Today felt warm, and then hot almost as soon as the thin morning cloud lifted. Driving into London in the afternoon felt hotter still, and it was – 31°C on the outskirts, and the air still as the sun. Around Trafalagar Square the pavements were full of shorts and flip-flops, and tourists melting their way around the sights, one or two wobbling into the road like bambis on their Lime Bikes.

It is only now, after midnight, that the temperature feels a properly pleasant 21°C. The moon, dusted orange with Sahara dust, is hanging on its side above the city, and the hot dog cart is still doing business outside the station where our train came in at the end of an evening with friends. From the station we wandered up the street to see the Smithfield Meat Market with its bright lights and white vehicles loading and delivering. Witnessing the traders at their work felt a little like stepping into a slow motion time warp, especially knowing that their move out of the area will happen in the next few years.

Their absence will change this slice of London.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023