Personal

A powerful metaphor

I walked from Westbourne Green to South Kensington this afternoon. For two years I did this daily.

I passed under the Westway, where I learnt to unicycle; quickly across the long, narrow railway bridge which brought back haunting memories; in and out of the library where I used to study, far from the distractions of home; past the bustling shops on Queensway; through the park to college.

You might suppose I'm trying to turn back the clock. Seeking to start again. But remembering walk. I own a Mac. I've fallen for Emma.

In Princes Gardens two huge machines were ripping apart one of the college buildings I knew so well. Through the dust and rubble the dome of the Brompton Oratory was visible from the square for the first time in fifty years.

Time to pause. Then move on.