16^th August, 2006, Wednesday

The Belle Vue

Clapham Common

Post a 90 minute session of unintelligent humour parading as comic classic wannabe, it was time for a London pint. The sun was breaking out after an overcast morning and my camera was coming to good use – about time.

My bro and I turned out to be 50% of the crowd – if one could call it that. I guess not too many had a taste in a Wednesday afternoon show; despite the 2 for 1 treat. It was all new for me – well almost. This was my third movie-going experience in London till date; the other two being Superman Returns at the Ritz in Brixton and another very painful tryst at The Prince Charles; oh but I did catch the cult horror classic Nosferatu at the National Gallery; and it did have a splendid 6 minute start with Tim Burton’s Vincent – sumptuously gothic! Anyway – Nacho Libre it was for us on the orange 2 for 1 and we ambled past the pubs near the Clapham common underground and bus stop a tad spoilt for choice. Entering one we made a quick retreat – dark, wooden, musty in the summer heat and maybe a bit rough for two brown boys! The Belle Vue was sober enough (if one called a pub that) with promise of free wi-fi; but we had overshot the happy surfing hours. The pints were good as every other that I had had since coming down to this part of the world. Random conversation; streaked with usual despondency and we were finished for the evening. Back home – a tad tired with the lingering after-effects of the failed comedy raising a few mental laughs – a crackpot nigger admiring a Ferrari from the bus – “A car and a half! Bet you could drive to Brighton and back!” (Why Brighton of al places dude?), the stench of a homeless bum making me crinkle my nose. A low tinkle at my stop and I hopped off the red double-decker onto the familiar footpath.

The uphill walk home and I was finally back, another evening in London – gone with the whiff of dog-shit smeared on the pavement and the rotting leaves of autumn round the corner.