Old Oak - the next big development in London - and Ealing Snaps

The community centre

Yesterday afternoon I was out delivering CAB/EBD presentation just near Old Oak Common, sadly not a great turn out, Friday afternoon is problematic and it feels like some of the heat has gone out of the energy issue - and again I'm reminded of how difficult it is to reach those people who could benefit from finding out more about how to use the tools that are available.

Tin Whistle Player - spare a dime?

There are people increasingly visible on our streets looking for help and the government (our government) who look the other way and emphasise tax cuts and looking after yourself.



Old Oak feels like a little piece of country, I know that we're pretty much in a developed area but it is nice to have some open space that looks wild and does provide home for a little bit of nature.



Seems Eric Pickles, the community minister (until May anyway) has rubber stamped a development plan for this undoubtedly underdeveloped part of what is some  of a very valuable part  of Europe's top city (London).

I just hope that some  green space can be preserved for urban dwellers and wildlife - and good luck to campaigners who don't only care about money.

Almost country side (at the moment

An area for kids

And Ealing's visual message

On my way home last night saw these images - is there a message there?

Keep out the Drop Zone

Keep out the Drop Zone (is that door secure?)

Tate Britain's 'Salt & Silver' as well as Tidying and 'Media memoirs' (from some time ago)

One of the great advantages of being a Tate Member is that all exhibitions are free so as well as being part of a conducted tour at Tate Britain we were able to take  a look at the historical  'Salt and Silver' - quite a number of pictures to take in, many by pioneer Fox Talbot but the French were just as important as the Brits  in the early history of photography .
So there were also pictures from Gustave Le Gray and early portraits by pioneer photographers including Nadar.

Salt and Silver

The 'Salt and Silver' relates to the chemical process that allowed fixing of images but this was a display at an Art museum  bringing to life a time when the limits were not yet  set- the lack of an enlargement facility was significant but artistic composition was clearly a goal  - all worth a look if you've ever done more than just taken a snap. 

Tidy time

Yesterday I made a start on clearing a load of paperwork - largely course working from  some years back that are of little use or which can be found within other sources - came across this which I think was a preliminary exercise associated with my Mass Media MA:-

Hopefully not too pretentious (I've not edited it to make it look any better!) 

So much rubbish  being thrown out

Media Memoirs

It is difficult sometimes to draw the line between one's own recollections of the past and that which is given to one by one's family and friends 

Books.

I believe that I was later in learning to read than my (single) older brother whether or not this was due to my not having the earlier start at school that my brother did I am not clear-I know that when I had mastered (or mastered enough to give me the required enjoyment to make the effort worthwhile) I was a fairly voracious reader (as I believe is still the case) -my reading (when not directed by school) was lowbrow and I remember spending my pocket money largely on the works of Enid Blyton I also remember that I was "allowed" a weekly comic (a very "British" one - these having text below a picture rather than speech "bubbles" and indications of time & scene at the top of the picture as in the "American" style) I am not sure if this was called "Play hour" or something like that -I am told by my brother (although I have no firm recollection of it myself) that I had my comic changed when my father had a story published in what was a rival publication to my normal one. Another feast of comics was when holiday-going Isle of Wight and getting bumper 2s 6d (that's about 12p)  package full of old comics.

I also remember a feast of less worthy comics (Beano Topper etc..) that I was able to view when I visited my Maternal Grandparents (Grandfather a railway train driver) these were handed on to my grandparents by their neighbours for her grandchildren's edification. My recollections of Newspaper are more difficult to pin down we always took the "Daily Telegraph" and the Sunday Express my first use of the "Telegraph I remember is seeing what was on TV, I was also more enthusiastic when it provided (on Friday) a magazine

Radio

Out of both a "technical" inclination (my father was an electronics engineer) an excitement at both the wave of Beatle generated pop excitement and the new "Pirate" radio (I think this concept in itself would be exciting to a pre-teenager) radio was very important - my father constructed a "crystal" set at an early stage for my amusement and I received my first "transistor" radio as a seventh birthday present - radio has seemed to be always present and important - Radio was both a shared and a private pleasure -I recall Mrs. Dale's Diary and most certainly the "Top 20".

Television

In some ways my recollections of TV are more difficult to pin down than with other avenues of entertainment/information -I think this is partly due to the fact that TV (perhaps because of its large requirement for product) repeats so much-I remember watching Batman on TV but now become confused with watching it as an amusement in later life. I remember having tempers etc. with my mother for not being able to watch 'Man from Uncle' or 'Mission Impossible' but now recall having seen Mission Impossible (very recently ) at the cinema.

The items of TV which will stay with me are probably things like the Moonwalk and England World cup 1966.

An interesting Phenomena which I have encountered as have many others) is the juncture between colour & black and white - sometimes surprising what we thought we saw in Colour but saw in Black & White.

Also the programmes which I remember watching on my return from school - Crossroads (then show about 4:25 p.m.) and Blue Peter -I think then there was a certain animosity/snobbishness against imported programmes and a belief that BBC was preferable to commercial TV. Thursday was always important for TOTP (probably for more years than I care to admit)

Cinema

Cinema for me growing up was a rare treat (probably less than 4 films a year until the age

of 18), this was due to expense, geographic location & the decline of cinema in the 60's &

70's having said that I remember seminal (for me) films Dr. Who and Beatles also Jungle

book, in a way Cinema is an enjoyment that has grown with me over the years and is now

(perhaps partly due to the time I have spent out of the UK) more of a shared experience

with my peer group than TV (or other media).

Cinema also has the attraction of being watched in "uniform & controlled " conditions it is probably being watched by other friends in similar conditions and once the film begins the lack of external stimulation and restriction on one's behaviour leads to the greatest suspension of belief of any media.

It is worth noting that Cinema is more likely to bring tears or whatever than other media (even seeing the same film on TV the effect is greatly diluted).

Many people are aware of the feeling (temporary on leaving the Cinema after a Clint

Eastwood" type film.

The effect of film while strong seems in most ways more discountable and less insidious - we can feel the effect go as we leave the cinema and return to the real world.

Media remains a very important part of my life - (partly because it has been my employer for most of my working life) - it is interesting to note the enjoyment which comes at first hand and that which is merely evocative (like cheap perfume etc.) of a previous time and occasion.

Tate Britain - The Pleasure of a guided tour and Mr Cameron Frit?

Yesterday Debbie and I had a cultural visit to Tate Britain -it's a great place to spend some time and generally less crowded than the Modern on Bankside

Tate has a nice place for a coffee downstairs 

Nice café downstairs and all looks fresh and clean since the big refurbishment.

First time I've taken a guided tour on my last visit I did manage to locate where the tours meet (generally on the hour at the top of the stairs at side entrance).

Our guide for the tour was charming and incredibly well prepared which had as a theme 20th century portraiture.

After learning a little of the philanthropy of sugar magnate and gallery founder we stated the walk.

The first exhibit we looked at was a later period Sickert, of the actress Miss,Gwen Ffrangcorn-Davies (1932)- the painting was derived  from a photograph (you can see the studio name on the bottom right hand side).
Our guide showed us a photo' of Gwen with the portrait   which was rather nice to see.
Seems Walter Sickert was something of an  eccentric but one who was not without values, he resigned from the RA as a result of its failure to support the preservation of some Epstein Sculptural reliefs

After the Sickert we moved on to what was a more conventional portrait that of the Duchess of Argyll by Brockhurst, the Duchess was something of a society cause celebré in the early 60's - looking at the portrait the impression is not immediately  of depravity or adultery (but look at this)

And on to number three, Lucian Freud's works are scattered around the Tate as a result of his long creative career, one of his works from 1947 is that of his first wife holding a small kitten perhaps a little too tightly, Girl with a Kitten is very much a work that shows detail (very fine brush work) and the emphasis evenly dispersed across the canvas -

A contemporary of Freud and friend was the artist  Francis Bacon   in fact they painted one another.

Glorious surroundings at the Tate Britain 

 We looked at a Bacon work (Study for a Portrait 1952) where there was a guy (in a box) with a wide open mouth - seems Bacon was a mouth fan who painted on the back of canvas - unlike Freud Bacon was not concerned it seems with fine brush work.

We were moving along chronologically and after the early 50's the big movement in Art was 'pop' reflecting a  more democratic vision and embracing consumerism and modern life a proponent of this in Britain was Peter (now Sir Peter ) Blake, his graduation work  'On the Balcony (1955-7) can only be loosely termed a portrait but it does reflect the sensibilities and  emergence of a post war movement in an interesting way.
Peter Blake gained notoriety (in a good way) for his work on the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album cover.

As well as pained works we were introduced to a sculpture in bread  called Breaking Bread by Antony Gormley (see him talking here)

We saw a  work of a most impressive Sculptor  of a writer supported by her  elbows (I didn't catch her name) and with a nod to the importance of photography in the 20th century we took in a viewing of a bewitching photograph  by Nigel Henderson of a Wig Stall, Petticoat lane (1952)- amongst the model heads see the women's live head there!

The tour finished with what again pushed the envelope of what we might consider a portrait with a most  poignant work by the Sickle cell anaemia  suffering artist  -Donald Rodney called In the House of My Father.

The tour was all in all a thoroughly educative experience both in terms of art and how to explain and introduce works with a theme (I can learn from this).

David Cameron ducks out of debate with Ed Miliband  

It's traditional for the incumbent  Prime Minister to resist calls to debate with the leader of the opposition -well I'm a little disappointed that David lacks the right stuff - be interesting to see how it plays out.

How about a fit for purpose Grocery Comparison site?

Comparison sites are very much in the news, at the moment it's with reference to energy switching but they're significant around insurance and other services.

A hight-street grocers

Well yesterday we went to Sainsbury's to pick a couple of things and as is generally the case we bought quite a bit more than we'd anticipated - not a problem it's stuff we'll eat/use.

I don't think shopping is only about price but for some people the overall cost is very significant.

While we were out  and as we returned I wondered if there's a website that helps with shopping in your locality - many people (often the old and/or poor) are time rich but money poor how can they get the best deal on groceries - do Aldi or Lidl have what I want at a better price?.

Have had a quick look at what the web has seems that what's there at the moment (like supermarket.co.uk for example) doesn't do the best job it could - what I'd envisage is something simple, where you can compile a shopping list from your products (pull downs or scan the codes on the product in) and then say where you are (postcode or similar)  and how far you're willing to walk (say one mile) and the number of shops (say 4) you'd be willing to visit.

Or are they cheaper for my milk?

I would reckon an SQL type enquiry of grocery sites (tesco.com etc.) would make the data available - has anyone seen something that does this job or could run with the idea?