Clearing up and Reaching the target

So after just over 2 weeks our (by that I mean me and BEAT's) stay at The Ealing Broadway Centre is over.

When you see it empty you realise what a great (and big) space it is.

Loads of people came and saw us (more than a hundred some days) and found out about what we were doing, asked how they could be part of it and also enquired about courses and activities in the area - like so many things it came to an end.

Exhibitors collect their work and make good.

It has again shown how people do value art at many levels including the 'grass roots'.

Peter packs Up

Plenty of us sold bits and pieces and got to know about other people doing creative things - really appreciate the positive response I got from my initial enquiry and the  opportunity that we were given by the people at the centre (part of British Land would you believe).

 

And an end to the saving

Well a few quid added from prints I've sole brings the total up to close enough for the next camera.

I'm calling it a day at £409 90 

What we do with and what it is - money

Anyone for a Pun?

More Floyd yesterday as I went to visit local exhibition and sale of prints of the late Storm Thorgerson  (chief visualizer for the Floyd LPs and many other artistes)  - I really fancy seeing the documentary about him too (Taken by Storm - what else?) - today last day of this exhibition as well as the BEAT Pop-Up which Ealing Broadway Centre gifted me/us for a couple of weeks.

I still like 'For Arts Sake' in  Bond Street, Ealing 

In fact my last shift  (more about the Pop Up soon) was yesterday and the experience and talking with others reminded me how many of us 'generationally'  have a different view of money - part of this (of course)  is the actual idea of it as a physical thing  - my first week's pay back in 1973 was about 18 pounds and the factory wages person was careful to give it to me  in one  pound  notes.

  
Anytime I see something for cash or get payment for something it reminds me of 'money' - even with pocket money and birthday postal orders there was something tactile.

More than 100 people through the door yesterday 

Now people largely just transfer digits (or borrow them)  - some purchasers in the shop even felt inconvenienced to provide sub 10 pounds in cash.

So my collection of money to buy a new camera - by 'saving' resonates with other valued purchases

And more

thinking about cash money

£353

money tree

And here's something over £350

In fact it's £351

Is it all luck?

Just a blur

Earlier in the week I had a bit of a disaster with our fridge - all sorts of breakages when inner bottle  shelf  went west - internet came to the rescue and all good again now .




Was the catastrophe of the fridge pre-planned and ordained or some sub atomic chance occurrence ?

It's as if it never happened but in the cosmic scale does it register?

Is there a God looking out for us?

How does a child in Yemen deserve the fate that is bestowed on him anymore than that of  the perhaps equally tragic 'Baby Charlie Gard'' ?

I'm not sure how we can answer these questions other than by doing as best we can...

And what does luck to have this..

Here's Three Hundred and Forty Nine 

South of the River

So after some time thinking about it finally made to the Dulwich Gallery today - and certainly worth the 'Schlep',  Dulwich and its surrounding area seems really nice, lots of Green spaces.


Principal reason though was to meet up with a fellow art appreciator and conversationalist in a  pleasant  arena and the criteria was well met .

Dulwich gallery is one of the oldest public galleries - it's history predates that of The National Gallery, it opened to the public in 1817  and until 1994 was under the control of the famous Dulwich College.

The building was paired down to limit the expense but Soane's style remains recognisable 

The architect for the Gallery was Sir John Soane (he of Soane House)  and it really does work well even now - nice too that the works are not obtrusively protected or behind glass.

Uses natural overhead light 

The framing of Nicolas Poussin (a Fragment) 

I was much taken by the room given over to works by Nicolas Poussin - an artist I've not really appreciated, the fragment above (part of a larger work) makes for a contemporary view- John who was with likened it to a 'Close-Up'.

Nice to see lots of work by Cuyp too - although some was more appealing to me than others.

Cuyp's River Landscape 

I like seeing work by British artists like Gainsborough (one very reminiscent of Mr and Mrs Andrews)  and plenty of continental artists, including (of course) Canaletto.

A view of Walton Bridge by Canaletto 

Where I am

is £347

Shopping

Not just Chicken Feed

Food

So Michael Gove seems to be making himself available for media spots on both Food issues, we do have the impression that we're more humane with our livestock but is it just an impression? (what's the problem with the way the Americans clean their chickens -is it an example of EU protectionism?)

Complete with Batteries?

Cars

The other thing he's happy to get coverage on is the phasing out of dirty cars - both Diesel and Petrol (by 2040) - wonder how this will play out, I'm not sure if the batteries are as 'green' as some would have us believe.


Not so sure the Right Honourable is  back in the heart of Westminster Government because of the lobbying by Rupert Murdoch (of  Media fame) but it makes a good story.

Clothing

A shop that's lost its way?

So I used to be an enormous fan of the Japanese based retail clothes chain UniQlo - not sure what the year was I first went there but it was in Richmond (where they no longer are), since then have been to the shops in Oxford Street and Kingston but steadily they have become less fun, more expensive and now to irritate me even more they appear to do their trousers (for men anyway) in almost exclusively 34" legs - last pair of jeans I got were 30" and they were fine for me.



So what's this about -do they expect us to alter them - well what I did today was went along to Debenhams and bought a pair of jeans there (Jasper Conran) and they fit just fine - hope that  the range changes and that issues around bad Labour practices are resolved too.

reporting

 and on it goes..

from the front line £345

What's 'Dirty' about it ?

Remember when cafés and restaurant had nice names? - These people presumably don't.

Well it's local, been open some time and we've now visited it  - food was not too bad I had a quarter of Chicken off the 'Spit' and it was tasty and not dry - Debbie had a burger which seemed okay but it came in a Brioche bun (which wouldn't be my first choice), service was good and I like the 'dinky' carafe that wine came in and the Beer (although just a standard Heineken) was cold and  tasted lovely.

Fries and coleslaw were quite okay.

Service was quick and pretty good too but preference would not to have a 12% addition on the bill for this - does the gratuity still reach the staff or is it part of their pay?

Does the name say the right thing?

I was intrigued to find why 'Dirty' burgers are becoming so prevalent - seems in general they're a description (or were) of the burgers you had after too many drinks - dodgy vans but they used to hit the spot [Although seems a somewhat different meaning in south Wales].

I'm not convinced that the market is big enough for so many places and when this is all they offer it's moving towards a commodity where price is too significant -  might go back but not for a while.

Still moving forward

£342 doesn't sound too shabby

The Floyd

I do remember Pink Floyd as a youngish child with their two 'Seminal' as they say singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play  (which I later got on their Relics LP along with other early chapter works).

Do Pink Floyd Belong at the V&A?

I also became they were groovy through my Cousin Tom (he of And The Native Hipsters) and saw them perform at the time of Animals and the Wall - so I was drawn to the Mega Exhibition 'Their Mortal Remains'  at the V&A.



[I also recall a guy at University in Wales on the same course as me, 'Dave' from Cornwall who used to listen to 'Dark Side of The Moon everyday.]

part of the early years - look at those shirts

Well it is as they say a 'Curate's Egg' and reminded me that although for the V&A these music  and Artefact shows are money spinners (as was the Stones thing at the Saatchi) a similar phenomenon to the one observed by Frank Zappa  (Writing about music is like dancing about architecture)  - comes into play on Museums trying to recreate recent times it's like, to  'Displaying a smell'.





Some good things though (much which would work better as part of a TV documentary ) and I am someone who knows their stuff reasonably well.

Some children (as School holidays have now begun) looking seriously bored/puzzled and some oddly in pushchairs .

Part of the story of  'The Wall'

Reminded what a great Drummer Nick Mason was & is

Highlight was at the end  with great sound and good videos - strangely Comfortably Numb at Live8  brought me to close to tears as last time the four guys played together - would like to have seen a film of them when Syd was in the group along with David Gilmour but perhaps there is none?

Odd as I sat amongst other people listening to the group I was surprised that I was tapping my toes far more than they -  [I like this too]

And then there were five

Another Tenner

Another version of £10s = £340

More crops

So on Plot 202 and there's always something to pick at the moment - here we can see today and around the corner potential Pumpkins.

Today Beans, Plums and Broad Beans

And soon Pumpkins

And also growing

Here's £337

Various and catching up

The real public servants

A fiddle player at Ealing Broadway station

There's been plenty of coverage of top earners at BBC - some serious pay levels, not sure you can blame those with high pay, it's those who do the paying - there's an issue when their pay becomes the story and I do find some pay being a bit high (like the rather wooden presenter who is on BBC breakfast time who doesn't work Sundays).

What is (to me) irritating is the story of people who are well paid as 'Public Servants' today I witnessed someone at Ealing Broadway Centre who needed medical  attention (perhaps a seizure) - people helped, called an Ambulance (about 10 minutes or so to arrive) and supported this guy - they weren't on a meter or Public Servants just nice people - If I here more about Politicians who have 'sacrificed' for their jobs I might let out a little scream.

Coffee

I've been reading about the benefits of regular coffee drinking - seems the jury is still out but it could be beneficial for heart and mind.

For quite a few years now I've been waking around 4:00 a.m. on a pretty regular basis - I've also avoided Orange Juice that's made from concentrate and Freeze dried/instant coffee ( I'd heard it wasn't good for you).

Well I know coffee is meant to keep you awake  I'd not found this but in the last week I've not had Coffee after about 3:00 pm and I've not woken around 4:00 a.m. - not sure if this is real cause and effect but shall continue (if I remember) .

Here's an interesting piece on 'Segmented Sleep' - more soon (or not)

A target gets closer

so I didn't blog yesterday - so here's £333 and £335 - I get alerts for the G7 X Mark II and price is dropping nicely I'm not sure if it'll drop below £400 but it's certainly getting close.

Here's what £333 looks like

And £335 looks similar 

Somalia emerging from failed state status

BT Tower I worked there for some time

It's a dozen or so years since I first became aware of the troubled nation of Somalia, when I worked at BT Broadcast services (now  I suppose part of BT Media)  as a pre-sales engineer there were plenty of prospective broadcasters with wildly optimistic business plans and shortages of both finance, experience and realistic business plans.

(In fact I see a reference to the country in  my Blog 10 years ago)


Having been heavily involved with setting up Deepam TV a channel for the Tamil Diaspora in Europe, it felt like a similar solution could work for the Somalis who had left their civil war besieged country to start a new life in Europe.


The Tamils though had established businessman (and women) in the UK who were able to draw on Indian TV programming and some money.


So even now if you look at Direct to home Satellite TV in Europe (like Hotbird at 13 degrees East) you'll find a number of Somalian  satellite TV  channels, not particularly professional but presumably having some sort of audience.

Anyway what I'm leading to is the fact that I met up with one of the guys from this rather disastrous project for a cup of coffee today and the news is that Somalia is starting to be a functioning state again (at least in places) the money the 'Warlords' were able to accumulate is now available to start infrastructure projects and the developed world has  good reason to want Somalia to function.

The UK's Premier league would be a great draw for TV viewers in Somalian homes and social centres 

 I expect to keep in touch with my friend as Mogadishu at least starts to join the 21st Century and foreign investors start to do deals for the mineral deposits  and other opportunities.

The Tyranny of Tens

£330 is another multiple of £10

Growing more

Following on from yesterday - here are some other crops that are growing.

A Melba Melon

A bunch of Plums

A good year for Blackberries

More

Here we are on Wednesday

Here's £328

Plotting on 202

There's a lot of pleasure for those of who grow fruit and Vegetables at this time of year - nearly every day it feels like you're going to a fresh free shop.

And it's not just that, you can see what's around the corner too - plenty of grapes.

Home wine in the future?

Or cider perhaps

It could be a good year for tomatoes 

And beans of different colours 

And not to mention Courgettes and Beets

Oddly there was a Frog too but it got away - can you see it?

Frogs legs anyone?

More 

Well £325 is not to be sniffed at