Lawrence Corner

Do you remember Lawrence Corner? I could never decide if it was called Lawrence, on the corner, or whether there was actually a man called Mr Lawrence Corner.
Anyway that's where you got military cast-offs, quirky colonial hats, and funny things like sailor-suits. You could almost predict London's next fashion trend by going along there and seeing what they'd just got into stock. I bought a khaki skirt there once that I gave straight away that night to Cedric Porter, who wrote for the South London Press (shouldv'e been called Cedric Re-porter, shouldn't he?). King Kurt had a King Skirt gig and would only admit people in skirts. So Cedric struggled the skirt over his bony hips, almost busting the zip in the process, and was allowed to attend the gig.
I never asked for it back.
Anyway, one thing they had which I really liked was reject scientific equipment, especially test tubes, glass flasks and so on. I used to imagine myself, famous, in my rock kitchen, cooking up little somethings in test tubes instead of normal pots and pans. I couldn't possibly imagine living in a normal house with carpets on the floors and a hoover that worked.
What made me remember all this? I have an annoying handbag that is so dark inside I can't find anything, ever. I've been trying without any luck to find a better one. I remembered that I used to buy those green canvas plumber's bags, which were incredibly useful and just the right size. My manager, Claudine, who loved animals (she once kept a bat in her bathroom that escaped into the bidet) used to call them the Crocodiles.
That's what made me remember.