Raging in Richmond.

On Sunday we went to Richmond; I've been dragging Robyn to all kinds of places she doesn't like and this was her turn to do the same to me.

I hate the place.

Actually, I've been at war with the town for years - ever since they decided that the kids who used to meet up on Richmond Green on a Saturday night were a menace that needed to be harassed and seen off by the police.

Or since they shut down all the fast food places for the same reason.

If Richmond was human it would be like that arrogant man in an Audi who gestured at me that I should have let him through when I had the right of way as I was going to park.

Or like the lady who pushed in front of me in the queue for a coffee at the Richmond Café Nero.

Richmond and I have history.

Anyway, we parked up for free (it's very expensive) at my secret place and we had a nice walk along the riverbank.

We thought about taking a boat trip but then we left it for a nicer day.

We had sandwiches and window shopped.

Then we went into a new American wholefood chain that
has just opened up;

It really made me very sad - the division between the people who struggle and those who use this shop is now an immense gulf.

There's a Juice/smoothie bar;

There's a soup bar;

You can pick your own Muesli;

Robyn tells me they are one of the best employers in the U.S. and  I suppose it's up to people what they want - it's just that the majority of people are excluded from this.

Which is just what the kind of people who live in Richmond want.

And obviously I got worked up about it!

We worked our way around the town and back down to the river and realised how lucky we'd been to put off our boat trip - it was a 'Neap Tide'.

The Thames is tidal here and twice a year there are very high tides and this was a big one - all over the banks where we'd walked and where we would have got off the boat when we came back;

'Blazing saddles', the bicycle hire shop had to bail out;

It was chaos;

 

 

We crossed the bridge over to the over side of the river and walked back to the car.

 

I'd survived my day of getting annoyed with Richmond all over again.

 

Just.

 

 

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

 

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