A London Country Diary: Mundane Happenings from the Secret Streets of the Capital

by Tim Bradford

For fifteen years, Tim Bradford has meandered round the quiet streets of his North London home, seeking out the ordinary and the extraordinary, the sublime and the ridiculous.

A London Country Diary documents his wanderings – he attempts to rescue a deer in Clissold Park, talks to a magical old man in Holloway, breaks up a fight in Stoke Newington and has issues with foxes in Highbury. And that’s just the beginning.

All of life is in these pages. Well, some. OK, just a little bit. But with its idiosyncratic wit and charming illustrations, this book is a timely reminder that you can find beauty, humour and life, wherever you call home.

Genres: London, Humor

236 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2014

Reviews

[Suad Shamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book unknown, but full of treasures. I'm surprised at the lack of publicity for this book. It is completely nonexistent on Amazon.com, and on Amazon.co.uk has not a review. The same goes for Goodreads and Shelfari. The reason it surprises me is because this book is actually very interesting and well-written. When you first look at it, it almost strikes you as a children's book - what with the cover and the illustrations inside. But what it really is, is a book full of hidden treasures - about London specifically yes - but also about the world. About life.

This is the sort of thing that I've always wanted to do, in fact, it is one of the things that I always STARTED doing until I got lazy halfway through and put it away for another time. Tim Bradford has been working on this for many years (which makes me feel better). It is a collection that he wrote and put together over a period of time, and it all sounds and looks like a bunch of disconnected stories, but what they really are and what they really showcase are the moments. The moments that made him stop and think, that made him stop and wonder, that made him stop and catch his breath, that made him stop and scoff, that made him stop. Period.

Moments that perhaps we all have on a daily basis, but we never stop to think "hey, I should write this down, and add a little scribbly drawing next to it!". He did, though. And he did it well. I loved the interactions he had with people, strangers or otherwise. I loved his interactions with his children, which were absolutely adorable. I loved the way he made fun of himself.

The reason I give it 4 rather than 5 stars however, was because of all the "nature" parts. Obviously, a book taking place in the countryside, a lot of nature is involved. Naturally. And Bradford had certain segments that he dedicated to a species of flowers or plants that he speaks about and describes to us. I do appreciate nature, and I do think I'm a lover of nature and flowers, but reading about them? Not so much. So I end up skimming quickly through those parts. Otherwise though, a very good read. One that - I hope - will make you stop and think the next time you're walking out and about, wherever you may live.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book perfect to pick and read as and when you want to. It’s a gentle meander through real life, a look at the day to day life of a normal, everyday guy who sees wonder in the mundane. In his case, his little corner of North London.
It’s deceptively engrossing. When at first you start reading the entries, jumbled across many years, you’re not sure if the minutiae of life will be interesting enough. It, of course, is.
You’ll read this with a smile on your face.

[Pam Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I know the area a bit as well so interesting to read about it. The illustrations are great and I just enjoyed it and it once again made me wish I lived in North London. I’ll just have to settle for lots of visits as always.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this

[Ian Plenderleith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read this for the second time - a short but perfectly formed diary full of mild musings, on-the-hoof philosophy and quirky illustrations. Read it on the bog or on the bus.

[Florian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining quick read.

[Rachel Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a blog post.