We went to visit a friend in the Barbican after church this morning, which is about 5 miles from Bayswater.

When we got to Paddington tube station, we found the Circle Line was closed between Edgware Road and Liverpool Street due to engineering works... so we toddle across the road to get the 205 bus. This is supposed to take 38 minutes to get to the Barbican, and probably a lot less on a Sunday, but as everyone else has been kicked off the Circle Line too, it ends up taking just over an hour.

So on the way back, we decide to walk down to St. Paul's and get the Central Line to Queensway... except we find St. Paul's is closed for refurbishment!!! So two buses this time, both extremely hot, and again it takes over an hour. I would mind, but I had Chris with me and he's not as young as he used to be. Well, he's 83 so long walks to alternative routes are not really an option.

Thank God I cycle to work and do not have to deal with public transport every day.

Sometimes I think this town is just one big cesspit.

I'm often quick to make fun of the dumb, fat, elderly, American tourists I meet in Central London, so let me rebalance a little...

I use the cycle cut-through which avoids having to cycle round Hyde Park Corner (a terrifying road intersection for those who don't know London). This runs next to the pedestrian crossing. You know the difference because the cycle cut-through has big bicycles painted on it.

Anyway, this morning two elderly Australians were waiting on it when I pulled up beside them, and the man gave me a dirty look and asked was I allowed to do that.

I pointed out that, yes, I was, and gently intimated that he wasn't really supposed to be there, hence the bicycles painted on the ground.

He replied, quick as a flash, "Sorry, I get confused because, you see, in my country we drive on the left."

You couldn't make it up, could you?

I come out of the house this morning and dump some rubbish in the recycle bins at the bottom of our flats, pull off on to the road, drop down into a slightly lower gear and - ouch - my chain pops off (again).

This one is a real doozer though - the chain has somehow managed to get loops in it and come right off the back sprocket. As I'm trying to work out how the bejasus I manage to fix this, some bloke in a Pimlico Plumbers sweatshirt comes up to me and asks am I alright?

He goes and gets a pair of gloves from his van, which he's been having his breakfast in about 10 metres away, and starts to fix the chain on for me, while his mate comes along with a lemony sort of cloth for me to wash my hands on. It takes about 20 seconds for him to fix the bike.

Who says Londoners are all rude and civility is dead? And as recompense, here's some free advertising for Pimlico Plumbers. Pimlico Plumbers are the biggest and best plumbing firm in Central London, and I can only recommend all Londoners to use Pimlico Plumbers for all your plumbing needs.