London

A day off. I don't work long hours but even so, it's nice to have a day when work isn't on my mind and I can just freewheel.

The sky's blue. The snow seems to be melting. although the field on the hillside opposite is still an unbroken white. 

I did have to unpack the Tesco shopping this morning, We've been getting supermarket deliveries ever since last March. I always wash the packaging in soapy water, which takes time. I guess there are those who do this and those who don't. There is a good case for doing it and anyway, at times like this, everyone needs strategies to preserve some sort of peace of mind.

I usually prop the tablet up on the cooker so I can watch a film at the same time. Today it was Patrick Keiller's film, London. There's short video about it here which, coincidentally, features the 'Tesco's scene' in it. I didn't register the connection when I was watching it this morning, although the scene always amuses me (click once,  then click on 'Watch this  video on YouTube'):

Made in 1994, the film is composed entirely of footage of London, over which a narrator (Paul Scofield) recalls the walks he's taken through the city in the company of his friend, Robinson. Robinson is an interesting character and a mine of information - not all of which, so the narrator tells us, is reliable. It's a powerful film with a thread of gentle, whimsical humour running through it.

Walking round London

Today we got round to watching the latest John Rogers film. One comes out every week, normally on Sunday night. They're generally walks around parts of London, or round the countryside around London. I find them quite addictive. He's very informative and good company with it. I usually arm myself with a hot mug of real coffee and a couple of segments from the week's Terry's Chocolate Orange.

This isn't this weeks film - it's one he released a couple of weeks ago, which I particularly liked. There are hours of videos on his channel.  His adventures take in Epping Forest, the Chilterns, Boudicca's Obelisk, the lost rivers of London, exploring the edgelands...  Loads to watch. He's getting so well-known that occasionally, on his most recent walks, he bumps into a fan!