Party Time in London

I was out and about in Covent Garden Friday night, when I came across this party of South Wales lasses, all set to have a good time for "Leanne's Hen Weekend". It was early, and none looked worse for wear yet, but I suspect that might not have been the case later. I wonder, is the over-the-top party a uniquely British thing? I can't say I've noticed it in other countries (except with Brits travelling overseas for the occasion).

Simpsons

Continuing the beach theme from yesterday, here is the magnificent entry of Simpsons in the Strand (which, of course, used to be the beach of the Thames). Look closely and you will see the tiles are a chess board and pieces - Simpsons started as a chess club!. Famous for the theatre it makes from serving food, it's Ten Deadly Sins breakfast is not for the faint hearted.


I'm away for the week, but daily posts continue.

By the seaside

And today, another of my images from the test roll I put through the old Olympus Trip, of some girls playing on the Thames beach. Nothing else.


I'm away for the week, but daily posts continue.

The Helm

There's a statue of a solidier in armour outside Southwark Cathedral that has been defyingmy attempts to photograph it for a long time. I wanted to try to capture some of the atmosphere of it. Turned out that a 30 year old camera was the way to go. Oh, and I also discover I don't know much about it, anyone?


I'm away for the week, but daily posts continue.

Ordinary Londoners - No 14 in a series

Meet Sancha, one half of the driving force from the Arts Regeneration project, Gallery 491 that featured yesterday. It's people like this that make London the great place that it is.

I'm away for the week but daily posts continue.

How does your garden grow?

with a lot of effort, is the normal answer. Here, we are in the arts regeneration project Gallery 491, where they transformed a derelict sote into a space for arts and gardening. Hop over to My Other Stuff for a wider view of the garden. It may not look like some of the Prize Winning Gardens, but this has been created out of a derelict site with nothing more than the will and hard work. It creates a space for art, and for gardening for people that have none. This is Leytonstone. .


I'm away for the week, but daily posts continue.

Green Oasis

As an oblique (and a little tardy reference to the Chelsea Flower Show, I'm going to have a couple of garden related posts, Today's comes from the garden at the Museum for Garden History, just next to Lambeth Palace. An oasis of calm less than halk a mile from Big Ben, I recommend it wholeheartely.

I'm away for the week, but daily posts continue.

A Load of Bull

New bits of stuff in the street is always a welcome find, and here is one of the more recent unveilings. Tim Shaw's Minotaur is to commemorate Harrison Birtwhistle's opera, and can be seen outside the Royal Opera House.

Grafitti Goes Mainstream

Friday night is the start of the Tate Modern's Long Weekend with lots going on, marking the start of the Street Art exhibition. They are using the entire façade as display space, see the perspective of this image here. I also bumped into the video producer RomanyWG making a time lapse video of the artists. I rather like some of his stuff, like this one on a Banksy piece.

Trolls live under bridges

So I dug out my 30 year old Olympus Trip, worth all of £3 on eBay, and it still works. I'm quite pleased with its results. We are under the span of the new Blackfriars Bridge today and if you look at the tiles, they have reproduced the plans and drawings of the building of the original bridge. Chances are, even if you know the place, that you have just walked straight through. Stop and have a look, it is fascinating..

Who's stolen the bridge?

These pillars are what remains of a bridge for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. From what I can make out, it was only built in the 1850's, was used for about 15 years before it was closed as it couldn't carry the weight of the "modern" trains. A common sight to a lot of Londoner's this perspective is what you can see from the north bank - the one less frequented.

Morris Dancers meet the Ug Girls

I left this a few days as I was hoping that one of the girls would contact me, so I could give you the full lowdown.

As I was passing through the centre of London a week ago, I came across the chance meeting of two groups. One, a troupe of Morris Dancers, the other a group of friends in caveman costume apparently collecting to support Multiple Sclerosis charities. The girls had never tried Morris Dancing before but after five minutes tuition, well, see for yourself (tip: if the video or sound isn't smooth, pause for a couple of seconds to let the download buffer.)

What a marvelous night for a moonwalk!

Around 15,000 spent the whole of Saturday night walking around London in their bras. Old, young, women, men - they were all there. They were doing the 11th Moonwalk - 26 miles around London town, starting at 11:00 at night (some do 13). That's a very long way. An astonishing effort, and well done to all who took part.

They are all doing it to support breast cancer charities, a cause very close to my heart. If anyone is moved to support the cause, they can do so either on the Moonwalk fund of a work colleague who was doing the walk: here, or on my fundraising page: here.

I was on my bike and tried to get as many photos as possible, so that people on the walk, albeit a minute fraction, might have a record. The full album (137 photos) is here. Three short (and not particularly good) videos of the start (green and orange starts, I think) are here here and here,

Draw up a stool

Keeping the theme of pubs, today I'm taking you to one where most of the fun is to be had outside. Well, maybe not most, but the pub signs here have been drawn by Fleet Street cartoonists over the years, and there are quite a few of them on the walls. In addition the Cartoonists Club of Great Britain meets here - as you might expect, their website is more fun than most.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Not New Orleans

This architectural gem from teh turn of the 19th Century is in stark contrast to the modern monstrosities that flank both sides of Tottenham Court. If you haven't noticed it before, do take the time to have a look next time you're passing. Go on - you know you want to hear it - click here. What, more? OK.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Health and Safety

Sometimes, don't you just despair over the way Health & Safety seems to invade everything we do? As if it would be impossible for the human race to survive for millennia without someone or something continually hectoring us. London is plastered with these signs from one end to the other - Diamond Geezer found some good ones a couple of days ago. This sign instructs you to don a space suit before entering the premises; it took someone a newspaper, some sellotape and some time to turn it into art. I found this in Worship Street, I was there for this week's The Way We See It.

You're Fired

Not something you might expect to find on London streets, it is parked outside the Guards Museum just round the corner from Buckingham Palace. It looks interesting but I have a confession - because they wanted to charge me entrance, I went elsewhere.

London Town Blues

Covent Garden is always chock full of buskers, mostly trundling out very similar offerings that have little to hold your interest. Every now and again something catches your eye or ear, like Richard here did mine. He plays the blues, with a classic, plain style and rootsy feel - I'd love to hear him playing in a band. But don't take my word for it - I shot a short video that you can listen to here (tech tip: if the sound isn't good, pause for a few seconds to let the player buffer)

The best job inthe world....

This woman is working, hard. Can you guess what her job is? I'll fill out the details later on today. In the meantime, give your imagination free reign.

[later]Thanks all for your suggestions - some great ones there that made me laugh. Truth is, her job was to sit there reading the paper and relaxing. She was the human interest in the working allotment built in Covent Garden as part of the Spring Renaissance Fair that has seen a flower market return to Covent Garden at the weekend. Still a few days to get down there and see for yourself.

See a more general shot here

An Englishman's Castle is his.....

...barracks, in this case. It's one of those bizarre buildings that pop up in odd places in London, basically because they have been around for so long. This is the Honourable Artillery Company's RHQ, slap bang in the middle of the city of London. I'd venture a guess that this view is not one even most Londoner's are familiar with, although it is on a main road.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Doctor Whippy

This, is Dr Whippy, aka Demitrios Kargotis. Also from the Royal College of Art, and with one of the best ideas ever, period. You talk into the box. It analyses your voice. The more unhappy you are, the bigger the ice cream it doles out to you. I only got a very small dollop, which was pretty fair.

See a series of photos here and a video here.

Maid in Time

Today and tomorrow are given over to images from Royal College of Art graduate students, who had performance space outside the Grand Designs Live house.

This is Clemence Seilles, whose work is called Made in Time - people can bet on how long it will take her to make a piece of furniture. Each minute will cost them £1. For example, if they bet 9 minutes and she completes the task then they have to pay her £9, if she doesn’t complete it in time they get a piece of furniture for free.

Here is a shot of her at work, and this is the photo of her friend who was acting as barker. I'm not going to show you the Remote Controlled Skates - the artist puts them on then hands the control to a random member of the public - but I will show you possibly the best idea ever (in the world?) tomorrow. I think this is all part of Icon Experiment , billed as the "antidote to home shows" involving those nice guys at FAT

The Kompost Krew

"Mummy - why is a banana waving at me?" In my local Waitrose supermarket, I came across Sarah and Jo extolling the benefits of recycling to mark compost week (no, I didn't know either). They work for my local borough, but had added their costumes on their own initiative. They brightened up my day, I hope they do yours.

And if you want to find out more about the "why" of recycling, check out the entertaining Story of Stuff.

Grand Designs on Building a House

Of all the reality TV shows, "Grand Designs" is the only one I enjoy. In it, the camera (and Kevin McCloud) follow the building of some magnificently conceived buildings through design to completion. Check out this page to browse through all the projects covered.

Right now, they are building an "eco-house" in Docklands in six days, in conjunction with the Design & Build exhibition, and this straw fountain is going to be used in the construction. As are crushed mobile phones, so we are told. See the programme website here and a more normal shot of men at work and the current state of the build here.

Get the picture yet?

No, it's not the Eiffel Tower's love child, it is the Crystal Palace TV transmitter which provides a TV signal to 11 million people. whoever built it didn't have the vision to add a viewing platform. A "wide shot" from a short distance is here. Whatever the photographic merit of this shot, I had to use it because of the bird.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Restless Dream

This artwork is a the entrance of the Limehouse Link tunnel, and although the state of traffic means that drivers get to look at it for a LONG while, I doubt many know that it is called Restless Dream by Zadok Ben-David. I didn't before I went looking.


It's made from ninety hand-cut aluminium figures, eighty-nine of them male and one female The male figures form a circle while the female reclines behind them. Its diameter is 9 meters. The way I've photographed this captures the ethereal quality of the piece, but makes it very difficult to see the female figure.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map