Sittin' on the bay of the dock

There is rarely any competition for space on the "beaches" uncovered at the Thames low tide.

Spring is in the air

But it can be a bit of a handful, sometimes....

Chocks Away!

Well, they are chocolate Labradors, after all. This is from inside Hotel Chocolat, who have been tirelessly waving the flag for British confectionery for some years now. I confess I rather like their possessive attitude to their bags of chocolate.

A dry drink

This odd little structure in Finsbury Circus seems to have been erected by the Victorians to keep you dry while you sup from the fountain. Most odd.

London 1927, In colour

London in 1927 from Tim Sparke on Vimeo.

A video for a change, and no one of mine, but one that rates 11 on the must see scale, for any lover of London.

Incredible colour footage of 1920s London shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene, who made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William - a noted cinematographer - was experimenting with. It's like a beautifully dusty old postcard you'd find in a junk store, but moving.

Rain Dance

You can't really dampen the enthusiasm that May brings, and certainly a drop of rain won't stop the Morris Men (although quite often they are anaesthetised, anyway).

My apologies again for erratic positng, nothing sinister, thanks to all those who have got in touch wondering if all is OK. It is, but pictures are a bit thin on the ground a the moment, and the opportunities to take them are a little scarce - this one dates from six years ago, for example.

Hello, blossom

Better late than never, eh?

Shopping in Chelsea

I do hope you dress up properly when you pop down the shops.

Getting a message across

Not just what you say, but how you say it. A while back when UK police forces first tried out slogans, they came up with things like "Fighting Crime Everywhere" and were surprised when people just heard "Crime Everywhere" and became less not more reassured. These days they stick to a positive message like this. First prize for snappy slogan of the century goes to Avon & Somerset "Avon & Somerset: Working Together to Make the Communities of Avon & Somerset Feel Safe and Be Safe" - I suspect T-Shirts down in cream tea land must come in XXXXL.

The Bluebells

Somewhat late this year, the bluebells are now out in their glory in the woods at the end of my road. Spring is definitely sprung.

Megacake

Very pink, isn't it?

Fit 'em in

New York has its Flat Iron building, London has several, none more pronounced than this, where a building's shape is dictated by the streets around. This photo does exaggerate the effect slightly, to see a more normal view in perspective, click here.

Apologies for the slight irregularities in posting at the moment. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Stairway to Heaven

The worst disaster on the London Underground happened just over 70 years ago, when 173 people died in the crush of a panic in the blackout, during the war. This memorial has taken this long to put up. The monument is covered with snippets of the memories of people of the event, to which individual recollections and tributes have been added. It is very moving, I recommend you make the effort to visit, sit and consider. Read more on Diamond Geezer who was there on the opening day.

Impromptu Art

From the way this is painted on the door, it looks more like decoration than graffiti, and beats plain white for a colour, anyhow.

Outdoor Facilities

My mind was boggled, just behind brick lane, we have drop a brick lane.

Insufficient Razamataz?

Despite the trendy location in Brick Lane and the trendy decor, this trainer shop obviously didn't have what it takes, as it is now closed.

What I did on my holidays

Well, I'm back, here's where I've been, in Catalonia (close to Andorra at this point). Fantastic country, fantastic cycling, fantastic food. I had a great time, I hope you did too.If you want to see my route, http://extraspecialtreat.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/my-cycle-tour-of-catalonia.html

A Private Statue?

Sitting on the corner of Fitzroy Square, on the wall of a private house, is a statue of Francisco de Miranda, an 18th Century Venezuelan revolutionary. Odd.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

Fitzrovia

Somewhat surprisingly I don't think I've ever featured Fitzrovia before - this is Fitzroy Square. Possibly one of the highest concentration of the (now demised) Blue Plaques, it was a Bohemian area whose previous residents include such as Augustus John, Quentin Crisp, Dylan Thomas, Aleister Crowley, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Ribaud, Verlaine. Well, you would if you could, wouldn't you? Oh yes, and for a few years as a callow youth, I lived 100 yards away, it was fun.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

Middlesex Guildhall

Another overshadowed building is the Middlesex Guildhall, the home of the Supreme Court, on the opposite side of Parliament Square to the Houses of Parliament. It looks old but was build in the early 20th century. Still rather grand though.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

The Victoria Memorial

Often overshadowed by Buckingham Palace which it sits in front of, the Victoria Memorial is worthy of consideration on its own merits. A bit macabre maybe, but I wonder what the memorials to our Queen will be like?

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

Lying in hospital

This is the view the other way from City Hall. What you can see is the "Lying-in" hospital, an old maternity hospital which fell derelict but is now restored and is .... you guessed it, a hotel.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

City Hall

There seems to be an insatiable appetite to take over old, huge, public buildings and turn them into hotels, like city hall. The plaza in front is a surprising open space, given the pressure for land around here.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

Resurrected Ghosts

The ghost adverts gently fading on the sides of buildings are an enjoyable bit of everyday history. I'm not sure what I think when they get restored, I first thought this one had, but looking around a bit it is possible that it is just a late example.

I'm off again, cycling in the mountains this time - back in a little.

Borough Market

Borough Market has matured a lot over the years. These days it is open most lunchtimes, with a full market Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a host of specialist traders from far and wide that are a far cry from its Farmer's Market origin not that many years ago. At least it is still there - for many years, the rail rebuilding program threatened to close it down (which was, after all, why the original commercial vegetable market closed down)

The Shard, London

I very rarely look at my stats these days to see what's happening, it's pretty much all I can do to keep the pictures rolling. However, it appears that all the top 10 search phrases for people arriving here have various combination of "London", "Photo" and "Shard": London Photo, Shard London, Photo shard - you get the idea. So, I feel it is only right to provide a picture of...the Shard London. I'll have to go back to More London again, now it is finished. As a building, I'm still undecided but I am getting used to it.

Hot Stuff!

By way of a public service announcement I would like to help out others who, like me, are constantly on the hunt for a decent hot sauce. I've found some! In the small Saturday market outside Forest Gate railway station, MaMa V - a local business selling their home made sauce and seasoning. You can find their Twitter page here and Facebook here. Lots of flavour and a real kick.

Naked Tower

Here's the Telecom Tower, in its new naked form. The old dishes had been protected by planning law from change for years, as they were part of the London skyline. BT only got permission to take them down when they became in serious danger of falling down. I don't know if anything will replace them.

Spring Flowers

Spring is finally arriving in London, and not a moment too soon.

The Kings Arms

It's always interesting to look at the references to the Monarchy around the place - this dates back to George III, king from 1760 to 1820, a period covering the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic wars. He ended up mad as a box of frogs.

Daylight robbery

These bricked up windows (and additional artwork) can be found on the Jerwood Space, a rehersal/studio space in Union Street, Southwark. I'm in two minds whether the windows were bricked up for utility purposes, or to reduce their Window Tax. That was a tax current until the 1850's paid on the number of windows you had. Many Georgian properties have windows bricked up as a result, hence a possible source of the expression "It's daylight robbery". I suspect it was just to convert its use, though.