This installment of my Luxury in Life Campaign was thought up on a sunny morning last month while sitting at my good ol’ London bus stop. Rather than enjoying the crisp, fresh morning air (much needed I must say, as I was out of coffee that morning) I sat down with a plonk on the not too comfortable hard seating (the ‘Luxury in Life’ hamster in my brain starts getting on his running wheel at this point) —and whack! I get hit with a stink that stops me in my tracks (and stuns the hamster for a good 30 seconds). Through the dull hum of pollution that seems to loiter all over our city, a distinct stench attacks my nostrils in such a profound way that I felt personally violated! Judging from the empty cans, discarded kebab, and massive puddle, somebody’s night bus didn't make it in time. By this point, my trusty hamster had dusted off his waistcoat, readjusted his bowler hat and jumped back on the wheel…my brain was working overdrive. There was definitely some Luxury-In-Life work that could be done here.
Many of you may think that enduring this torment and abuse is a delicacy reserved for us in South East London, but after some amateur detective work (starting in Baker Street, of course!) I soon found that citizens all over the metropolis were being subjected to similarly horrid odours…all without blinking an eye.
Londoners! I salute your stiff upper lip! And…
…this week, I decided to reward my fellow Londoners with the invisible (well almost) gift of freshness. I chose to concentrate my efforts on the transport network, as I believe that's where we may be suffering the most.
The faint aroma of cherries wafting through tube carriages, far-from-new buses with ‘that new car smell', subways scented with vanilla (I think the ice cream van parked outside Oxford Street Station made a killing that day!), and train passengers, some rushing, some relaxing, all treated to the light and refreshing smell of pears to brighten up their day…
A special thanks to A. Sivakumaran who bravely followed me around London to photograph my activities and most importantly made me look like less of a strange woman sticking Air Fresheners all over the place. You can check out his website here.
I hope the photos below give you an idea of what I got up to this week.
Enjoy,
Kasia x
