The Road Home

I love driving through London at night.

It doesn't happen very often because we use the train

but on Wednesday night I was with a friend

whose husband plays for the orchestra.

We drove in through the rush hour traffic

and back late at night after the concert.

Our route took us across Westminster Bridge

through Parliament Square

down the Mall

past Buckingham Palace

and then out through Knightsbridge.

London is not a city of regular grid lines like New York

and if you are with somebody who knows the route well

it feels like a fairground ride.

The car weaves around the complex road systems,

through the mass of black cabs

and the glittering shop fronts

and you feel quite breathless with the beauty of it.

It is very difficult to take photos

because there is the reflection of the car window,

the fact that you are driving at 40mph

and trying to make conversation at the same time.

My friends couldn't understand

why I would want to take photos at all

I rarely take pictures in public.

I said that I had a friend in Australia

who wanted to see where I had been

so Mary, Tracey and Kirsten...

these are for you.