Overheard in London: Mobile Gout Advice at Stansted Airport

While sitting at a gate waiting for my flight, I overheard a man giving this advice into his mobile phone:

- Hello. This is ____. Is John there?
- Is this his wife?
- I heard that he had gout.
- Has anyone told him to eat cheries?
- That's right. He can eat as many cheries as he likes.

Overheard in London: Borough Market's Olfactory Value

As leaving Borough Market on a busy Saturday afternoon, I overheard the following comment announced in a distinctly North American accent to a group of twenty-somethings coming into the market:

It's worth coming here for the smells alone!

Overheard: Flanked by Corpo-Coffee Outlets

I had to stop, shake my head and sigh when, the other day, I heard myself saying the following to a friend whom I was to meet at Exmouth Market:

There's a Starbuck's end and a Caffè Nero end. I'll be coming from the Starbuck's end.

























Photography courtesy of King Coyote's photostream on Flickr

























Photography courtesy of Iain Ferrell's photostream on Flickr

Overheard: US or Canada?

I was amused by the following travel tip overhead on the street today, coincidentally on the 4th of July:

Ever been to America? Well, if you get a chance go to Canada instead. It's much nicer. They're much more European ... at least in their thinking.

Overheard: bitter prognosis for 2012 Olympics

The other day at a local sandwich shop, I received the following bitter prognosis for 2012 at no extra charge with my lunch:

Ken's putting all these pounds into an area where people don't visit and doing nothing here in central London and then when the Olympics are gone that whole area will just sit there vacant and unused ... just like that Dome.

Image by Tiki Chris © 2007

Overheard: Grocery shop on St John St

While purchasing several tins of cat food the other day, the cashier handling my purchase made this comment about cats:

"They eat better than we do."

However, with her strong accent - and my untrained ear - it sounded more like the following to me:

"'ey ee 'etta 'an 'e oo."

Overheard: St John St and Clerkenwell Rd

"If we were a rich company, I would insist on having an attractive secretary just to look at. But, since we're not, that will never happen."