Thursday 2 September - Northern Line

Today is a day for travelling north. Head first to Alexandra Palace and stop at a garden centre for a bottle of water and wonder why plants account for so little of a garden centre's stock. I once found one where there was a relatively small section called 'outdoor gardening'. Gardening seems to encompass a lot of snacking, entertaining and gift giving these days. Resist temptations to buy bulbs (now is the time to do so) as too heavy to carry all day.

Head further north and I discover why High Barnet is called High Barnet - it is on the top of the hill. And the other branch of the Northern Line is on the other side of the hill. I am giving in to my map obsession and fascinated by the stories the map reveals. I have the Ordnance Survey explorer maps for north and south London and truly they give the big picture. It's interesting to see London joined up (rather than the page by page version of the A-Z). The names, I haven't yet been to Freezy Water (close to Enfield). The maps also reveal the affluence (or not) of the area. Close to the centre and the houses are shown, gardens too small for the scale of the map. As you move out the gardens become visible and then at the edges the gardens are much bigger than the houses.

But in my quest to span the city I take the northern line to High Barnet. The train struggles up the last stretch which is increasingly steep, and then I have to struggle up the steps and the rest of the hill. Kids are leaving school as I get there and they flock at crossings, laughing, joking, getting in the way of everyone else, skirts are short and socks very long. I assume that there is a great view to be seen and keep walking up the hill. I keep walking and suddenly London has become countryside. I am no longer in High Barnet but now in Monken Hadley. Very pretty, very expensive. The Jag showroom should have been a clue. Substantial houses turn to very large, the gates and 24 hour security signs more prominent and the hedges higher (so it seems the rich not only live at the top of the hill but they also have the best views)

As I've travelled around the country it's struck me how strong the Georgian era remains in non industrial towns. Because of the Industrial Revolution there was rapid economic growth, a rising middle class and lots of building; some of which remain. And I'm noticing it again as I travel around London (which I didn't expect - cities seem to have more Victorian influence than Georgian). But beyond central London you still see the Georgian houses of what would have been the original villages. Then the early Victorian cottages, the later villas, if it's an affluent area, the 1920s building boom; if it's not, the 1960s building boom. And all those stories of change can still be read. But there are so many people now that it's the later periods that dominate.

I'm also fascinated by how much building went on in London in the 1920s. North London seems to be full of it. Substantial houses and gardens, lots of timber frames and stained glass, many with space for the latest technology (the car). I don't know much about the 1920s but seem to remember that there was an economic boom, lots of lending and speculation, followed by a crash, that went on for a long time, and had its beginning in the US. Familiar? These 1920s homes now look rather luxurious, I wonder if the luxury apartments of the Noughties boom will look as good in 2070?

Still looking for the view I find a park which is truly bosky and has a magnificent view. The park turns into fields, hedges full of blackberries and rose hips, hawthorn and sloe. Autumn is approaching,things are ripening. At the bottom of the hill it is back to the city but am rather intrigued by these suddenly changing scenes, high street, village, countryside within a few minutes walk.