Following the terrorist attacks in London today I am struck by the awesome sights and sounds, the eye witness accounts, of the dead and wounded, the ripped open bus, cordoned off streets, and the unique image of thousands of people walking quietly home, or, in a bizarre view, abandoning cars near Heathrow Airport, and dragging bags along the hard shoulder in attempts to reach flights. It was the first time I can recall clips from private citizens picture phones being used in news stories.
Hearing of the attacks while at work in Leeds, my colleagues and I spent much of the morning half attending to work, half to the breaking news. I phoned my sister, brother in law and nephew, first in central London ( where they have apartments), then in Devon, their family home. They were in Devon, to my relief. When I spoke to my partner around 3 p.m, she had not even heard about the bombings, having been in interviewing work all day, and immediately wanted to make sure her sister, nephew and niece in London were all OK, too.
In something of an imitation of our actions on 9/11, we sat at home in the evening watching some of the news bulletins and piecing together the events. Twenty four hours earlier, it seemed so euphoric after London's 2012 Olympics award, now, so soon, that euphoria has evaporated in the blasts,smoke and flames. It will return, but the anticipation will always be tinged with memories of these events of 7 July.
