Luxe, Calme, et Volupté. The new neighbour...my new neighbour, if you want to know. Virtually next door. Almost touching each other, it's that close. And glamorous...oh yes, very glamourous...

Never seen one like this before. Piqued my interest the moment I saw them. So, I got be honest, ok...candid...they intrigue me if you want to know. I'm curious, even a little excited deep down. I want to get know them. What they're about, why they're here... that kind of thing. Is that a problem? Come on, we're neighbours...

I like to watch them in the morning getting ready, it's quieter then, no one's around, no one's wondering what I'm doing.

Don't do it at night, though, too dark for one thing...ok, maybe sometimes, depends if they've got their lights on. I don't want people to think I'm staring. Not that fussed if they did, anyway, after all what's it to them, what I do?

Noticed something straight away: they take care of themselves. Attention to detail. Very obvious. Something European in there. Understated and elegant. They've got flair, something, soon sensed that. A little State-side seasoning in there too.

But not trashy, no, not at all. Sophisticated, clean lines, proportioned. Yeah, this neighbour has style. A lot of it, just from what I've been able to glimpse, I can feel it.

How we're going to meet? That's the problem. So difficult. Can't think how to do that yet. Why does it have to be like this. Hell, I don't even know when we're going to meet! I just can't work out their timetable.

Their name? Forget it, no idea. Not a clue. Yeah, frustrated.

All I do know is that this neighbour is giving us a face-lift. Need one desperately. So, it's over the other side of the A40 from me, and in Shepherd's Bush. And it's going to be a shopping centre. Does any of this really matter?

There's got to be some positive fallout when they fling back the doors and open the place. This'll be the Mother of all Shopping Malls when it's finished. There's acres of it. God only knows how many shops.

The way it's talked about, it's like the developers are air-freighting South Molton Street, Sloane Square, and Bond Street into Shepherd's Bush. Shepherd's Bush! The spiritual home of the Kebab shop and 24 hour mini-supermarket could end up having a makeover. Forget Shepherd's Bush, it'll be Bienvenue, Chez Boo! once this supertanker shopping mall finally drops anchor and pops the doors open.

I hope, and my fingers are crossed tightly here, is that the existing shopping Eco-system keeps going - the mini-supermarkets, coffee shops, the paper shop that seems to be able to lay it's hands on just about every newspaper published in Europe. They've kept me going over the years. Particularly in my early days in London; how many times did I ask the cab driver taking me home from the late night shift in whatever restaurant it was I was working in, to pull over so I could dive in to the all night doughnut shop.

There's got to be room for two shopping experiences - the traditional along with the flash and pizazz of Chez Boo. There's room for the lion and lamb to lay down together.

By the way, you did n't think I was writing about... you know... an actual person, did you?