Final barrier

On my way back to more civilised civilisation I stopped off at London's first line of defence against the future's inevitable environmental onslaught.

Looking to a structure more famed for its fabric form than its content, and to stainless steel & glass combinations piercing the sky, the path to the apparently punctured defence was nothing less than a revelation.

Layers of hedges rose and fell in waves of harmony and syncopation, a premonition of potential overwhelming by the elements. To the right tower blocks with (finally) some magnificence and occasions about them. Simple whitewashed art deco elegance contrasting with more recent and slowly encroaching flat-pack efforts.

Closer to the edge now an inspired mix of wooden decking, sloping manicured grass and respectful open spaces. Surprisngly, and thankfully, only a few others had discovered this balance of yin & yang, undoubtedly adding to its zen-ness.

One of the wonders of the capital was now ahead, astride its apparently peaceful foe: modern architecture used in anger several times a year. I'd never noticed how much the grey snake that now burries so close by incorporates similar squished Sydney Opera House curves into its buildings.

Returning to my seemingly conscious carriage I was at peace, bar a slight hum from a precautionary electric fence and the buzz of bees bursting excitedly from the marshalled greenery.