A sunny sunday morning in London village

The estate agent driven fashion for tagging 'village' onto any urban area with a couple of organic deli's and trendified pubs usually drives me mad (Hackney village? so it got a bit more middle class and fashionable, that hardly makes it a village). But cycling back from the Columbia Road flower market along the sunny canal, it suddenly all felt like I'd peddled into an idyllic morning in an idealised countryside of the past.

Cruising comfortably along on my lovely classic ladies bike, I had bunches of flowers sticking out of my backpack and 4 pots of bulbs and houseplants delicately piled in my front basket. I looked strikingly un-urban. Following an intriguing sign along the canal for farmers shops in an area of Mile End park that I didn't know had any shops, I came across a collection of white gazebo's and a very small farmers market. Only a few people had come across it, so I ended up chatting to each of the market stall holders about how to get people there, the cold, which jam had more ginger in it and such things. I came away with a lovely french crusty loaf, some homemade rhubarb jam, and some very wholesomely proportioned sausages and rashers of bacon, all piled in amongst the pots of flowers. Oh and half a dozen free range eggs - an extra from the 'Sussexway Meat' man. Who therefore deserves a special mention for being generous, friendly and for saying my bike looked rather 'racy'!

My journey home had been almost entirely along the canal, I barely encountered busy main roads at all. It occurred to me that it was these moments that led people to exclaim what a village feel London can have. But having grown up in a very pretty west country village, I challenge people to find many villages where one can cycle safely to a buzzing flower market to meet friends for a coffee, and then encounter a friendly farmers market on the way home. The reality in a real village (where the local postoffice and store is most likely long gone), is that market style shopping means driving. Once you've got in your car to buy some food, you may as well just head to the supermarket and get it done in one. The driving aspect meant that I never felt as part of my local area in the country as I have done in London where I have been able to do all my shopping from my favourite local places and become a regular.

Of course there are many different experiences to be had of country and urban village living, and I am not suggesting that everyone even wants to cycle around precariously balancing flowerpots and eggs in their baskets, but this morning I felt very lucky to be living 'village style' in the heart of a massive city.

Monthly Farmers Market Info, Tower Hamlets:
Every 1st Saturday on the Roman Road
Every 3rd Sunday till 2pm, Mile End Park