Maybe it because I'm a Londoner?

Back in London, and boy it feels strange. First thoughts coming back into Paddington were,

..ARGH all these people, all pushing and rushing...

Then I got into the swing of it, I am a moody Londoner after all, and started to feel at home. The faces of my fellow passengers on the tube, Black, Asian, European, made me feel at home. I understand London, I am at home here, even though there are times when I want to escape.

At the 106 bus stop I was surrounded by people. We were all huddling under the shelter as it was raining. No one was speaking english. One guy was speaking Japanese into his mobile. Two young women, one with a baby in a buggy, were speaking an eastern European language or possibly Portuguese, which sounds so Russian. Another older couple, sitting on the bench, were speaking an African Language, which I don't know. I got a sudden rush of affection for my dirty ole city, my home for so many years. I felt like hugging everyone at the bus stop and telling them how welcome there were.

Then the bus arrived and there was a godawful struggle to get on. My hugging mood left me. Managed to get a seat though – ha, all those years of busing it to school were not wasted.

I once got told off by some out of towners who could not believe I was not queuing neatly behind them. But there is space for two people to get on the bus at the same time, I thought as I leant across them to press my oyster card to the yellow pad. Plenty of space.