Ealing changes, Grayson's final 2013 Reith Lecture and more..

Big hole at the back of the Town Hall

London continues to change and evolve, new buildings over the lat 15 years or so have given a new dynamic to the city allowing great heritage landmarks to stand next to cutting edge architecture, London looks like the world city it undoubtedly is.

Art shop expands

As the change in the epicentre creates a wave of change that moves to the suburbs it is clear to see a lower level more bourgeois set of developments and Ealing as a point on the new Crossrail project is seeing change at a level I've not seen in the 30 odd years that I've been based here.

Hardly Power to the People

Pizza Hut closes after over 200 years

New flats everywhere

What once would have been new office blocks are now residential and Ealing continues its struggle to define itself as a shopping and cultural centre as opposed to being just a place to reside - how to capture anew a vibrant heart for this green and pleasant borough with it's film history remains a challenge.

Lecture 4 from Grayson

Mr and Mrs Perry

So Grayson delivered the final  (part 4) of his Playing to The Gallery lecture series and called “Finding Myself in the Art World” it majored on Grayson' being less of a construct than the previous three it connected with it's audience both those students and Art world inhabitants at the physical location (St Martin's school of Art) and and those listening anonymously on their radios and devices.
Grayson remains somewhat enigmatic a 'blokey' transvestite with the common touch and uncommon depths who wants to communicate his love of art but is second guessed by his own post modern Essex ironic-ism.

Interestingly I'm reading a book by his missus, Philippa called 'How to stay sane' Philippa is undoubtedly from a posher background that her husband, she's a psychotherapist with a fine arts degree who occasionally presents for the BBC's Art shows. Her book (so far) is proving to be an excellent and practical book.
Like Barry from Eggheads (and me) Philippa has trained as a Samaritan listener.

On the plot

Spent a splendid half day on the allotment on Thursday, dug stuff up and planted Garlic, Shallots and Onions and my new reformed behaviour means I've labeled what I've planted.

Garlic and Shallots

Onions red and white?