This entry will really be two entries in one, touching on two unrelated topics. The only thing they have in common is that they both occurred this weekend. Firstly, I should have mentioned in yesterday’s entry that it was great to see Sir David Attenborough return to our TV screens on Friday night. The bbc does not seem to be getting much right of late, but one of it’s better moves was to decide to screen a season of films celebrating Attenborough’s sixty years in the business. In today’s fickle world of internet memes where a YouTube video can propel someone to worldwide stardom for a week or so, after which they are forgotten about (Warhol, it seems, was only slightly off) it’s good to see that one or two of the old guard are still around, doing their thing and fascinating the country as they have always done. Indeed, Attenborough was introducing us to the wonders of the natural world before my parents were born, and is still going strong; that too fills me with awe and admiration.

Attenborough seems to have been everywhere, but one of the wildernesses I don’t recall him ever visiting is the wilds of south-east London. Intrepid explorers that we are, Lyn and I were out and about yesterday. We went over to Deptford to see the market. By the time we got there, though, it was starting to wind down, so Dominik kindly invited us to his place nearby for a cup of coffee, and then we set out to find some dinner. Of course, I had a pub in mind, and some good old stodgy pub grub, but what we eventually found was something far more unusual: a bus! Believe it or not, in Deptford there is an old red routemaster bus which has been converted into a bar and restaurant, called, appropriately enough, The Big Red Bus. It is, to be honest, kind of weird: half the place is an old parked bus and the other half is essentially a courtyard covered with a makeshift roof where the bar and a few extra tables were. Most people ate on the bus, but we sat outside as it has steps. I honestly think it was one of the most unique eating experiences of my life, and could well be included on my list of favourite meals. The pizza I had was top notch, and the IPA was well above average. I was an intriguing, fascinating place, if a little cold at that time of day and this time of year, and I suspect we’ll be going there again.

In all, then, quite an interesting weekend thusfar, at the end of quite a cool week. Next week, though, promises to be even cooler, but I can’t go into that just now.