Oh, To Be In England

Perhaps Keats and his Ode To Autumn (Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness) would be more appropriate than Browning's poem that references April, because the onset of autumn is probably my favourite time of year, although I don't relish the fact that next month the clocks go back and suddenly it's dark at four o'clock in the afternoon. I love the crisp, bright mornings with the sun reflecting off the dew and the leaves as they turn golden brown; I do not, however enjoy the hours of raking the leaves from the lawn, but what can you do?

Regardless of where you live there will be things about that place that you love, things that you could do without and things that are unique, the things that encapsulate your home. This last week I have visited a couple of places that were new to me and which are as far as I am concerned, are quintessentially English. A week ago Val and I went for a walk along the River Lea from Tottenham Lock to Limehouse Marina. There is something peaceful about walking by water, whether it is the sea, a lake, a river or a canal. It was calming to watch the occasional narrowboat pootling along and it was fascinating to watch the roadway at Limehouse Marina swing open to allow a yacht to enter the basin.

Walthamstow Marshes on the River Lea

The road has swung round to allow this yacht to enter Limehouse Marina

Three Mills in East London.

We walked through the Olympic Park at Stratford, the first time that I have been back since the games two years ago and in spite of a lot of the misgivings that people may have had and despite the cynicism, I find it gratifying to see the work that is going on there to create a lasting legacy. A fundamental commitment of the Olympic Movement is the creation of a sustainable legacy in the host city and it is sad that some past Olympic cities have, for whatever reason, been unable to maintain the stadia and other facilities. Costs may be a significant factor, costs which some critics may feel are unsupportable in England but there are huge benefits, tangible and intangible.

The walk from Tottenham to the Thames is just a tad over nine miles, winding through rural and urban areas; regardless of where you are in, even in London, you are never really far from the countryside. No matter how built up we may think it is, London is a very green city. We carried on our walk along the north bank of the Thames, taking in the sea of 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British and Colonial fatality during the  Great War of 1914-1918, at the Tower of London, crossing the river at Southwark, passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern, before ending our walk at Caffe Nero by the OXO Tower. Like the Olympic Park, the area of Southwark by the Globe has changed immeasurably in recent years. I worked there for many years and when our offices moved there in 1992, the area was drab, dingy, dirty and some people said it was dangerous. The actor and director, the late Sam Wanamaker founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust to rebuild the Globe Theatre and played a central role in realising the project, eventually raising well over ten million dollars. The opening of the Globe in 1997, together with the conversion of the old Bankside power station into the Tate Modern gallery were pivotal in the gentrification and improvement of the area that is now a magnet for tourists and probably the nicest place I ever worked in.

Poppies at The Tower of London

Southwark: The Globe Theatre and Tate Modern.

Just about the only quibble or gripe I would have is that the so called Thames Path along the north side of the river is frustrating. Parts are closed and the sign posting leaves something to be desired. Mind you the same can be said for the path along the south bank from Greenwich to London Bridge where frequent detours inland are required and where at times it is not obvious how to get back to the river.

Then last Saturday it was off to Stanstead Abbotts in Hertfordshire in the company of my football friends, to watch our team, Romford, play St Margaretsbury in the FA Cup. Around this time last year I published a blog about the early rounds of the FA Cup (http://rulesfoolsandwisemen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-magic-of-cup.html) so I won't repeat my thoughts about the competition, but I must mention the joy of a day in the English countryside and being able to watch both football and cricket. St Margaretsbury FC share their site with the local cricket club and there are tennis courts too. It is one of those places that I could quite happily move to, though my wife wouldn't see too much of me as I'd either be watching cricket or football most of the year round!

England's Summer and Winter sports on display last Saturday.

For readers more used to the comforts of Premier League football, a ground like St Margaretsbury's would be a bit of a culture shock. The capacity (according to Wikipedia) is an optimistic 1,000 of whom 60 would be able to find a seat, although there is plenty of seating on the grass banking. Frankly I wouldn't like to be in the place if it was even approaching half of its supposed capacity; health and safety fanatics would have field day and probably close the place down, but it is charming, picturesque and although it might be a little basic and probably not very comfortable on a cold February afternoon, in the late summer sunshine it was quite idyllic. This coming Saturday the Premier League and the Championship take a break to make way for international football and in keeping with the tradition that began in 2010, this weekend sees Non League Day, the idea being to encourage fans of teams in the top two tiers to go and watch their local non-League club for a change. Many clubs will be doing something special, from entertainment to reduced prices; you can see more at the Non League Day website (http://www.nonleagueday.co.uk/index.html). Romford are offering reduced admission to anyone who also takes in the game at Aveley, which is a mile and a half up the road from the ground Romford share at Thurrock, that kicks off earlier.

Walking for pleasure is, sadly, alien to many people, but it is something I have enjoyed for many years; walking somewhere new, as I described earlier is something I am keen to carry on doing (plodding over the same ground again and again is nowhere near as entertaining). Having walked south from Tottenham Lock last week I intend going in the opposite direction in the near future when a further nine mile hike will take me past the M25 to Waltham Cross, again along the River Lea.