Anakana Schofield

London the health resort

Here it is as promised a few days ago another snip from William Macrie’s The Diary of a London Explorer (1934)

From the section entitled What is London?

“London’s master problem is gambling. There is no drink problem.

London is a health resort. According to Dr. Saleeby London’s water is the finest in the world. See Naples and die. See London and live.

London’s greatest glory is its port.”

I should explain that Macrie founded The London Explorers Club and this book documents his walks and various engagements with his city and its surrounding areas.

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I have to confess the entire time I lived in London I did not detect any noticeable health benefits from the experience. Maybe I needed to spend more time at the port to acquire them!

Only 2 days .. Diving Venus

to listen to this fascinating radio documentary … don’t miss it

Swimmer and explorer Kate Rew tells the fascinating story of Annette Kellerman, the 1920s Australian vaudeville star and champion swimmer who dived into glass tanks, popularized the one-piece swimsuit and became the first woman to attempt to swim the English Channel.

Nobody eats or wants zucchini.

Today I collected a bunch of hearty geraniums from a woman in a house out West who offered them on a recycling site to plant in my garden plot. Unfortunately my arms got all scratched up by the vicious zucchini plant, droves of people in red tee shirts entered the garden unable to spell the word marjoram as part of some city wide quiz day, they were scarpering about sweating with blackberrys/ipone’s and by the 25th plus person asking me I told them the solution to the clue was mint. The sun was baking me up, the red tee shirt brigade (I visit the garden for peace and gardening talk not demented joggers on a spelling-bee quest) so I had to abandon ship.

Another tragedy our trolley has been removed from the garden, alas this means it is now three times as difficult to bring the water across to the plots.

Mayor Gregor Robertson PLEASE tell those watery engineers types to turn on the feckin’ water in our garden and stop acting the bollix over a gang of citizens trying to grow flowers and vegetables ensemble.

We are challenged botanically.