Sunrise in Stratford

I leave home at 6.45am. I take the Hertford Union canal path, the sun just a hint beyond Stratford. It takes me exactly 15 minutes to walk to my gym at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

A shadow disappears under a foot bridge: a morning jogger. Coots skitter over the canal’s water; Styrofoam and bottles gather with the moss, press against the lock’s wooden gates.

The narrow boats that used to be moored underneath the A12 motorway bridge are now gone. The cars speeding above sound like rain.

White light approaches, shimmers off puddles – a cyclist heading for the city.