London...

...is a crazy place.  Some days I struggle for a blip but today several came along at once.

First the saddest (main). There was a wine bar on the ground floor of our block of flats that closed a few months ago.  Shortly afterwards we were made aware that some squatters had moved in.  The freeholder (Glasgow City Council's Pension Scheme - don't ask me why) applied to the court for permission to evict.  The permission came through yesterday and the leaseholders were informed that the eviction would take place in the early hours of this morning and we were told to stay away.  This was the view looking down at 7am.  I had imagined half a dozen squatters, but the square was rapidly being filled with luggage, people and dogs, all guarded by a group of "heavies".  I give money to charities when I can, mainly for musical education, and for homelessness.  I always say that I am ashamed to live in a society that allows people who cannot fend for themselves to live on the streets.  I was absolutely shocked at the scale of the need that this empty wine bar was fulfilling.  This evening the square is still full of luggage, now under tarpaulins, while the authorities work out what to do with it.

At the other end of the spectrum, we went with a group from the V&A this morning to visit the design studio of Thomas Heatherwick, which is 10 minutes walk in the other direction (first extra).  TH and his Studio designed the flame for the 2012 Olympics, Coal Drop Yard at King's Cross, the new design for London buses, and a zillion imaginative projects worldwide.

Then this afternoon I strolled half an hour to Somerset House to see an exhibition called "SOIL: The World at our Feet". There were some unbelievable images and videos of growing and wriggling microscopic creatures.  The second extra is a still from a wonderful video about fungi, their life cycle, importance and connection to the rest of life.  Fun fact of the day: there are more living organisms in a teaspoon of soil than there are human beings on the planet.