The night air is very cold. The streets are fairly empty, though that will change towards the shopping area, gaudy with the approach of Christmas. The department stores will not be open this late, but the boutiques will, some of them, and the coffee shops and hot-desk sites that cater to business visitors from other time zones not yet orientated to GMT. There will be somewhere to buy a Union Jack, if that’s your pleasure, or a bowler hat made of false felt, or a thong with a beefeater on it. There will be cheap, random gifts for your children, if you have forgotten that tomorrow is a special day.