London Goodies and Baddies

Here are a few things I've seen and heard, done and eaten in London this week:

PITA, WHOLE WHEAT, GRAINS, FRESH & CHEAP
Brilliant Sophocles bakery in nearby Camberwell. Or just brilliant bread in general. Fresh, and a variety of it too. Not just the tasteless, doughy super-white cake-ish crap we find in Fresta, Daiei, Spark and the like.

H2ONo
The water here tastes like dirty shitty chemical shit.
Absolutely Disgusting.
Hiroshima's water is liquid gold compared to the piss of London's taps.

AND YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A RIP-OFF BACK HOME...
A short Starbucks latte costs about 390yen in Hiro. A short Starbucks latte costs about 2.60gbp (520yen) Jayzus, how addicted to the stuff must people be here? The line was out the door, and there are 3 different locations within about 7 minutes walk (Oxford St. near Bond tube station) Thank the coffee gods for Pret a Manger cafe mocha (1.50gbp or 300yen)

LOVING CHILDCARE
Picture three strollers parked outside a newsagent, 2 quiet babies and one crying toddler. Watching over them, an elderly fella - very smartly dressed in jacket with cap - stoic, but ignoring the sad, fussy child. Just as I'm walking past though, he says to the crying demon - well, hisses actually: "SHUT IT". Very nice, gramps.

GET YER BAPS OUT
I haven't seen much of the really immodest dressing that I was told abounds here. I think they do more of that up north in Geordie-land.

JAYWALKING
I'm starting to get the hang of jaywalking here, but it's still surprising and dangerous! Very helpfully, the government (?) has had directions painted on the road, reminding you when you're about to step to your death to "Look Right" or "Look Left". Very handy if you're used to traffic coming from the other direction. Some might say "Why don't you just not jaywalk, dear?" While that seems a sensible suggestion, it just isn't really an acceptable option. When I've been in a timid mood, there patiently for the little green man to let me know it's ok to go, drivers stopped at the light stare at me and sometimes (twice now) have given me the head nod "Go on girl, what the hell you waiting for there like a knob - get going like other busy people of London who've got places to go" So it's either get the hang of it, look a fool, or get crushed by a vehicle. Crash course you might call it, hardy har har.

TEETH KISSING
I have never heard so much kissing of teeth in my life. Every day. And it curdles my blood and makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.