"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
This intriguing admonition is written on a blackboard outside a florist's at the nether end of Fulham Rd, a long way from its splendour at South Kensington and just before it's about to give up the ghost and fork right into Fulham Palace Rd or left into Fulham High St and Putney Rd.
The quotation is from Walter Hagen and I am prepared to bet that I am one of the few passers-by in this cosmopolitan part of London who actually know who Hagen is or was. And a fat lot of good it's done me. He was a professional American golfer, "active" as they say at about the same time as Bobby Jones.
Also to be seen in Fulham Rd is a man wending his way in the direction of Bishop's Palace or Fulham Broadway. As Gerry Rafferty once sang "He's got that look on his face". He's also got a parrot perched on each shoulder, or should that be "both shoulders"? Anyway, they are perched all right.
I'm not sure why, but it felt important to me to see that sign. All I'll say is that it's there in Google Maps from April 2017. I found it by looking for florists on Fulham Road. I also found "Bespoke Framing." Thanks, Barnaby.
ReplyDeleteWell, just fancy that, Michael! I hope all is well with you? Best, Barnaby
DeleteI thought I left a comment that went through, but maybe not. Any road, I somehow felt it important to find these words online, and there they are in Google Maps, right outside the florist's shop. They're exactly what I needed to hear yesterday. So thank you, Barnaby.
ReplyDelete