Little did I think when I wrote my blog on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall last month, that the phantom that had circulated in my memory bank for 20 years would actually come to life?
Whilst in Berlin in 1989 to make a film for the BBC one of my strongest recollections was a man sitting astride the Wall on the Western side.
From my Eastern vantage point I could just make out the saxophonist and hear his jazzy rendition of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood".
Until the day after my blog it remained just that, a fuzzy Cold War souvenir.
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"Hostile reconnaissance" is the term the police have given to the gathering of information on key London targets by people who may then use this information to assist in the commission of acts of terror.
Actually it is not just police officers and PCSOs who stop photographers.
My daughter is doing an A level in photography and we ventured down to the vicinity around Canary Wharf a few weekends ago.
We were stopped and questioned at least a dozen times by all manner of security types, none of them police officers.
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Sir Thayne Forbes has now held his first hearing for the inquest into the cause of death of the six victims of the fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell on 3 July.
He said it was an opportunity for all those with an interest in the fire to declare it.
The families of those who died are all represented by top notch lawyers as are Southwark Council, so the stage is set for a bruising engagement to try and get to the truth of what happened and ultimately who is responsible.
Local reports suggest that the local authority has already spent £300,000 on "specialist" external legal advice arising out of the Lakanal fire.
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I’m Kurt Barling, BBC London’s Special Correspondent. This is where I discuss some of the big topical issues which have an impact on Londoners' lives and share stories which remind us of our rich cultural heritage. 
