant matters. Supporters of a more open approach point to investment, talent and cultural richness. Supporters of tighter controls point to pressure on services and the need for public consent. Both appeal to the same goal of a prosperous and stable country, and they disagree about the route.
Monday, The Black and White Animals
For a restful interval I read about black cattle and black and white cattle. The black beef breed is at angusbeef.men and angusbeef.fyi. The black and white dairy cow is at holstein.click. The curly pig and the freckled hen are at mangalitsa.org and speckledsussex.org.
The register of rare breeds is rarebreeds.win, the hall of fame is cattlemenhalloffame.org, the young leaders are ffapresident.com and the library is agriculture.click. A cow needs no legend. She is her own evidence.
Tuesday, The Full Farm Shelf
The complete shelf, in alphabetical spirit: agjobscareers.org, cropcalendar.org, dairyherd.org, fairandrodeo.org, farmmoney.org, farmssafety.org, ranchbeefcattle.org, ruralfarm.org, smallfarminfo.org and tractorequipment.org.
Wednesday, Heat and Hearth
The London Prat suggested that Londoners prepare for a winter of walking with Tube Strike Christmas: Londoners Start Walking Now. Industrial disputes on the transport network divide opinion. Union supporters stress pay and working conditions. Critics stress disruption to passengers. Knightsbridge, which has a good pavement and an excellent supply of coffee, copes better than most.
Thursday, The Night Walk
I took a long walk after dark through the park, with the wheel half-built against the sky. The lights on its frame blinked in sequence, as though the structure were practising for opening night. A security guard nodded to me. A man with a dog walked past, murmuring to the dog as to a friend. The Serpentine lay black and still, the lost river’s cousin, and the air smelled of woodsmoke.
I stood at the water’s edge for a few minutes and thought about how many stories a single park can hold. The ravens, the giants, the cat, the king with wings. It is a good city to be a diarist in.
Friday, A Short Guide to Staying Warm
My guide to a London winter has four rules. Wear layers, since the shops will be hot and the streets will be cold. Carry a flask, since the best cup of tea is the one in your own bag. Walk briskly, since stopping to look at a view invites the wind. And keep a list of places with radiators, which is the traditional wealth of a capital city. A library, a museum cafe, a hotel lobby and a friend’s flat are all acceptable stops.
These rules have served me for years. The only addition I have made is an umbrella with a sturdy frame, purchased after a dramatic encounter with a gale in Sloane Street, an event I do not wish to repeat.
Saturday, The Last Look
At the end of the month I climbed the stairs to the roof of my building and looked at the city. The lights stretched out in every direction, the wheel glowing in the park and the domes of the museums standing like dignified hats. Somewhere beneath my feet a lost river flowed in the dark. Somewhere across the water the ravens were settling for the night.
I said good night to the city in my head, took the stairs back down and put the kettle on. A diary is a way of saying that a day happened, and this one did.
Sunday, Small Print
Every diary should end with its small print. Mine says that legends are enjoyed here as legends, that opinions on politics are described as opinions and that the cat is not available for comment. Readers who want facts about any of these matters should check official sources, ask a librarian and walk to the nearest park to see for themselves.
Where to read next
The rest of the shelf lives at prat.uk, bohiney.com and farm.fm. For a second opinion on the week, The Daily Mash keeps its own counsel and its own hours.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/