everyone knows it's windy

and in London it really really is.  I am not used to it any more, the wind doesn't blow like that in Strasbourg.  And it is good to get away from the stifling heat of a summer in Alsace, and to spend time with my granddaughter and in London as a visitor.  The South Bank yesterday was a revelation - it is not bleak any more, but lively and friendly, many many cafes and restaurants and entertainment going on.  Tomorrow we are going to a children's festival called Lollibop where there are DJ workshops (you will not get me off those wheels, eat your heart out David Guetta), today I am having drinks and dinner with my son, what could be nicer really.  And while there is no possibility of my forgetting how to speak English, one does get a tad out of touch with the language as people actually speak it.  I am staying in Sydenham, so an overground train is required to get into the centre, and I don't put my headphones on, I just listen to people talking, which outside the rush hour they do. London, city of my birth, my early years, a bit of time in my 20s and eight years' part-time residence followed by two years' full-time later on, is one of the world's great cities.  Only Tokyo comes close in my view.  Though I have never been to New York.  Or Rio de Janeiro.  Saving the latter for my gap year.