静音闹钟:漫步在伦敦是多么有趣呀

漫步在伦敦是多么有趣呀

I had been expecting to walk into work today: I had assumed the strikes included the Tube and was almost disappointed to discover that the trains would be running as usual. I might go by foot anyway. Walking is a neglected pleasure. We don’t do it often enough with the express intent of enjoying ourselves. We see it as the way to get somewhere quickly rather than a soothing way to spend half an hour or more. But it also opens our eyes to what has been there all along. 

我一直期待着今天能走着去上班：我曾经幻想包括地铁在内的交通工具的停运会让我如愿以偿，但我却失望地发现，列车仍照常运行。无论如何，我还是会走着去上班。步行是个很容易被人们忽视的快乐。因为我们不能够很充分的表达让自己快乐的方法，我们很少这样做。我们把步行看做是以最快的速度到达目的地的一种途径，而非是以一个惬意的方式去享受半个小时或者更多的时间。但是，步行途中的所见所闻也开阔了我们的眼界。

As I have to be at Broadcasting House by 8.20am, I should leave home around 10 to the hour. Just after Thought for the Day and before the weather forecast. I won’t hear either. I’m not one of those people who go through life trailing wires from concealed transmitters, purveying mostly music, but sometimes radio programmes. I like to feel the ambient air and hear the sounds around me – dogs, children and, thankfully, the hoot of cars. I am lucky that my walk takes me across Primrose Hill and right through Regents Park, trees and gardens all the way. Yes, I should do it more often. 

因为必须在早上8:20到广播大厦上班，我不得不提前十分钟出门。只是为了主持安排在《一天的思考》之后，和《天气预测》之前的节目。由于时间的缘故，这两个节目我都听不到。我不是这些从神秘的揭秘者那里获得消息，供给大量的音乐，但有时主持电台节目虚度此生的人之一。我喜欢享受周围的空气，也喜欢听小狗汪汪的叫声，孩子们的嬉笑，感恩的话语，和汽车的鸣声。我很幸运可以步行跨越缙庭山，穿过摄政园，欣赏沿途的花草树木。的确，我应该经常这样。

London is blessed with its abundance of leafy streets and parks. But even walking down London streets – any street for that matter – is a revelation. So many different ways to design a doorway, so many varieties of windows, architraves, door knockers; of company logo and identities. You discover cramped little shops and cafes you didn’t know existed. Life changes there every day, so do the seasons. I just hope it isn’t raining. 

伦敦得天独厚的拥有很多绿树成荫的街道和公园。但是，即使漫步在伦敦街头 ，甚至任何与此有关的街道，也是一件难以想象的事。公司的标志和身份有如此多且不同的方式设计的门，形体各异的窗口，框缘，和门环。还可以找到你从来没听说过的拥挤的小商店和咖啡馆。那里的生活正如季节一样千变万化。我只希望它不要下雨。

Oh  the problem of Christmas presents! People have grown so afraid of giving the wrong thing that they insist on asking: “What would you like?” Fearful of wasting money, families often opt for a gift of money. Well, I’m sorry, money isn’t a gift: it’s a subsidy or a subscription. A gift has to be a surprise, with time and thought given to the nature and temperament of the person you’re buying for, a thought or two about what they have and what they lack, even what might do them good – a spa visit for a favoured female, a DIY gadget for a bloke. The papers are loaded with suggestions that make the heart sink: trinkets and nonsense for less than ￡5 or gorgeous extravagances only oligarchs can afford. Embroidered handkerchiefs were once the thing; and who wears gloves any more? Still, disappointment is built into the exchange. Christmas must be about taking risks, sometimes giving the wrong present, and smiling with gratitude when you get one yourself.

哦，还有关于圣诞节的问题！人们非常害怕送错礼物，因此他们一定要问：“你喜欢什么呢？”因为害怕花钱，很多家庭往往把钱当做礼物。好吧，我很抱歉，钱不是礼物：它只是一种补偿或安慰。随着时间和当时你给别人选择礼物想法的推移，礼物应该是一个大大的惊喜，要考虑到他们拥有什么，缺少什么，甚至可以选择对他们大有益处的东西，比如颇受女性的青睐水疗，自己亲手做得人偶小玩具等。然而忠告使人们很灰心：只有少于5英镑或只有寡头政治执政者才可以负担得起华丽奢侈的饰品和言语。绣花手帕已经成为往事，现在谁还戴手套吗？然而，令人失望的事已经在改变。圣诞节必须冒险，有时送个貌似不合适的礼物，而且当自己收到这样的礼物时要感激的微笑。