Shoreditch Reflections.

Blipper BikeShopNick and I joined a super old gent in a café near Shoreditch. There were no spare tables and he was happy for us to crowd his space and chat. He has lived in Hackney all his life and gave us his thoughts on the changes in the area. It has all been an improvement, he said. But on the downside "it's all yuppies eating brown bread".

He used an expression several times, which I hadn't heard before, denoting surprise: " I nearly ran home with no clothes on"...! It is certainly a new one on me but I have tried it out this afternoon and it seems quite effective. Be careful if you try this at home; you might find it is interpreted dubiously and I don't want you blaming me.