First Class postage goes up to 60p

Tomorrow the price of 1st Class postage goes up by 30%.
I still think it's cheap. For 60p you can send send a letter to Scotland and expect it to arrive the next morning. I think that's amazing value. Try getting a private company to that for the same money.
But "First Class"... what does it mean? I think it used to mean it would arrive in the morning post rather than in the later delivery. But these days it's a bit tenuous. Here in Holloway my post rarely arrives before 11.30am. The next day delivery we have come to expect doesn't seem to work either, as often I've sent something with a first class stamp on it to hear that it didn't arrive until two days later, even just across London.
But then what do I expect for 60p?!
I still have a have a lot of stamps that I bought last December, albeit with Christmas images on them, that I never used because I didn't find the time to make any 2011 Christmas cards, so it's a good job they don't have 'use by' dates on them.
Below are some interesting letter boxes on London doors. More here.

Cleaning up the South Bank

Leaving the Royal Festival Hall and walking up the stairs to the northern side of the Jubilee Bridge a few weeks ago I was disgusted (of Hollloway) to notice how filthy the 'clear' side panels were. And I noticed that the metal strips that run either side of the whole length of the bridge(s) are also grimy.
It reminded me that when I was in Roturua, NZ, a few years ago I saw a woman cleaner, armed with a trolley full of sprays, cloths and sponges, ambling up the street cleaning the street furniture by hand quickly and efficiently. No noise, no machines, no fuss; just a bit of elbow grease.
Here in London, and perhaps the whole of the UK, we build iconic structures and 'modernise' our public transport, but then let it all get filthy within weeks. For instance, I have often witnessed electric-powered rotary cleaners being used on areas with square corners. Need I say more?!
Specifically, on the underground, the lovely yellow and blue tiles at Kings Cross were replaced with small silver grey tiles that have, within just one year become dull with patchy areas showing exactly where new batches of grout were mixed. These same badly-laid grubby little grey tiles have also been used on linking sections of other platforms, especially within the Jubilee line, whose concrete utilitarian design now just looks like the builders upped and left without finishing anything – and on a Waterloo platform recently I noticed that the leaning bars along the platform were only clean in the places that people lean on them. Ugh.
Don't get me wrong; I am not a cleanliness freak (just see the build up of dust in my house!) but the above seems to contradict all the health and safety nonsense we see and hear – don't touch this/that; wash your hands etc. The government, our councils and LRT are sending out mixed messages. Surely we ought to be keeping things looking the best they can be, and especially so this year with all the extra people expected for the Olympics?
Let's get cleaning... in the case of the Jubilee Bridge(s), I reckon it would take less than a day for a handful of people to get them looking all sparkly again.
So, to the promo bit.... I am glad to report that there is a clean-up incentive happening along the South Bank at the moment. A group of 'clean artists', headed by Moose Curtis, are creating reverse/negative graffiti along various stretches along the Thames. See more here and watch a short vid about it here.
A great idea. Some promo pics of the event are at the bottom of this post but, in Jane's London style, here are some of my own rubbish photos:

The Ceremony of the Keys at The Tower of London

Last night I went to The Tower of London to witness the longest-surviving ceremony anywhere in the world... The Ceremony of The Keys. This locking-up of ritual has been taking place EVERY night, without fail, for over 700 years.
Halt! Who goes there? The Keys. Whose keys? The Queen's keys (etc.)
I remember doing a project on it when at junior school after a school trip. Which reminds me that in all my school years, excluding art trips in the 6th form, I can only recall ever going to three places; The Tower of London, London Zoo and Lullingstone Roman Villa...
The ceremony is free to attend but you have to apply here.
I haven't been to the Tower for a proper visit in decades, so another look around is well overdue, but I am not sure that this is the year to go, what with the Olympics and all the extra visitors headed this way. I'll just have to add it to my ever-lengthening list...
Here are some other London keys and keyholes:

Top: Holloway, Smithfield, Fleet St, Spitalfields
Middle: Finsbury Park (x2), Bloomsbury, Covent Garden
Bottom: Bloomsbury, Soho, Holloway, Kentish Town

Hexen 2.0 exhibition at the Science Museum

Hexen 2.0 is an exhibition by British artist Suzanne Treister on at the Science Museum until 20th April. 
According to the blurb, the exhibition "charts the coming together of diverse physical and social sciences in the framework of post-Second-World-War US governmental and military imperatives. Investigating cybernetics, the history of the Internet, the rise of 'Web 2.0' and mass intelligence gathering – using drawings, alchemical diagrams, photographs, text works and 78 specially designed tarot cards". 
Well, I couldn't have put that better myself!!!
I just love her drawings and illustrations and have ordered a copy of the book so that I can reconfigure history and map out hypothetical future narratives for myself.

If you have never been to the Science Museum... what are you waiting for? Go go go – it is fabulous and full of amazingly interesting stuff (for want of a better word!). 
And whilst you are there check out the Hidden Heroes exhibition too.

International Women's Day Fair at Spitalfields

March 8th marks International Women's Day.
On Saturday there will be a market and activities at Spitalfields Traders Market with music and live events. I will be there (of course).
Last year's event was good, so let's make this one even better.

Gillette ghost sign; hidden in plain sight

Earlier today I was in near Oxford Circus and looked up and saw what I thought must be a recently uncovered Gillette ghost sign.
Excited, I took lots of photos, one of which is below and a close up here where you can make out the signwriter's name.
But I just checked on Flickr and it seems the sign has been visible since at least July 2009 when Maggie snapped it... so how have I not spotted it myself until now?!
As a friend says, 'sometimes things are hidden in plain sight'... they are right under our noses or in this case, above our heads. The same would apply to the Gillette ghost sign in Queensway and the one for Creamed Barley above Mornington Crescent tube station.
I have spotted faded Gillette ads all over London; in Whitechapel, New Cross, Dalston, Clapham, Kilburn, Kensal Green, Stoke Newington, Tottenham, Acton, Peckham, Willesden and Grays Inn Road (see them here), and I know of others, so there are probably many more out there to discover, either hidden under new advertising panels or in hiding plain sight.

Happy St David's Day

Isn't it.

Top row: Lambeth, W1, Deptford, NW1
Middle row: Mornington Crescent, Caledonian Rd, Kentish Town, Upper Street
Bottom row: Highgate, Cheapside, Piccadilly, Brixton.
Interesting to note that The PoW pub in Lambeth seems to have a nationality crisis

Today's news – the bloody Oscars

Here we are in a recession/depression and millions of people on the bread line, yet a disgusting amount of money is thrown at an event (and other similar events) to give awards to people who spend their lives pretending to be other people.
Actors. Hardly saving lives and planets are they?
Ooh darling... I am an actor you know.
Really? Like I give a...
And before anyone starts ranting back at me... I like films. I love films. I just don't see why all this lavish patting on the back is necessary. There may be awards ceremonies for bakers, nurses, charity workers, bomb disposal men etc. But these events are not on the news.
Go figure. Gold figure.

Clockwise from top left: Bank of England, Cockspur Street, Grays Inn Road, Haymarket, Victoria Palace, Oxford Street.

Tuesday day is Pancake Day – let's dance our cares away

So went the song we used to sing at school...
"...first you [something] your pancakes
then you toss your pancakes
Tuesday day is Pancake Day
Let's dance our cares away
Hop-sa Leisela
Hop-sa Marion
Dance our cares away
And a second verse finished with 'Dance-a Leisela, Danse-a Marion..."
But I can't find any reference of it anywhere.
To make basic pancakes you'll need eggs, flour and milk:

Top row: Stroud Green, Warren Street, New Cross, Stoke Newington
Middle row: Hampstead, Spitalfields, W1, Brixton
Bottom row: Brick Lane, Amwell St, De Beauvoir, Bloomsbury

Crouch End – Imagined and Observed

That's the name of a photographic exhibition now on at the Original Gallery within Hornsey Library. It brings together a group of local photographers who have taken on the wide-ranging theme of "Crouch End". My friend's photo has been used on the promotional material and features his oft-used big blue sky style.
The free exhibition on until 26th February. It's well worth a look.
Last year I put together a collection of my own Crouch End observations, so below are some more taken with my phone camera one afternoon last October:

The Pink Pound

No, I am not referring to our gay friends or a rose-coloured pig enclosure... I am talking about this.
Almost every other shop window is festooned with pink and red things which are supposed to entice you in to buy some sexy underwear or chocolate cake.
No thanks. I will be spending tomorrow evening taxing my brain with friends at a pub quiz at the lovely Shaftesbury Tavern in Hornsey Rise.
If you haven't been there before, do look in; it's recently changed hands and looks really good. The original curved bar has wood and glass fittings and there's a great room at the back complete with open fire and some great framed photos on the wall showing how the area looked in its Edwardian heyday.
Below are some pink things in London.

Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

I finally got to see this earlier this week.
The exhibition is a mix of Grayson's own work married with items he has chosen from the British Museum's vast collection.
What can I say? Wonderful, interesting, inspiring, thought-provoking, beautiful etc etc...
No photos allowed inside the exhibition, but the bike he travelled through German is outside, complete with an Alan Measles stunt double. If you can't get get a ticket before it finishes on February 19th then the bike is well worth the climb up the stairs. It's a great example of craftsmanship in itself; covered in wonderful details, and words including Patience, Doubt and Chastity.
Sublime.
Love the man.
Here's some of his older work.

Gun salutes to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Today is Accession Day and marks 60 years since Liz succeeded the throne after her father, George VI, died in 1952.
The main celebrations will take place in June but today there will be lots of noise at noon... there will be a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park followed by a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London... 
Blimey! That's a lot of noise.
She's 85 you know. Eighty-five!
Here are some gun- and cannon-related things in London.
(I will save my diamond collection for June)

Merhaba, I've been in Turkey...

And I had a lovely time; I always do.
Snow-covered roads, water parks, mountain views and gorgeous textures.
Coincidentally, here in Holloway, a lot of my local shops are turkish. But the weather's not the same.
A thought just occured... why is the large bird eaten at Thanksgiving so called?
I don't have any London pics with turkeys in them so here are some chickens and cocks:

The Year Of The Dragon

It's the start of the Chinese New Year today, and this year it's the turn of the dragon.
More about chinese astrology signs etc here. I am a tiger... grr!!
For a a dragon with a difference, go to Spitalfileds Market and see Roger's wonderful balloon creation outside Giraffe restaurant.
I have put some images of dragon together before here and here, but I have since found some more firey beasts to add to my collection, and none are in Gerrard Street, Chinatown, where the main Chinese new year celebrations will be in full swing.

Top row: Cheapside, Holloway, West Hampstead and Smithfield
Middle row: London Bridge, Borough, Smithfield and Harley St
Bottom row: Fitzrovia, Piccadilly (RIP), Bermondsey and Kensington

Wood carving exhibition in Richmond

My very talented sister will be featured in an exhibition at The Riverside Gallery's Good Wood / Wood Works: Contemporary Wooden Art & Craft show at Richmond's Old Town Hall from 21st January to 7th April.
Go... and be inspired. It's free.

Below are some carved wooden pieces from the streets of London (clockwise from top left): Bishopsgate, Bayswater, Kennington, Bishopsgate, Clapham, Kings Cross.

The 'Trafalgar Sun' art installation

Here's a way to cheer up January....
On Monday 23rd giant ball of light, equivalent to that of 60,000 lightbulbs (or is it 260,000?), will be installed high above Trafalgar Square designed to brighten us up from dawn until dusk.
Weather permitting, it should look amazing at dawn break when the light effect will be at its most intense.
Sadly, I won't be around to see it this so please do get snapping and send me some links or photos.
Update:
Here's a video of the construction of the event
and here's another one of the 'sun' itself

Mixed up with images of Trafalgar Square:
Top row: Brixton, Albert Embankment, Cornhill, 
Middle row: Liberty's, Albert Bridge, Marylebone
Bottom row: Tottenham Court Road

I have been discovered in LivingEtc

Thanks to littletree designs for blogging about me after seeing the piece in LivingEtc magazine.

Celebrate Epiphany at The Connaught

I am a little behind with this... 
Hélène Darroze, head chef at the lovely Connaught Hotel has created a special Galette des Rois to celebrate Epiphany (6^th January) which marks the arrival of the Three Kings in the nativity story. 
Hélène's Galette des Rois will be served with afternoon tea at the hotel during January and, if you are lucky, you may find a piece of French jewellery hidden within the puff pastry and frangipane making a lovely afternoon break even lovelier. 
More information here.

Here are three British kings on London pubs in Leytonstone, Marylebone and Borough, plus a quirky alternative version in Clerkenwell:

What a boob! Breasts are go go go!

News this week is that thousands of women are to get their fake boobs de-commissioned by the NHS because the private clinics who installed them (yes, installed) in the first place say it isn't it's their responsibility. Our money is about to be spent on (in the most part) self-obsessed vain women who wanted quick fixes.
I agree with the clinics; after all no one forced these women to have operations they didn't want to have. The women made free choices to spend their own money on something they thought was going to make them feel better.

I can't be the only one who isn't surprised that the breasty bags of seepy goo are starting to break down and infect these women's bodies.   

A thought: if they fall over in their silly high heels and break their legs are they now going to expect the shoe shops to pay up for that too? And, whilst I am on the high shoe subject, what about the osteopaths they are going to need sometime soon too? It's gonna get really expensive...
Yes, there are women whose lives have been radically improved after the loss and then replacement of a breast after cancer treatment, but on the flip side, I have actually heard mothers encouraging their 18 year old daughters to have a boob job; girls that look absolutely lovely as they are and should not have someone, least of all their mother, suggesting that they are sub-standard. That's wrong on so many levels.
The money might be better spent getting these women into therapy to help them understand why they are being duped into thinking they 'need' this invasive surgery in the first place. As I write this I am reminded that when my mother was receiving radiotherapy the nurses told her that women were often coming in to the hospital to ask for the treatment because they had heard that it destroys the hair follicles and was therefore better than waxing.
It's all about quick fixes. Getting the latest look. And it's been going on for centuries – I bet these women with their gravity-defying chests would probably be outraged at the beauty regimes of the past...
To get that perfectly pale look Elizabethan women applied lead directly to their skin to lighten it (a practice that dates back to the Ancient Greeks) and they used mercuric sulphide for those must-have cherry lips. Finally, a dab of belladonna to brighten the eyes. Ooh lovely. But no pain, no gain.
The Egyptians used a variety of metals to keep them looking attractive including lead sulphite and copper. More recently the Victorians used arsenic for so many things its hard to believe they lived as long as they did.
These days the beauty industry is still enticing woman to part with their money in the most macabre of ways. What will future generations think when they look back at all this? When they remember the women who thought it was normal to have their faces injected with poison for that constantly surprised yet dim look. And had bits of cows put in too for the perfect fishy pout?
Is your arse not round or pert enough? Whack in a a few bags of silicon to get that bootylicious behind. Too fat? Eat a few pies and get a man with an oversized dirt devil to vacuum it out for you.
Luckily I don't need all this. I have perfect breasts and a fabulous arse. Yeah.
Fried eggs for breakfast anyone?

Breasts:
Top: Lime Street, Holloway, Dalston, Paddington 
Middle: Isle of Dogs, Leon, Long Acre, Haymarket
Bottom: Bloomsbury, Paddington, Rotherhithe, Shaftesbury Ave

One Eye Grey now on Kindle

The erudite, informative and entertaining Mr Chris Roberts has just informed me that his collection of strange London tales, collectively known as One Eye Grey and previously available in pamphlet form, is now available on Kindle.
I urge you Kindlers to get clicking and downloading.
Enough said, because I have written about these tales before.

The eyes have it:
Top: Battersea, Islington, Marble Arch, SE1
Middle: Acton, Haggerston, Battersea, Holloway
Bottom: Hoplloway, Harlesden, Islington, Spitalfields

Tired of London, Tired of Life

The very lovely and lively Tom Jones has been suggesting a different thing to do in London every day on his site.
The book of the site is now available to buy. It's stuffed full of ideas so there'll be no more "what shall we do today?" moments.
Tom's been on The Robert Elms Show and on BBC London News promoting it (and, I am sure, many other promo opportunities that I missed).
I am chuffed to report that I am mentioned on the acknowledgements page within the same sentence as Samuel Johnson... praise indeed.
Well done Tom.

A little bit of what you fancy

Walking past Angels in Shaftesbury Avenue Road the other week I stopped in my tracks. Didn't they only used to sell dance gear, ballet shoes etc? I am sure I remember their windows used to display tutus, satin pumps and tap shoes, but these days it's all about fancy dress. And you can see into the shop from the street. Am I going mad? I don't remember that either.
I am not a fancy dress party fan. Most of them are too 'organised' for me. By which I mean I like a party with a loose theme where you can invent something subtle, but I am not into the big dos full of the kind of people who never come out all year round but will splash out for a gorilla or Elvis costume for New Year's Eve so that they can pretend to be someone interesting for a change. These are the same people who think it's disgusting to wear second hand clothes yet they will gladly hire something that has been danced about in and dribbled down by 17 other people beforehand.

Ooh, got that off my chest!!
I am not sure yet what I will be doing for this New Year's Eve. I've got a few options. Last year I wandered up to Parliament Hill with my sister and a friend and we stood with hundreds of other like-minded souls and waved sparklers, quaffed champagne and ate chocolates whilst watching fireworks across London. It was really lovely.
Whatever you do, have a great time and here's looking forward to a happy and prosperous 2012.

Fancy ironwork. Now this I like:

Top row: Marylebone x2, Highgate, Queensway

Middle row: Piccadilly, Holloway, City, Kew

Bottom row: Belsize Park, Belgravia, Kings Cross, Bloomsbury

More metalwork here.

Christmas Day Walk 2011

When most people were opening presents or stuffing turkeys I was walking around an almost deserted West End with Peter Berthoud and a group of like-minded souls.

My walk started at 9.15am when I set off from Holloway, taking every opportunity to walk in the road. Because I could. People that passed me said 'hello' or 'merry Christmas'. How nice. It wasn't until about noon that tourists started emerging from their hotels.

I kept stopping to take photos on the way but still managed to be only five minutes late to meet Peter and the others under Admiralty Arch at 10.30am.

He led us up St Martin's Lane, into Covent Garden and Seven Dials, across to St Giles, over into Soho, a meander along the blissfully quiet and empty Oxford Street, then down Carnaby Street and Regent Street, across Piccadilly Circus and into Leicester Square, ending up with a few pints in the Bear and Staff.

Peter pointed out some things I had never spotted before such as little bits of street art and that donation pipe at the side of the House of St Barnabas on Soho Square – how on earth have I managed to miss that all these years? Ditto the story behind one of the statues on Trafalgar Square, and Renzo Piano's rationale for the colours of those bullying buildings at St Giles. I also spotted a few new things of my own along the way (fire alarm bells with old telephone codes etc, a bizarre green plaque etc).

All in all a really nice day. I met some lovely people and learned some new things. Then, when I'd tramped all the way home again, I made myself a bowl of comfort food and watched TV until I dozed off... lovely.

Peter says he enjoyed doing the three walks so much that he plans to do them again next year. Good on him!

More pictures on Flickr.

Coal hole covers as stars and snowflakes

Walking through Bloomsbury the other day I had this seasonal idea...

Stars

Snowflakes