This Is My England is both the blog and the pen name of a Londoner who looks at things up close. The photography zooms in on the small details of the decay and strangeness under the surface of the taken-for-granted things all around us. Many of the short poems here do roughly the same job.

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But don’t worry, the new hybrids — made by European favorite Volvo — will retain the very British red color for which they are well known for. The new B5L operate with a hybrid drivetrain, which allows the bus to stay in electric mode up to twelve mph. After that, the B5Ls will operate in diesel, which will cut fuel consumption by 25 percent while reducing gas emissions and noise. And while only six of these highly efficient vehicles are currently in service in London, it’s all part of a trial run. If all goes well, more of the B5Ls will be hitting the streets within the next couple of years, making the delightful city more of a delight.

Cornwall, England is considered a great weekend getaway for the over-worked under-played Londonite. So much to do! Hiking, horseback riding, castle touring, country pubbing, garden tours and my favourite, surfing! For those of you who find these past-times a bit prosaic and cliched, this little Cornish beach town is also home to the Museum of Witchcraft where the Richel Collection is on exhibit, the world’s best collection of ritual and sex magic artifacts. Dutch collector Bob Richel inherited the collection from his father-in-law, Mr Eldermans, who had been a Magister of the Ars Amatoria, a group using sex magic. Now, there is a dowry I’ve yet to hear of! It gives a whole new meaning to the The Red Hot Chili Peppers song Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic.