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Autumn Is Here Early
**THINKING OF THE SUNNY DAYS**
 As summer winds down this year, I've been reminiscing about the very nice sunny days we had this year and how I've spent a lot more time outdoors than usual. This summer saw me walk probably some of the longest distances ever in one single day with some walks lasting up to 7 hours! These were, of course, with some coffee breaks in-between ;) I visited some old cafes, some which have since closed, and discovered some new ones. There is a particular one that I used to love that has been replaced by a similar setup. The coffee itself still seems great, and the ambiance not too bad, but they haven't managed to recreate the old vibe, sadly. The previous owners, brothers I think, have gone their separate ways and sold the business.  As mentioned above, I visited some old places I used to frequent to find entire buildings replaced. Cafes, bars and shops have typically been replaced by residential flats with generic shops on the ground floor. Every Londoner knows what I mean by that. That same structure is popping up in every corner of the city; large blocks of flats with a Tesco Express or Costa Coffee on the ground floor.   Funny thing though; MacDonalds never seems to close any shops haha. They're probably the most successful company in the UK. I was having this conversation with someone recently that their main business, MacDonalds that is, being real estate, not food. Think about all the MacDonalds shops you know for a minute; they're all strategically located in the highest value parts. The ones in central London are so strategically placed that those buildings, if owned by them and not rented, are worth hundreds of millions, if not billions each. This is why, I believe, they can continue to thrive while others collapse around them. I may be wrong though - it may just be the high profit margin margin from mass produced *"food"* and the high foot traffic that buys it.     Anyhow, back to the season. We've had two days of near-all-day rain this week and it seems summer is really over and autumn is here. The trees certainly think so, judging by all the brown leaves. The official day is, of course, towards the end of this month (September), but I don't think nature cares much about our arbitrary dates. 🍃🍂  Peace & Love, *Adé*
 As summer winds down this year, I've been reminiscing about the very nice sunny days we had this year and how I've spent a lot more time outdoors than usual. This summer saw me walk probably some of the longest distances ever in one single day with some walks lasting up to 7 hours! These were, of course, with some coffee breaks in-between ;) I visited some old cafes, some which have since closed, and discovered some new ones. There is a particular one that I used to love that has been replaced by a similar setup. The coffee itself still seems great, and the ambiance not too bad, but they haven't managed to recreate the old vibe, sadly. The previous owners, brothers I think, have gone their separate ways and sold the business.  As mentioned above, I visited some old places I used to frequent to find entire buildings replaced. Cafes, bars and shops have typically been replaced by residential flats with generic shops on the ground floor. Every Londoner knows what I mean by that. That same structure is popping up in every corner of the city; large blocks of flats with a Tesco Express or Costa Coffee on the ground floor.   Funny thing though; MacDonalds never seems to close any shops haha. They're probably the most successful company in the UK. I was having this conversation with someone recently that their main business, MacDonalds that is, being real estate, not food. Think about all the MacDonalds shops you know for a minute; they're all strategically located in the highest value parts. The ones in central London are so strategically placed that those buildings, if owned by them and not rented, are worth hundreds of millions, if not billions each. This is why, I believe, they can continue to thrive while others collapse around them. I may be wrong though - it may just be the high profit margin margin from mass produced *"food"* and the high foot traffic that buys it.     Anyhow, back to the season. We've had two days of near-all-day rain this week and it seems summer is really over and autumn is here. The trees certainly think so, judging by all the brown leaves. The official day is, of course, towards the end of this month (September), but I don't think nature cares much about our arbitrary dates. 🍃🍂  Peace & Love, *Adé*