Sometimes the Magic Works

There are days that are just utterly magical.

And today is one of them.

The air outside is cold. It freezes your face and sticks in your throat and sends shivers down your spine. You hunker deeper down into your scarf and warm coat, relieved that you decided to wrap up warm before leaving the warm nest of your house.

The walk to the station is an exploration – the air is cold enough to have formed a strange kind of mist that Hollywood producers pay thousands to special effects people to recreate when doing scary movies. The traffic is slow and there seems to be a lull in general sound. The station is that bit deserted that makes you wonder if you have somehow missed the notification of a new holiday.

The train journey into town is slow, giving you ample time to look out through the windows onto empty parks where the ground mists are creeping across the ground, circling the empty park benches. The train chuckles along, giving tantalising glimpses of a city wrapped in mist. I can see the Docklands and the high rises are squat because of the low cloud. We pick up speed as we pass London Bridge and soon we are crossing the Thames. The London Eye looms large and curious on its banks, only half visible to the eye and behind it the houses of parliament and Westminster Abbey. Too soon we are at our destination.

For a few vivid moments people swirl around in bright scarves and woolly hats as they exit from their carriages, leaving Charing Cross Station. The cold air is waiting outside, to welcome you. You inhale deeply, after the warmth of the train the fresh air chases the lethargy, forcing you to walk briskly to your office. Trafalgar Square is swept clean, with no pigeons in sight. The lions keep guard at the bottom and I shrug deeper into my coat and bury my chin in my scarf. The wind is cutting and my eyes water.

Along Pall Mall I squint and can imagine I can see all the way down to the bare bones of the trees in Hyde Park. But I cannot and it is only my imagination. The streets are practically deserted of traffic and a few pedestrians swiftly stride towards their destinations, oblivious of the history around them. I take my time and wonder at the mystery of this ancient city. I feel comfortable in my skin today and it feels like I can hug this ancient place that has given so much to the world since time began.

I step into my building off Regent Street and leave my wondering-self at the door. There is no place for mystery and musings on ancient things here.