London's always held afascination for me, ever sinceI watched 'Run For Your Money' in the 'Lyric Cinema', Carmarthen.

It was the 1950's and the story was about two miners going to the city to collect a win of one hundred pounds from a newspaper. There were many twists and turns to the story and predatory females, too, but the'big smoke' was an exciting place.

I spent a few days in London earlierthis week. At Paddington, I could not immediately find a taxi to take me to my hotel, which wasjust off Marylebone High Street (a gorgeous shopping area, French Patisseries, wonderful flavoury food, all manner of things to make my heart leap and beat with delight).

A workman, ona smoke break, realised my dilemma and suggested I took a 'bus into town.I didn't know where the stop was, so he walkedaround the corner with me, told me where the ticket machine wasandthe number of the 'bus I needed.

Next day, I got lost and asked a man holding flyers for a particular street I wanted. 'Straight down, turn left', he said. I crossed a busy road when I heard someone calling: 'Darlin' not that far', and when I looked round the flyer man had run after meto point out the way.

Later, I consulted a map, and a man on his way to the doctor's (he didn't tell me his malady) asked if he could assist me.He walkedwithme until I came to the roadI needed.

I knowLondoner's are dubbed unfriendly, but I've been before and always found them the reverse.

Later, in the evening,I was stopped by a young man dabbing at his leg. Could I help him?He had been late for his private college class and the gates were locked, sohe had climbed over some iron railings and had ripped his jeans and gashed his inner thigh deeply.

Although he was Italian, he spoke Englishand told me he was twenty from Firenza. There was a pub opposite so we crossed the road and satat an outside table.Ambulance controlsaid he wasnot toeat or drink and keep him talking. Twenty minutes later, he went off to hospital.

Next day, holiday over,the ticket machine for the Paddington 'bus did not work. The Polish driver told me to jump on, he'd stop at the next machine for me to get a ticket.

As Shakespeare might have said, 'we take and take, and we give and give' and that's as it should be.