Monday morning rolls around, the snow had cleared and trains seemed to be operating normally again.  It's always pleasing to the soul to not have to go to work on a Monday.  There's something especially decadent and self indulgent about absconding from the start of the working week in favour of pet projects, even if this particular activity of choice finds me heading against the flow of commuter traffic towards Kilburn a little after noon.  

I've never been to Kilburn before, or had friends that lived here, so I have no conception of what it is like to live in as parts of London go.  I have dim associations of it with trendy media types in the 'champagne socialists' of Islington variety, but this might be totally spurious, and founded on nothing more substantial than Private Eye strip cartoons.

So, I had no idea what to expect when midnightxpress and I popped out of the exit.   It feels residential, like Hampstead or Blackheath, in that 'seedy-made-hip-again-and-cleaned-up' fashion.  The most exciting thing however are the murals. Especially love the starground painted on the span of the bridge

 

Next train to arrive terminates one stop further at Willesden Green.

I have long wondered about Willesden Green.  Many trains terminate here so over the years the sing-song voice of the train announcer has permeated my subconscious;  she says 'this train is for .../pause to increase suspense and tension/...WILLesden Green...with a dramatic showman flourish to the 'Willesden'.  It's the sort of verbal 'ta dah!' you would expect with announcing: 'next stop... Venice!', or 'all aboard for Paris!'  What is there to be so excited about at Willesden Green?  I have been deeply curious for years.  Maybe it's something only train people know about? ...but finally, as we dash from the warmth of the waiting room through stinging sleet, my anticipation is about to be fulfilled...