The approach to Latin

"The Approach to Latin" was once a school textbook but as my sister once said, that's all very well but what about when you actually REACH Latin? No one knew, but thanks to my fondness for Latin America, it was fitting that the London New Year parade featured some displays from that wonderful region. This procession follows the midnight fireworks, attracting half a million spectators and to my mind, is much more photogenic.

There's a bittersweet feeling because while it's great to return to near normality, the last time this event took place was in 2020 when nobody expected the darkness of Covid. Now we can hope that the pandemic is largely behind us and look forward to 2023.

Among the dozens upon dozens of ethnic groups in London, none of the Latin American contingent feature in the top 20 for numbers. Whether the girl in the main picture actually is from Brazil or just wants to look as if she is dressed for the Rio carnival, matters little because she's clearly having a good time. She pops up again the larger group, from my local borough of Lambeth. From there we travel to Ecuador, from where there's a considerable colony in south London, and then to Peru and Bolivia. Who could ask for more to brighten up a grey January day?Read more