resuming a kind of normal

With all of the London news of riots over the last few days, I wondered if this weekend would see deserted streets around the capital.

No such thing.

During Saturday I was in several areas including Sloane Square, Chelsea and the West End including Oxford Street and Regents Street. They were rammed with typical shoppers many of whom had been buying, judging by the number of freshly issued carrier bags on display.

I cut through Belgrave Square at one point and noticed police presence there, but it was for one of the 'regular' protests that goes on in this Embassy laden area. There were also additional police vans running around, but the overall numbers didn't seem particularly different from a normal weekend.

Sunday sees the central area and roads to the south being roadblocked for the test run of the Olympic cycle race, so I'd expect less traffic and people in some areas as a consequence.

The debates about 'why?' and 'what should be done?' continues, but what is interesting is the speed at which 'normal' appears to have been restored to many areas.