Field Study's Man in E11 on a smoggy day in London town

The Shard, from Jamaica Road, 5th September 2013.

I was enthralled by the crystalline brilliance of The Shard this morning as I cycled west along Jamaica Road, heading for the hills of Hampstead and Highgate. The glare of the sky piercer was accentuated by what I believe to be smog hanging heavily over the city. Hazily (not clearly), to me, the sun's rays were diverging as they were reflected, if not beamed, from the exceptionally vertiginous landmark. Neighbouring buildings and various passersby may not have had the concerns other parts of the city had.

For a moment I wondered if there might have been heat in those reflected rays and who and what might have been on the receiving end of them. If the hazy atmosphere was due to smog, rather than just fog, it may not be so absurd to have imagined those smog cutting rays raining down on City Hall wherein, air conditioning working to the limit, those responsible for regulating air quality were/are getting uncomfortably hot under their collars. I imagined none other than Mayor Boris Johnson bringing some light relief (and relief from the light) by doing a satirical turn of, 'A Foggy Day (in London Town)', with 'foggy' becoming 'smoggy'. I (imagined I) could see him crooning like Mel Torme along the U shaped assembly, delighting the representatives with his lyrical wit and vision.

Of course no such thing happened except in the mind of a field student who had work to do and work to do in an environment which is not so friendly for cyclists/cycling. The vantage point from which I viewed the shining spectacle of The Shard is particularly cycling-unfriendly and so I tried to put a stop to my daydreaming and get on with getting to work on the considerably less than brilliant roads of the capital, utilising a must have cycling accessory, back of the head eyes.

Mel Torme - A Foggy Day