Clifton Nurseries garden centre is a delightful west London sort of thing nestled among grand stucco houses near the canal in Maida Vale. There’s a little shop of expensive notebooks and candles and wellies, and a tasteful café in the conservatory. An older lady shuffles in ahead of me and is warmly greeted by all the staff, who haven’t seen her for a while. A couple in wingback armchairs are doing crosswords companionably on their phones. The grand woman in the middle of the room is loudly organising her dear, dear friend’s celebration of life on speaker phone.
Clifton Nurseries 花園中心是西倫敦特有的迷人去處，藏身于梅達淡水河谷的運河旁一排宏偉的灰泥房之間。這里有家小店，售賣昂貴的筆記本、蠟燭和雨靴，溫室里還有一家格調雅致的咖啡館。一位年長女士在我前面蹣跚而入，店員們久未見她，熱情相迎。兩位坐在翼背扶手椅上的人并肩用手機做填字游戲。房間中央那位氣場十足的女士正開著免提，聲勢頗大地張羅著她那位“親愛、親愛的”朋友的追思會。