FRESH AIR
A day in London. Wonderful. You start the day on the station platform in the dark and cold with all the grey faced commuters, your coffee in a polystyrene cup. The train is dirty and cramped and no-one talks to each other. You pile off at Kings Cross thankful to be breathing fresher air and then plunge into the labyrinth of the underground system.
Nine hours later you repeat the process in reverse, the commuters looking even more haggard, and arrive home in the dark & cold.
Over my working life I lived like that on and off for a total of four years. The one thing I never can get over; when you get home, you change out of your suit and shirt & tie and notice that your shirt collar is black. That is the inside of your shirt collar, sitting passivley against your neck. What on earth does the inside of your lungs look like - which have been sucking in this filth all day?
A lucky break - Phil has just emailed me and we are off for a walk on Thursday. Another early start - we live miles from anywhere with a decent bog on the top of a hill, but this time we won't be crammed like sardines on a train, and when we get there there will be miles of good walking, a cracking pub or two and a whole planet of fresh clean air.
A day in London. Wonderful. You start the day on the station platform in the dark and cold with all the grey faced commuters, your coffee in a polystyrene cup. The train is dirty and cramped and no-one talks to each other. You pile off at Kings Cross thankful to be breathing fresher air and then plunge into the labyrinth of the underground system.
Nine hours later you repeat the process in reverse, the commuters looking even more haggard, and arrive home in the dark & cold.
Over my working life I lived like that on and off for a total of four years. The one thing I never can get over; when you get home, you change out of your suit and shirt & tie and notice that your shirt collar is black. That is the inside of your shirt collar, sitting passivley against your neck. What on earth does the inside of your lungs look like - which have been sucking in this filth all day?
A lucky break - Phil has just emailed me and we are off for a walk on Thursday. Another early start - we live miles from anywhere with a decent bog on the top of a hill, but this time we won't be crammed like sardines on a train, and when we get there there will be miles of good walking, a cracking pub or two and a whole planet of fresh clean air.
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteMarkus gave me a hint to find your Blog. I will return for sure to read some more...
cheers
Oliver
Hi Oliver
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog. I do find it quite surprising how many non-British readers arrive here, for what is essentially a British walk! Feel free to add your thoughts whenever you like.
All the best
Alan
After a few days of sucking in the London filth, the pollution layer coating the lungs acts as a sort of Teflon lining to protect those vital organs from any further damage. It's all part of nature's clever way of protecting us essential urban dwellers. Nevertheless, occasional visitors from out in the sticks will certainly be at risk.
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