On the way to Hot Wheels‘ most excellent party yesterday I met an Englishwoman with a bass who plays in a New Cross bluegrass band. She was wearing an “I’m Up For A Chat On The Tube” badge that turned out to be a product of a conceptual art project to bring random people together. I am, of course, going to sign up for this myself tomorrow. Part of the randomness involves being asked to do things you have never done before—one week apparently, the artist organised a roller disco evening. One of my hardened southerner friends told me later to run away: “It’s a cult! That’s why we don’t talk to people on the Tube.”

Today I had a long and fascinating discussion with a traveller from the Netherlands. She told me about how when she was learning English in school (and I don’t mean university) her English teacher played her class the Charles and Camilla tapes to expand their vocabulary. Don’t you just love the Dutch?