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Yesterday morning I arrived at work not having any idea what had happened in Central London. (I catch the overland trains through West London to Clapham Junction then south to East Croydon). Apart from noticing there were very busy city-bound platforms due to delayed trains, I didnt think much of it.
Around 10am someone listening to a radio on his phone said there were power surges and explosions on the tubes and they were shut down. Jumping on the web, and noticing how bbc.co.uk was very slow, we knew something serious was happening.
As the day unfolded, the horrific details began to reach us all. I couldnt help but be reminded of sitting in this same office 4 years ago in September…
We are very glad to be both well. Sara was safe at home… watching this all unfold on tv; and I was, as I said, at work, where I managed to get news from the web as it was updated every 15 mins or so. As I am based in Croydon, nearly 10 miles South of London’s centre, I wasnt directly affected. Apart from a partial closure to my station in the afternoon (security checks), my overland trains ran with only slight delays (well, 30 mins isnt a big deal when you know you can get home). And when I got home, watching the news was moving and disturbing; just knowing these were places where we have travelled before, at least I have, and they’re in the city we are living in.
On a positive note, it was really great recieving emails and texts from home. We got loads of messages checking up on us, and many were also grateful to get the email I sent yesterday making it clear we were ok. I can’t imagine how it would have felt watching that TV coverage in various corners of the planet, and not knowing where we were etc. If you were one of the many, thanks.
I’d better get back to work. London walks on.
We pray for the familys and friends of those who have died, and all those effected by this evil act.
I can’t imagine the grief that God feels seeing such deluded evil done ‘in His name’.
In the midst of London winning the 2012 Games, loads of companies are placing ads in the papers to pat London on the back, so to speak. My favourite so far, a small ad by Eurostar:
‘If London gets a bit busy in the summer of 2012, you could always go to Paris’
OK, so I’m not about to become a ‘News Blog’, but this is an event worthy of note:
A few minutes ago there was a small amount of synchronised, slightly subdued jubilation as all those listening to the Olympic Bid announcement on their radios (mostly mobile phones) heard the good news: London won the bid!
All around the city since arriving you couldn’t help but notice the billboards, flags, and other advertising prompting us all to ‘Back the Bid: London 2012′. While it’s not so relevant to us as we will be back in NZ then (and I’ll be 39!!!)…there should be a skip in London’s collective step this evening as we all travel home.
I wonder what effect this good news might have on the commuting public at large: I find it really interesting that while travelling on a tube or train in this city you can sit down (if you’re lucky enough to get a seat) next to, or right in front of a person that you don’t speak a word to. You could sit there for half an hour, perhaps even make a little eye contact, but no-one says anything. Generally anyway. Occasionally you might make a comment when something happens around you, but as a whole, the only people talking to each other are friends who are travelling together, or any non-Londoner really. Or perhaps the odd antipodean who isnt yet aware of the ‘rules’.
We’re easy to spot sometimes, us Kiwis and Australians!
For you, I’d wait ’til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you’ll come, and set me free,
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me.
This song; ‘Til Kingdom Come’, the final track on Coldplay’s latest album – was being played in almost hymn-like fashion as lightning lit up the clouds over Crystal Palace athletic stadium last night. I thought it was an interesting moment, with a song using the ‘kingdom come’ metaphor and the King himself letting off a few fireworks, just to add a little poignancy to the gig.
Overall, it was a great concert! It rained quite heavily during the opening act, but pretty much cleared by the time Coldplay came on, around 8:45pm. Fortunately we had an umbrella, and as you can see from the picture, some very handy rubbish sacks for raincoats (as you can’t use umbrellas while the band was on). The clouds did stick about, with plenty of lightning later in the show too, but only one real spell of rain about 40 minutes into the show, but all that did was make the crowd go nuts! Everyone just cheered and totally threw themselves into the song, hands above heads clapping…
A great bunch of songs, and a really funny moment where Chris Martin was leading a song solo at the piano and he made a mistake and started over… and went through a little spiel about saying F*** on stage and his father told him off. Pretty funny and down-to-earth moment which really just helped connect him with the audience. You could see the they’re now a seriously big international class-act, more so than the NZ gig a couple of years ago. You know you’re doing well selling 80,000 tickets in London (in hours), and presumably 100’s of thousands worldwide, and you’re only on your 3rd album.
Other highlights included ‘The Scientist’ and the closer, Fix You: one epic song!
It’s great we can get these little digital cameras in to the gigs, then we can share them with you! Mental Note: I must remember to get a better quality one for Madison Sqare Garden in November.
A great night, we walked away tired and a little damp, and after more than 2.5 hours to get home (totally being looked after by God, it’s seems each train we took was the last one possible from where we set off from)… the bed certainly felt good at 2am!
