Tuesday 31 August - Central Line

I decided to take the Central Line to its furthest point. On the map it looks east, in reality it is north east. I go to Epping and drift back into the centre. The first surprise is how rural it is once the train moves past Debden. There are fields of corn, the first few have been harvested and bales of straw lie in the fields. Epping is a pretty town and busy with poeple. The last week of the school holidays seems to be the time when kids are with their grandparents. All around are grandparents trying to move their kids away from electronic games and encourage running around.

Epping is busy, there are a few chain stores and lots of small independent shops (particularly gift shops). Houses seem to be almost as expensive as in London and a large house could easily cost you two or three million quid. Admittedly you get a bigger garden but it still seems to be a lot of money. And there are no cheap houses. There are lots of young families and goodness knows how people afford to buy a home. Perhaps that is one of the good things about the Underground, it pulls money out of the City and spreads it around the place.

I move south to Woodford. This is the place of sociology books I read decades ago. Woodford was one of the parts of London where people moved after the Second World War. The East End had been decimated by bombs (and was hardly luxury living). Post war there was a big building boom and people were encouraged to move out to places like Woodford. There were jobs, the underground made it easy to get back into the city. There is a lot of 1930s housing (an earlier building boom), interspersed with 1960s and 1980s housing. South Woodford is more mixed than Epping. There are allotments, heavy with fruit and vegetables. One apple tree has apples the size of grapefruit. The houses and gardens are well cared for, most have at least two cars parked in front. The front gardens often converted to parking spaces, but plenty of crazy paving (the decking of its day) still to be found.

An old university site has been converted to more luxury flats with a view of the north circular (and I assume some solid double glazing to keep the sound out). There are lots of people around, chatting, shopping, meeting for lunch. There are all generations and all races here, it feels buzzy and cheery. (The sun is shining and this always helps, but it feels a friendly place). There are some of the chain stores but also lots of independent shops. Many have their wares displayed on the pavement which adds to the sense of life and cheeriness. People chat and ask questions, it's all very friendly and chatty.

I jump on the tube again to head to Stratford and the Olympic site. I get distracted by a huge cemetery at Leyton (the tube is still above ground at this point) and end up walking from Leyton to Stratford.

Cranes fill the skyline and appear to be building hills - I assume some form of landscaping, can't think of a summer olympic sport that needs hills. Here the area is more mixed and the signs are in many languages. Next to signs in Arabic are those in Polish. It's difficult to get close to the Olympic site, the security is tight. Turnsties are already in place for the current workforce. There are glimpses of the aquatic centre and a large building that appears to be wrapped in white plastic. Further round the spines of the stadium are visible and the athlete's village is being built. It's interesting that much of the infrastructure of transport and security are already in place. But the boundaries are sharp. To my left are potholed streets with houses and flats. To the right smoothed, widened, newly tarmaced roads that will take people into the Olympics. On the left kids are playing football, graffiti is common. On the right there are only the builders, and the plans for the site are written (and pictured) on hoardings. Glossy people in glossy places with shops and restaurants and the perfect people of architect's plans.

The money will make a difference but I wonder if the barriers between rich and poor will remain as strong. I get the sense there will be a lot of gated communities once the Olympics are over. I may be wrong. As ever shopping is central to the plans (and pays for many of the facilities). A Westfield Stratford City is planned with thousands of square feet of shopping opportunities.

Stratford itself seems to be the interchange of the world. People are arriving and leaving, crossings stream with people of every colour, wearing every colour and costume. This is life in the global village. It's not the glossy global village of celebrity and central London. People here are starting out, many are trundling vast cases alongside them. They are changing and beginning new lives. There are many languages spoken and everyone seems to be moving. It is exiciting and dynamic, but it's doesn't quite fit with the images of the architect's plans on the surrounding hoardings.