Guerrillas in the Mist

My Guerrilla photography group now has 19 members! Woohoo! Have a lookee here

Photoshop!

Went for a couple of beers with Dave, Annette and Kells Bells last night, Dave picked up my new Photoshop book for me. I am hooked already, cant wait to get it home tonight and have a play!

Walkabout: Brick Lane

So, as usual, Knowwhere wrote most of Saturday, leaving us Sunday. Bird friend from work is leaving to go back to Ireland so we took her for a curry up Brick Lane, despite my protests that contrary to popular beleif, this is NOT the best place to get curry in London. About 11 am I thought I would walk there, and this I did. Meandering our we up to Greenwich, up round the Isle of Dogs and all the way along Commercial Road. We stopped in for a couple of swift ones at the old dockers pubs we found on the way, which to be honest were a revelation. In every one we were greeted with smiles and conversation, unlike the completely souless city pub we strayed into halfway up. I am getting really into this urband exploration on foot, you really start to notice things that most people walk right past. Plus its a great way to blow out the post E cobwebs.

eat-the-rich
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

canal-face

canal-face
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

me-tash

me-tash
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

And, into the night, as the music flows, as the biscuits flow, so I flow, round the club. Bumping into people I only bump into here and yet its like yesterday, brought together by our common love of the music, the vibe.

Parties End

And so, to the enevitable tick of the clock the party ends and we struggle through the half daylight back to our cribs. A fitting end to one great trance party. See all the photos here.

sue

sue
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

I really hope someone comes along and puts on something similar. Its not untill nights like this happen for the last time and your wandering around hugging people you only bump into here that you realise what a big part of your life they make up. Community isnt dead, its just representing itself in forms very alien to those who wander around saying 'Commmunity is dead'

us-lot

us-lot
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

Knowwhere. Londons best trance night comes to an end after an unsuccessful move to Heaven. A sad day indeed but brought up by naughty disco biscuits and a surprisingly large amount of very good company. Thanks for coming you guys! hope you had fun :-)

sunset

sunset
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

Sunset over a Theatre whos name I cant remember on the night of Chinese New year.

shoe

shoe
Originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

A Lonely shoe we saw on the fence next to Honour Oak

trees2

trees2,
originally uploaded by gphotolondon.

Ooo! It looks like I may have used up my 300 megs of pictures space on blogger so I will have to add any other pics through Flickr. Bugger. Here is a nice tree we saw on our 7.7 mile hike to Dulwich

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Dogs Day

Spent Friday night with just Bird and a Darjeeling curry for company. Man that big brown turd is the best thing we ever bought I think we have slept as much on that as we have in our bed since we bought it.

Saturday, got up early to go on my next walkabout London having already decided to walk to Dulwich. The weather smiled on us as we trekked towards Ladywell over the hill. Winter sunshine streamed at us. When we reached Brockley we popped into the Brokley Jack to watch Newcastle half-heartedly defeat some two bit outfit to get to the 5th round of the FA cup.

Onwards, not a great route photgraphically speaking despite the nice weather but it was pleasent to spend the afternoon with the wife shooting the shit and setting the world to rights. Stopped in at the Horniman Museum. It blew birds mind. She thought Walrus's were the same size as sealions. Oh no...

Onwards and into Dulwich Village. For those who dont know, Dulwich Village is one of those few and far between bits of London that looks like it belongs somewhere else. An oasis of snobbery in a sea of baudy ( and much more fun) suberbs like Peckham and Brixton.

We stop in at the first pub we see having being walking for 6 miles now. Everyone seems to have at least one sprog except us. What is it that rich people lose the ability to control their children? Is it because thats the nannys job? Having got one expensive round in ( £8.25 for two drinks) we decide to head to the next boozer only to find out there isnt one. Yes. Thats right. We suddenly realise why everyone has kids here. Theres nothing to do in Dulwich but breed.

We head to East Dulwich whos eateries and more varied nightlife are getting something of a rep, and rightly deserved. But we are flaking and its soon time to wind our merry way ( on the bus this time ) back to SE London, having walked a grand total of 7.1 miles. We pop up to the Greenwich Union for a couple of swift chocolate beers before slumping into bed.

Sunday. Apart from popping up to Sainsburys to get something ncie for tea and stop us buying any more goddamn pizza we do very little. That is untill Bird buys the Sunday Mirror and for once it yields some interesting ( and true ) information. A first im sure you'll agree. Its Chinese New Year. The year of the dog to be exact. My mums year. Apparently "People born in this year are loyal, honest, and trustworthy, but can also be stubborn and selfish. Dogs get along with Horses, Rabbits, and Tigers."

Thats just as well. I also note that "People born in dog years may encounter discrimination in China during 2006, due to the belief that they will attract bad luck during the year. They may be denied jobs, homes, and other amenities by those who fear to be caught in whatever misfortunes befall them."

How unfortunate haha! I have a scary reports course to teach tomorrow. I am very nervous.

Dark Chasms

The biggest disadvantage of mind altering drugs is the occasional swing in mood. This can come at almost any time. However, rather than seeing this as a minus point I am reminded that the smallest act of kindness or love can reach down into the chasm of ones mind and pull you out of your wallowing self-pity , shake you down, dust you off and set you right again.

Sitting at my computer this afternoon I could feel myself slipping into this self induced dark place. That feeling when the whole world seems slightly off kilter. Talking with Bird, she suggested that tomorrow on the photography trip we find somewhere and watch my beloved magpies wipe the floor with some second rate team in the FA cup. This small act of love from my wife to me was enough to set the flowers blooming in my head again and put a smile on my face.

Now it could have been the cold dank weather, but I could feel the same heavy mood descending on me on the tube on the way home. Want my own seat. Want the train to stop rocking so much. Want to not be able to hear its noise above my music. Then between songs...the tube driver piped up;
" Good afternoon everyone, this is your driver, welcome onto this east london line train to New Cross, please sit back , relax, enjoy the ride, and no matter what the day has brought you please remember to have a great weekend."

My mood is lifted. The world rights itself. Balance is restored.

HUJe & Menthol

Sometime I seem to live an entire weekend through a single Friday night. Its just one of those things that as the weekend approaches I cant say no to anyone.

Met up with Kells Bells for a couple of swift ones before I headed to clubland. Sat in the Dirty South and revelled in the fact I was one of the mud people destined to spend their Friday night there. Rushed over to Victoria to meet Chantel who is back from Aus for a couple of days. Bless her its amazing how much you miss someone without realising it till you see them again.

Sprinted to Brixton and socially engineered Dimitri and Natalie to come with me, as well as some random bloke in the pub who I gave my number to. course he rang up at ten past one in the morning and followed us into Mass.


HUJe. What a lovely crown. Never busy, never empty, just a steady stream of perfectly balanced clubbers bopping to Ualda and Johns frenetic beats. Its beena while since I went though and aside for a couple of cheeky beers with Mark on Sunday night at the Union, it kind of blanketed the rest of my weekend in sleep and joints.

Whale of a time...

A whale has been spotted on the river Thames. Swimming about like it aint no thang. If I was a whale I could think of more inspiring sites than the underside of Battersea Bridge, but theres no accounting for taste.

At lunchtime I went walkabout and caught the photos and words of Isabelle Merminod as she catalogued the suffering of people caught in the cogs of the UK Assylum system. Very interesting.

Clubbing tonight. mmmm....