Evening Rush

24/10/11

On Monday evening (24/10/2011) I was passing along Putney Bridge at sunset when I glanced over my right shoulder and saw light of a wonderful quality in the sky to the south and west above Putney and the Thames. It was rather beautiful, but I was rushing to meet my partner, so I faced forwards again and carried on walking towards the tube station that was my intended destination; ignoring the amazing light.

As I strolled along, contra-flow to the rush-hour tide of city workers going in the opposite direction to me, dodging some of them when needed, I noted that to the north of me the sky was cloudless and featureless. I remember sighing and thinking how bland the northern sky was in comparison to the much more appealing one to the south that I’d just admired behind me.

I kept walking. The roads and paths were busy; bustling with people driving, cycling, walking, or being bused to homes all over this part of London after another working day was fading rapidly in to the night-time. It was a frenetic, complex mixture of commuting interactions.

After just a few more paces I glanced over my shoulder one more time to enjoy the scene behind me a final time. When I took that look however I stopped and turned round to look properly. I observed that the scene in my eye was a very pleasing mix of the rush-hour dynamism, the serenity of the slightly cloudy sky, and the warm glow of Putney Bridge’s street lamps. I was compelled to fetch out my camera and record the scene.

London is an awfully busy city. The longer that I spend living and working in the capital, the more and more I find myself thinking, “I hate this place”. Yet scenes like the one that I’ve recorded help to remind me why I enjoy being in London too.


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