Thursday, 14 April 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
A (Nordmann) fir is for life!
And so March is upon us, but it’s not merely springtime blossom that the streets are bedecked with...
Carcasses of Christmas trees-past can be spotted with confounding regularity; some 79 days since JC’s b-day. For every daffodil, there is a desiccated Norwegian Spruce deposited on a lonely street corner or abandoned behind some random railings, as if they are the fauna equivalent of a drunken uncle that has over-stayed their welcome.
Or worse still is the Scots Pine that still sits outside its former residence, separated from the room they used to rule by an exterior wall and their owner’s unsentimental search for the next festive fix (John Lewis already sells Easter trees folks!). I’m sure the homeowners have given up all hope of these fossilised firs every being collected; the trick is to adhere to the council’s one and only collection date as if it was the second coming of the aforementioned JC, otherwise it’s the equivalent of expecting weapon’s grade plutonium to be picked up with the rest of your refuse!
Not sure there is a sadder seasonal comedown than the wizened corpses of Christmas trees which even the bin men don’t want to tangle with. I find myself wondering if they will still be hanging around next Noël – tortured twigs more at home in a post-nuclear landscape. Or perhaps some of the inhabitants of this city are labouring under the misapprehension that they will take root in the concrete. Now that truly would be a Christmas miracle!
Boat drinks (bauble-free!) trees...
Carcasses of Christmas trees-past can be spotted with confounding regularity; some 79 days since JC’s b-day. For every daffodil, there is a desiccated Norwegian Spruce deposited on a lonely street corner or abandoned behind some random railings, as if they are the fauna equivalent of a drunken uncle that has over-stayed their welcome.
Or worse still is the Scots Pine that still sits outside its former residence, separated from the room they used to rule by an exterior wall and their owner’s unsentimental search for the next festive fix (John Lewis already sells Easter trees folks!). I’m sure the homeowners have given up all hope of these fossilised firs every being collected; the trick is to adhere to the council’s one and only collection date as if it was the second coming of the aforementioned JC, otherwise it’s the equivalent of expecting weapon’s grade plutonium to be picked up with the rest of your refuse!
Not sure there is a sadder seasonal comedown than the wizened corpses of Christmas trees which even the bin men don’t want to tangle with. I find myself wondering if they will still be hanging around next Noël – tortured twigs more at home in a post-nuclear landscape. Or perhaps some of the inhabitants of this city are labouring under the misapprehension that they will take root in the concrete. Now that truly would be a Christmas miracle!
Boat drinks (bauble-free!) trees...
Friday, 11 February 2011
Love for the Little Spaces...
Although based in the US, this blog offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration for diminutive living spaces - exactly the kind of abodes we are saddled with in over-loaded London! Tiny Ass Apartment proves that small doesn't necessarily need mean style-less and that the Lilliputian can still be lovable!
Stunted studios, glorified-cupboards and humble hovels can be just as marvellous no matter how miniscule…
http://tinyassapartment.blogspot.com/
Boat drinks to the little people!
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Christmas in the Capital...
Things have turned distinctly frosty this festive season!
London is usually enveloped in a deluge of dreary drizzle come the yuletide, but 2010 has seen a double-thick duvet of snow draped across the city. The weather has (for once!?!) performed beautifully - the Siberian-sharp air and treacherous pavements feel oh so right when Christmas is just around the corner!
The scene from our roof terrace...
So what if the city grinds to a halt, transport ceases to run and the retail sector is faced with a cataclysmic loss of foot-fall!?! It is supposed to be cold during winter and so I for one am thankful for the freezing conditions...
Not my handiwork I must confess...
On the big day itself, we even managed to go sledging on Parliament Hill – too Disney for words!!! Kept looking at the ground in wonderment, as my Hunter-clad feet crunched through crispy snow. In London! At Christmas-time!!!
Here are some of 2010’s festive flourishes direct from the G-M homestead...
Boat drinks snowflakes!!!
London is usually enveloped in a deluge of dreary drizzle come the yuletide, but 2010 has seen a double-thick duvet of snow draped across the city. The weather has (for once!?!) performed beautifully - the Siberian-sharp air and treacherous pavements feel oh so right when Christmas is just around the corner!
The scene from our roof terrace...
So what if the city grinds to a halt, transport ceases to run and the retail sector is faced with a cataclysmic loss of foot-fall!?! It is supposed to be cold during winter and so I for one am thankful for the freezing conditions...
Not my handiwork I must confess...
On the big day itself, we even managed to go sledging on Parliament Hill – too Disney for words!!! Kept looking at the ground in wonderment, as my Hunter-clad feet crunched through crispy snow. In London! At Christmas-time!!!
Here are some of 2010’s festive flourishes direct from the G-M homestead...
Boat drinks snowflakes!!!
Sunday, 28 November 2010
The City of Lost Property...and Parrots!
I am constantly fascinated by the array of personal possessions that are strewn across our streets and parks. Almost impossible to walk anywhere in London without seeing enough lost property to comfortably kit out a jumble sale! One day a much worn/loved belonging, the next day just mere debris... Totally understand how a child might lose a glove – hardly high on a pint-sized person’s list of priorities, but a man’s shoe?!? And just how on earth did it get there; the story behind its desertion, that’s what I want to know!!!
Mawkish token of affection which obviously didn’t have the desired effect on the recipient – consider yourself dumped...literally!
When I initially spotted these ‘Lost’ posters for Charlie the Parrot dotted around The Common, the obvious reaction was one of pity, I mean London hardly has the ideal climate for exotic imports from sunnier spots, plus there’s all those manky pigeons to contend with! But on closer inspection Charlie is clearly a character best avoided - "Do not approach"?!? No tangling with this feathered friend. Whereabouts unknown and maybe with good reason!
Boat drinks Charlie the Parrot and Charlie Bucket!
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Last night's fireworks at Clapham Common...
The 'erratic' camerawork barely does them justice, but it was a splendid display (glad to see the old council tax isn’t a complete waste!) which even the dreary November drizzle could in no way dampen.
And I must state for the record that the soundtrack was most definitely their choice and NOT ours!
Boat Drinks Bonfire Night!
And I must state for the record that the soundtrack was most definitely their choice and NOT ours!
Boat Drinks Bonfire Night!
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Autumn arrives...
The trees are suddenly ablaze with the most outrageous shades of amber, auburn and russet ensuring that London’s streets/parks are awash with eye-watering pockets of colour that look as if the very leaves have been dipped in larva. The last (Technicolor) hurrah before the many layers of winter grey take hold for the interminable months ahead...
Boat Drinks to bonfires!
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