23 August – 3 September: Why is Chinese food cheap? How do Covent Garden street performers earn any money? And what do Canadians drink?

If, like me, you occasionally go to Victoria Embankment Gardens to eat your lunch then you’ll notice the dozens of workmen, strewn out on the grass, relaxing after a hard morning’s labour. Their labour is to refurbish one of the most famous hotels in the world – the Savoy. I had a quick wonder past this famous hotel to see what the workmen had been up to, but there’s not much to see from the outside at the moment. Apparently when it reopens in October there’ll be an Art Deco bar open to the public, so I’ll definitely have a look in there, though it will probably cost me about £10 for a drink.

Disappointed by the current state of the Savoy I decided it was time to see some major sights again. So one lunchtime, myself and my workmates walked through Covent Garden, on to Leicester Square, then past the Trocadero to Piccadilly Circus, through the streets of Soho and then back down through Chinatown. I hadn’t realised how close everything is in central London – the above sights and the ones previously mentioned in this blog are all within about 20 minutes walking distance of each other.

Of course it’s fine to go for a walk when the weather’s nice but on the day that I saw these sights it was unfortunately raining. Leicester Square may be the scene of many glamorous film premieres but on a wet Wednesday lunchtime it isn’t that stunning. Likewise with Soho – infamous as a setting for nighttime debauchery but during the day you’d hardly realise it. There’s a few signs for strip bars and sex shops but it appears positively tame compared to, say, the red light district of Amsterdam.

Chinatown is distinctive because of its smell – the aromatic smell of sweet and sour sauce flavoured with MSG. There’s a lot of all you can eat £3.99 lunchtime buffets in Chinatown; which while good value makes you wonder why Chinese food can be so cheap. Illegal labour and questionable food hygiene practices were the first answers that came to my slightly xenophobic mind. I’m sure it still tastes good though.

We went back to Covent Garden a few days later to spend lunchtime as a tourist. Covent Garden is famous for its street performers, and large crowds stand round watching drawn-out performances by budding entertainers. The large crowds are annoying if you’re in a hurry to get to the Tube station to catch the train home, so we thought we’d join them for a change. It didn’t last long as the performance we saw by an amateur magician was typically poor. Yet the crowds still took it all in – probably because it was their one day out in London and they wanted to take in as much as they could, good or bad.

One thing we did notice around Covent Garden was the large amount of pubs and bars that are within a short walk of the famous market square. These vary in quality from traditional pubs to soulless wine bars (All Bar One) to themed nationality bars (we noticed one Australian, one South African, one Irish and even one Canadian – which begged the question: what do Canadians drink?)

We didn’t know so the following lunchtime we went for the safe choice of the Irish bar – the Porterhouse. I like real ale and was impressed to find that this place had a beer menu about 10 pages long. I settled for an enjoyable pint of something refreshing and fruity (I forget the name, though it was English and began with a ‘w’) and flicked through the menu, thinking how I could happily spend the rest of the day there, trying to drink my way through the beer menu alphabet.

Which brings me back to a familiar theme – if you’ve got the money then you are spoilt for choice for places to go for a drink in central London. This blog could quite easily turn into a review of all the beers in the Porterhouse or all the pubs in central London; I’d have to start remembering the names of the beers I’ve drank though.

4 attempts to get my pre-paid train ticket from the station today:

1. booking reference not valid

I had been given the wrong one, so I eventually got the right one and went back but...

2. The ticket office was closed temporarily

So I went back a bit later and...

3. Was told that the ticket hadn't been paid for

So I made some calls confirming that it had been paid for and went back but...

4. A very unhelpful new ticket office person said that the reference didn't come up on his system

So I made some more calls and it turns out the original ticket office person managed to print it off after I left for the 3rd time. He locked the ticket in the safe and took the key with him.

Hopefully 5th time lucky tomorrow!

16-20 August: From the outskirts of provincial city to the heart of a capital city

It’s strange how quickly people adapt to new situations. Despite my apprehension about working in London I had got used to it quickly and the first fortnight had flown by. I spent a few moments of Sunday evening wondering where I was going to explore the next day, until I realised that I would be back in my previous Peterborough office for a 3-day training course.

Back in London on Thursday I was determined to make up for my break away from the city, so when I was asked by workmates where to go for lunch I purposely led them on a whistle-stop tour of as many of London’s landmarks it was possible to see in an hour. Walking along Victoria Embankment past the London Eye and the old City Hall, we journeyed up to the Houses of Parliament and then turned right past the Cabinet War Rooms, the Cenotaph, Downing Street and Horseguards before negotiating the traffic to sit by one of the fountains in Trafalgar Square.

Spending your lunch in the heart of London, in one of the most famous landmarks in the world is an interesting experience. As I ate my lunch I watched the hundreds of tourists as they posed for photos, climbed on the lions and negotiated their way past what is left of the famous pigeons. Doing something everyday like eating your lunch in a location that's a once in a lifetime destination to many international tourists is slightly surreal.

The first time I was in Trafalgar Square would have been about 20 years ago when I enjoyed a fun day out in London with my mum and brother. There were a lot more pigeons then – mainly because bird food was sold to tourists and feeding them was a popular activity. Indeed, one of the highlights of any family’s day out in London was to take handfuls of birdseed and to get as many of the birds to perch on your arms as possible. They don’t sell birdseed in Trafalgar Square anymore as pigeons are now considered vermin rather than tourist attractions. I think I prefer how it used to be.

If the sight of flocks of pigeons used to tell you that you’re in Trafalgar Square, then the sight of joggers today tells you that you’re on the Embankment. I don’t understand why anyone would want to spend their lunchtime getting hot and sweaty in front of tourists by jogging along the riverside streets of London. But many people do it; hundreds pound the streets every day as they use their precious lunchtime to cram in 40 minutes or so of exercise. Embankment joggers come in all shapes and sizes and wear the same face of determination as they weave in and out of sightseers and other workers like myself who have chosen a more leisurely way to spend their lunch hour.

Friday’s lunch hour was as leisurely as you can get, with a beer and a burger in a nearby pub. It’s easy to see why there’s a drinking culture amongst many people who work in London. There’s a lot of temptation and of course you don’t have to worry about driving, so I sympathise with any alcoholics who work in an office in the centre of London. Thankfully I can enjoy my Friday lunchtime pint without feeling the need to spend every lunchtime drinking – after all, there’s a lot more of London for me to see yet.

London Loves Lunchtimes: 2-13 August: From the Houses of Parliament to St P...

London Loves Lunchtimes: 2-13 August: From the Houses of Parliament to St P...: "A fortnight ago I found out that with immediate notice I was going to be working full-time in London. I was naturally both excited and nervo..."

2-13 August: From the Houses of Parliament to St Paul’s Cathedral

A fortnight ago I found out that with immediate notice I was going to be working full-time in London. I was naturally both excited and nervous about the move – excited by working in an international city and meeting new people, yet nervous about how I would get on in this new world and how I would manage spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from my Norfolk home.

To make the most of my time in London and to make sure that I got some sort of a break, I promised myself that I would take a full lunch hour every day where I would explore the many streets and sights of our capital city and maybe even bump into a few celebrities. I am fortunate that my new office is very central, just off The Strand and within walking distance of many of London’s major landmarks; so I’m spoilt for choice for places to go to at lunch. Which certainly makes a change from my previous location on an industrial estate on the edge of an unattractive regional city.

So far I’ve trekked south to the South Bank and the Millennium Wheel, west to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament and east to St Paul’s Cathedral. Between that I’ve sat in the small parks of the Embankment, walked to the OXO Tower, and eaten sandwiches outside the church behind the back of the Savoy Hotel. These lunch hours have been spent in the company of workmates, who like me have found London an inspiring place to work. Admiring world-famous scenery as you eat your sandwiches really does make up for having to endure daily long commutes.

Anything is possible in London. Perhaps that’s why the English branch of the Church of Scientology is located in the City of London, a short walk from St Paul’s and a few steps away from a traditional Church of England church. I had to take a double take as I walked past this ‘church’ which looked more like an office, with its plasma TV screens in the windows displaying messages that attempted to encourage passers by with ‘free refreshments and free presentations’. The juxtaposition of this office-like building, a few steps away from the Church of England church almost didn’t seem out of place, this being London.

London’s not all great of course. It is obviously very dirty, overcrowded and expensive. Just steps away from multi-million pound office buildings are filthy underpasses that stink of urine and are homes to some of the city’s homeless. It is quite incredible that with all the money in the capital, nobody is prepared to pay to clean up the many parts of the city that clearly haven’t been touched for over 30 years.

I celebrated the end of my first fortnight working in London with a pub lunch with workmates. If you’ve got some money and have no ties, London is like a massive playground. There’s so much to do, so many places to go – for someone like me who’s used to provincial towns and small cities, it really all is quite amazing.

I’m determined to make the most of my time in the capital, so will continue touring the many free sights of London Monday to Thursday, before celebrating the end of the working week with a pub lunch on Fridays. I still haven’t seen anyone famous though – not yet anyway.

The State We're In

"The people have spoken and we don't know what they've said"

- Ed Miliband

We are used to results in Britain. We are used to winners and losers - glorious victory or heroic defeat. That is why nobody, especially not the politicians themselves, is sure what to make of the results of the 2010 UK General Election. Six months ago the Conservatives were expected to walk the election and win a massive majority - all they had to do it seemed was to turn up and they'd win. Then Nick Clegg was being lauded as the new Churchill after a good performance in the first TV debate and some predicted that the Liberal Democrats might even win. Labour were expected to suffer a humiliating defeat and many high-profile MPs were expected to have a 'Portilio moment' and loose their seats.

But none of the above predictions happened. Instead every party lost, yet they also won. The Conservatives lost because despite Lord Ashcroft's millions, despite backing from nearly all of the UK's media, despite Labour's 13 years in government, despite Gordon Brown's unpopularity, despite the expenses scandal and despite a supposed national apathy with politics they did not win the outright majority that they expected. Yet they won because they gained 97 new MPS and got more votes and seats than any other party. Labour lost because after 13 years in power they lost their majority in the House of Commons. Yet they won because they didn't do as badly as was predicted and the Conservatives did not do as well as was predicted. The Liberal Democrats lost because despite the 'Nick Clegg effect' they had 5 fewer seats than in 2005. Yet they won because more people voted Liberal Democrat than ever before and they are now in unique but agonising position where they hold the balance of power - do they accept David Cameron's deal or support a losing Government?

It is a tough choice because whatever the Liberal Democrats decide it will affect the whole country. If they back the Conservatives and the Tories pass through unpopular cuts to public services then they will bear the brunt of a large part of the public's anger. If they take Gordon Brown's carrot of electoral reform then they will be propping up a losing government and not delivering the change that they promised to the 6.8 million people who voted for them. Perhaps the best thing for them to do would be the most Liberal Democrat thing to do - sit on the fence and don't back either party. Because if the Conservatives form a minority government and start trying to pass unpopular cuts to public services then there will soon be another General Election and the outcome may be very different. Indeed, some have predicted that because of the cuts to public services that will be made, the party that forms a government may be out of power for a generation.

But whatever happens there is still hope for Britain. Turnout at the election was higher than expected, electoral reform is now a serious national issue and everyone seems to be interested in politics again, which can only be a good thing. For years apathy has ruled Britian, this is dangerous because it gives minority parties like the BNP the chance to influence people. Thankfully we are finally realising that politics is important and it is an issue for all of us. This is important because it is only when this happens that ordinary people can start having an influence in politics again and make the politicians do what they're paid to do - work for us.

Brown vs Cameron (vs Clegg) Round One

“The purpose of politics is to give people tools to make the most of their lives.”

- Bill Clinton

And so it begins. Today Gordon Brown confirmed the worst-kept secret in British politics by announcing that the next General Election will take place on Thursday May 6 2010. All political parties will now spend the next 4 weeks trying to convince us that they will be the ones who will give us the tools to help us to make the most of our lives.

For the first time in a generation the Conservatives are favourites and they certainly have the financial backing - notably the millions from tax-exile Lord Ashcroft, enabling them to spend millions on advertising. They also have the backing of The Sun, the best selling newspaper in Britain, who infamously 'won it'  for the Tories with their anti-Labour headlines and stories in 1992.

But it's not just the traditional mediums of billboards, leaflets and tabloid newspapers that will influence the result of the General Election. For the first time the online world is set to play a big role as voters discuss the pros and cons of all parties across the social media of Twitter and Facebook. And in the 21st Century it's not just media-savvy 20 and 30-somethings who use the web to discuss and debate the issues of the day. Political parties are aware of the influence that sites like netmums.com can have and political activists have even been rumoured to have tried to infiltrate the message boards of such sites to try and influence voters.

The 2010 General Election will also see TV debates for the first time. An idea borrowed from American politics in an attempt to help reconnect the nation with politics again. Whether it will work will remain to be seen - the many rules and regulations are likely to prevent any real excitement over these political debates. But if  X-Factor, I'm a Celebrity... and a whole host of other reality TV shows have told us anything, it's that people love to vote - if you give them enough encouragement to do it. Perhaps Ant and Dec should be hosting the election - "If you don't want your favourite politician to loose the chance to win the keys to the Number 10 house then vote now. Gordon really doesn't want to leave the house. Remember every vote really does count!" 

Whilst they won't be enlisting the help of two Geordie TV presenters, because the election is set to be so tight, all political parties are likely to try almost anything to get us to vote for them. The Conservatives may be ahead in polls but it doesn't mean that a Tory victory is inevitable. The Lib Dems were once seen as wasted vote but the prospect of a hung parliament means that they may have important role to play in the next parliament. But at the end of the day it will be up to us to decide. That's the beauty of democracy and that's something that we seem to have lost touch with. Hopefully the prediction that this election will be genuinely close will help to get us, the apathetic docile masses, to be interested in politics again. Because whatever the outcome of the next election, a national reconnection with politics can only be a good thing.