Streetfood

Of course, wherever you get Mediterranean culture, you get great streetfood. Golbourne Road is no exception. I wanted to photograph the Moroccan version of a fish and chip stall, but it was far too crowded.

Moorish Pots

Following on about the Golbourne Road area, there is a small enclave of Moroccan society at the junction with Portobello Road. Makes for fascinating viewing, and the best (only?) place in London to pick up a tagine for a tenner.

London's Elephants - No 33 in a Series

This great mosaic was found and photographed by Andreas by the Elephant & Castle in Elgin Avenue, an LDP follower and cabbie-to be, going through the tough regime of learning the knowledge to become a London taxi driver. Hats off to him, and many thanks from me.

The elephant series is here.

It's a Stag Party

If you do wander all the way down the northern reaches of the Portobello Road, you will find yourself in Golbourne Road, a fascinating melting pot of cultures, I may well devote a few days to this short stretch. Part of what you will find is that cross between antiques, bric-a-brac and secondhand stuff that can be so much fun to poke through. Anyway, now you know what happened to Bambi's dad.

Portobello Road Market

Portobello Road market is famous for the Saturday Antique market in the southern section. However as you travel north, you leave behind the rarefied specialist area and discover a vibrant local market, full of food and fashion. Worth stepping those extra yards.

Do you remember Minnie Lansbury?

Well, maybe you should. This memento of her life is high up on a wall on the Bow Road, most people will never notice it. But if you see this, and read about her story, you will realise she was a suffragette, when fighting for rights in this country meant more than waving a placard. She lived a life of public service. She was a local councillor, she went to prison because she refused to levy the full tax on the poor of the borough. She died from pneumonia contracted in prison, aged 32.

Old McDonald had a farm - just not like this

Tucked away in one of Mayfair's back streets - in Farm Street in fact - is Farm House. Built in Tudor style, I'd say it dated back to mid Victorian era at the earliest - probably early Edwardian, but I haven't found anything definite. I did find the sales brochure a few years ago, but that is all. It does give you a fascinating peek inside, into another life, though. Oh, and the price tag of just less than £5M.

Robert Zimmerman Rides Again

London's art galleries are world class, and the Halcyon Gallery is one of Mayfair's finest. They are currently showing an exhibition of Bob Dylan's painting; I have to ask, if these hadn't been painted by Dylan, would they be worth looking at and buying?

I rather like a phrase from the Times review: "Dylan sketches what he sees and so there are rather a lot of hotel bedrooms"

Great idea, shame about reality

This remarkable sculpture is actually a water fountain, in Hyde Park near Marble Arch. Designed by David Harber, it clearly mimics the shape of the world and ties in neatly with the theme of water. It has outlets at all levels, and a place for filling up water bottles. It's been there for almost six months. Unfortunately it no longer works. I'd like to think that it was switched off for the cold weather, but somehow I doubt it.

The Jubilee Walkway

I remember the Queen's Silver Jubilee, and I remember the excitement, and seeing route markers spring up in and around central London. The legacy of that time is a route that encompasses London's high spots, and adds in some idiosyncratic odd spots too. The Golden Diamond Jubilee is in 2012 - I wonder what that legacy will be.

The map is here.

Cycling Rules, OK

Last week I discovered that even for a journey right across London, cycling is faster than any other mode of transport. Proof positive that in London, cycling rules..

And the cycling rules? Stay safe and happy.

Suck this and see

I'm always on the look out for interesting stuff, Suck UK have opened a shop in Southbank. The cutting edge of London design, you can find those essential objects like an alarm clock that's determined to wake you up, Salt & Pepper Bots, or this, the terrorist teapot you too can find that one off present. I challenge you not to find something in their catalogue to make you smile.

Park Lane

It should be more interesting, after all it is the second most expensive street in Monopoly. But it isn't. All it does is to connect Marble Arch with Hyde Park Corner and the days when it was the most desirable London address are long gone. Instead, six lanes of traffic and barriers to make certain the unwary don't actually walk anywhere. I suspect it ranks as one of the larger disappointments for the uneducated visitor. Still, now you know.

Lebanese Living

It is always welcome finding somewhere good to eat, not too expensive, so the Diwan Lebanese restaurant by Marylebone High Street makes on my favourite places list. Full review here. I have noticed that there are a large number of Lebanese restaurants in London now, I wonder how many are as good as this?

Terraced Housing

Terraced housing normally brings to mind red brick houses all in a line huddling together for protection. Not these, in Gloucester Terrace in Paddington. Although most are flats, the odd one or two are still single residences. A two bedroom flat will set you back a cool half million to over a million.

V V Rouleaux Rolls Along

Looking at this colourful display and the French name you could be forgiven for thinking I'd slipped across to Paris, but this is very much a London business. Started 20 years ago in Parson's Green, V V Rouleaux is one of the more distinctive of London shops, catering for a minority more than the mass market. This one (of their two shops) is in Marylebone Lane.

Chris Rea at the Hammersmith Apollo

The Hammersmith Apollo is one of the more intimate music venues, and worth making the effort if there is someone playing you (or someone else close to you) like. So, Chris Rea was an obvious choice to hear his trademark voice and overloaded Telecaster sound. It struck me that I first went to the Hammersmith Apollo nigh on thirty years ago to see Barclay James Harvest (who?) and try to record them. Then, I had a massive almost-portable Uher recorder, and just about got a decent bootleg out of it. Tonight, I was carrying a small compact and recorded a track or two with video, hardly thinking about it. Everything changes, everything remains the same.

Down on the beach

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day in the UK, reflected in the sudden blossoming of all manner of flower stalls. I thought I'd feature this group, who I saw in Trafalgar Square. I have to say that I thought while their objectives are entirely laudable they seem to be a bit woolly and without focus. Very hard to see what they might achieve. Still I will let you make up your own mind, here is their leaflet and here is their website. I think what they want is for money spent on wars to be spent on wages for women.

Roaring Log Fire

At the moment much more likely than sitting outside is sitting inside, by a roaring fire. There's something viscerally welcoming about a real fire, and we have far too few in London. This is in The Gun, in Docklands. Incidentally, an excellent place to eat.

London's Waterways

London is graced with many canals, created originally to drive the engine of industry, shifting heavy loads easily and cheaply. London couldn't have been built without them, and now they are playing their part building the 2012 arena. And being London, pubs shuffle up against them and turn into very pleasant places to sit and while away a few winter hours, with sun and not much warmth. This is the Narrow Boat, in Islington.

Coming soon, to an Internet near YOU

The photo is from over a year ago, a sign of the changing High Streets across London, England and the world. Tonight I received a reminder that the Internet is far from immune. Bmycharity, an alternative (and better?) charity fundraising site are to close. Through this page, I raised over £700 for Breast Cancer Care from my ride last year (for teh record, my final mileage for the ride was about 150). You can be confident that any money donated up to 19th March will arrive at the nominated charity). Strange, but I feel a sense of loss. Now, I will have to go to the arrogant Justgiving or uber-brand Virgin to set up a page, and I didn't want to. (full announcement here)

They don't make 'em like they used to.

Which in some ways is just as well, as these days they can be more hygienic and efficient. This is the rear view of Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, a hospital build in the 1860's to house and heal the consumptives of London (and there were a lot). Doesn't it look like a grand country house?

Odd Stuff

Verticil in Hanover Square is a sculpture by Charles Hadcock who, it appears, has a number of monumental sized pieces across London "inspired by nature". For the record a verticil is "a circular arrangement, as of flowers, leaves, or hairs, growing about a central point; a whorl".

Yum

Time was when London (or anywhere in England took second place to just about any patisserie in France. Well, times have changed and now there are places like Sweet in Exmouth Market that stand up to any comparison. Did I mention they all seem to be French in here? (Sorry but their website doesn't seem to work.)

Holy Cow!

Finding ourselves around Exmouth Market, Mrs Ham & I decided to avail ourselves of Dollar restaurant's £5 lunch offer. The steak sandwiches were brilliant steak, cooked to perfection and a real bargain. They even have Kobe/Wagyu beef on the menu. Definitely the place to go for a steak,

Dead End Street

Well, this off-the-track bit of London - Dyers Buildings in High Holborn deserves to be more interesting than it is. After all it is a private alleyway. But, at the end of the day it is just something trying to be older than it is. And as it is just alongside from the very oldest, it has a lot to live up to. In my view, it gets nowhere near.

Henry the Eigth I am I am

The Barts Hospital has been here since around 1100, this gate only since 1700. And Herman's Hermits? since 1965?

Underneath the Arches

The elegant Victorian cast iron arches of Liverpool Street Station are hardly visible from inside the station, instead the trains run in under a covered area given over to the Broadgate office development. They are still there (or half of them are, anyway)

You want to hear that song? OK