From the streets of Durham

I want to post about our visit to London - and I want to do it before I forget all the things I want to say - once I have sorted and uploaded some photos. In the meantime, a quickie while the Christmas cake is in the oven: a few things that struck me over the past few days chasing round Durham trying to catch up with myself.

The thing that made me happiest:

The heron is back, standing in the river across from where we park the car to go swimming. We used to see it there pretty much every week, but it disappeared when the building work started on the ice rink site immediately above. No, I don't think this is just seasonal...

What does this say about Durham?

The Ann Summers shop which appeared earlier this year has closed, and been replaced by a Holland and Barret health food shop (another; there's already one in the Gates).

It's a game of two halves:

Thinking about the previous question, I was struck by how neatly Durham divides, on either side of the Market Place. Go down Silver Street to the North Road and it's all charity shops, mobile phones and empty shops; Elvet Bridge has the Oxfam boutique, jewellers and dress shops - and a new Rohan shop. Smart Apple retailers Stormfront go against this pattern (and every time I pass, the shop is almost, if not entirely, empty).

Most incongruous sighting:

Entertaining the shoppers at the Farmers' Market this morning, a Dutch street organ which belongs to local funeral director Stuart Wright. Among its repertoire were Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside and French CanCan.