THE BROADWAY

London has so many markets to choose from, which is great as I'm a bit of a market junkie these days.  Got to get my fix, you know!  I've been living in London, seven years now (God! Time fly's when your having fun!) and I think I have been to every market in london: Portobello, Camden, Spitalfields, Greenwich, Brick Lane, Columbia Road, the list could go on forever.  Though I feel I have now found myself a favourite:  Broadway Market.  You can find me there most Saturdays milling around, doing not a lot apart from eating, looking, and bumping into people.  It's only small and still not very well know unless you live in the area.  I think that's what makes it so special.  It has become a social meeting ground for most people, with its bars and cafe's.  I like to call it the promenade, as its full of complete posers:  The young way out there trendies who loiter outside the Cat and Mutton;

 The dog owners beaming as everyone looks adoringly or strokes their all so cute dogs that they like to parade up and down with in a show off manner;

and then there are the cyclist who all like to chain up their bikes at the end while checking out if anyone has one better than theirs.  OK! It might seem that I am selling this place short.  All I have said is true but I still love it!  Maybe it's because:

1. I like people watching
2. The food is great (Especially the Samosa Chatt store:  I'm addicted)!
3. Probably because I fall into most of the descriptions of the people I mentioned above.  Well apart from the dog one as I don't have a dog, but if I could take the cats, I probably would.  In fact we have a cat lead for Hank now as we are trying to make him do some exercise as he is getting fat!  Problem is, he hates it.  It also looks a bit like a piece of gay bondage equipment!

This weekend it was one big social gathering at the Broadway, as we were all meeting up to have a final coffee with our friend Sal before she goes back to live in OZ.  She has been here a couple of years now and is a great character, but has now done her bit in London and misses home to much.  Good bye Miss Sally, you will be sadly missed.  On the plus side that means there is another person I can go and stay with if I go back down under.

                                                                 Deb's and Alex

                                            Jesus!  We look like a miserable bunch.

                                                                             Sally

OBSERVATIONS

• It has been tried many times, but finally I have completed a week with out a single drop of alcohol touching my mouth, in what has been a very long time!  Maybe the party girl is calming down?

• I thought you weren't meant to get spots anymore, when you get older?  My skin has been shocking recently.  Maybe staying off the booze will help it!

• Everyone seems to be leaving the country at the moment!  Now Thenasis my Neighbour is going back home to Greece after being here for 10 years.  I know I have complained about his music taste for the past 3 years, but I do believe I will miss his big bear like voice booming out Greek songs and bad 80's music at 8.00am on a sunday morning.  It has grown quite comforting in a very strange way over the years.  It won't be quite the same with silence.