Greenway Blues

I've never actually featured the Greenway here before, the "Green" bit is a little overstatement, it is an off road route that follows the northern sewer outfall, an awesome engineering feat and one that saved thousands of lives. Now, while work on the Olympic Park proceeds, a great chunk of it is closed. Diamond Geezer walked and documented the area before it was closed off and changed forever. If you look at the sign on the hoarding, the red line is where the Greenway used to run, the green is the route around it. And yes, it was the visual pun and title rather than the occular excitement that earned this photo its place here.

2012 Getting Closer

Guest photograph today, courtesy of Mrs Ham, as she was visiting a very special location:the 2012 viewing platform. Yes, that one, the one the queen visited, the one on top of 21 floors of sheltered accommodation. You can quite clearly see how the site is taking shape. And that building in front of the main stadium that is moving along faster than anything else? The shopping centre.

Talking of rolling along, don't forget you can sponsor my 200Km bike ride and help Breast Cancer Care here http://www.bmycharity.com/londondailyphoto

Anyone interested will be able to follow my progress on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LondonHam

A London Bloggers Tour

The tour of the Olympic Site yesterday was interesting not only for the prime reason - the project itself - but also from the reactions of my fellow passengers and London Bloggers. So, you have the detailed and comprehensive reportage from Ian Visits, the wide ranging report of the Diamond Geezer Pt 1 Pt 2, the concise roundup (with video) of Londonist and the atmospheric audio blogs of the Onionbagblog, captured here in action for posterity. And me? I was struggling with the challenge of crafting a photo from the inside of a bus with dirty windows. Didn't stop me trying though.



I'm off walking in Shropshire over the weekend - back soon.

Happy First Birthday!

It's exactly one year since they started to build the Olympic Stadium and, together with a group of other bloggers (a natter of bloggers?) I got taken on a guided bus trip around the site. It was fascinating to see how it is coming along, and to try to imagine the way it will look in a few years time. More info tomorrow, in the meantime, you may want to check out Diamond Geezer and the Onionbagblog who may well be providing a fuller update.

Wick Week - Day 4 - Olympic Visions

The waterway by the Olympic building site is a little less pastoral. Here, you will find hordes of people are scurrying around to get the site ready for 2012, and legions of security staff who have no greater pleasure in life than to tell anyone with a big camera to stop taking photos.

On the other side of this fence used to be Hackney Greyhound Stadium. Here is a great article about the close relationship of London with dog racing.


Still on holiday, and the Wick Week continues. You can read the entire text of the walk (a lot more than just the photos) here. Today's photo is near 4 & 5

Who Cares?

This poster - in Stratford High Street - is part of a substantial campaign around London for the Christian Alpha Course - without intending to cause offence - they are a bunch of people who believe god is the answer whatever the question (I suspect they would be happy with that description).

The question here in my mind is, what will happen to the people in the high rise blocks? What you are looking at, in four years time, will be one of the transport hubs for the 2012 Olympics. Those blocks have only recently been spruced up and they house what you would normally term the more economically and socially disadvantaged. Call me a cynic but somehow, that will change between now and 2012, and I doubt that those that live in the block will see much of the benefit. And who cares?

I wasn't going to link to the Alpha Course, but I found their page where you can write your question to god and read other's which amused me.

A Freudian Slip?

I am happy nailing my colours to the mast - I am an Olympic enthusiast, I believe that pretty much come what may the legacy will be good and that on balance that good will outweigh the bad. Part of the scheme is that all the miles of hoardings around the site will carry pictures and adverts. I have to confess, I think this message is a bit of a Freudian slip. But it still probably reflect the true order things will be done.

Read the backstory of the Olympics here and updates here.

I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.