What, us sour? Irritable?

There's a rum old sentence in David Denby's movie review in this week's New Yorker. He's dealing with the new Woody Allen: 'In this movie, as in "Match Point" and "Cassandra's Dream," a certain London sourness and irritability takes over.'

Is that how they see us? Does it apply everywhere? To Leytonstone? Merton Park? We were in Golder's Hill Park this week on a spectacular autumn morning and sourness and irritability seemed in short supply. Perhaps we don't notice it, the way fish don't notice water. We're just all swimming in sourness and irritability. 

And if anyone sees that David Denby, just tell him to sod off back to American and stay there.

PS There's also a lesson. When you go to a new place and stay there you get a very strong, instant impression of what it's like. And it's almost entirely deceptive.