Cheese and Biscuits
Hong Kong Restaurant, Angel
London has never been the kind of place where you can just pick a restaurant at random and have at...
4 weeks ago
London has never been the kind of place where you can just pick a restaurant at random and have at least a decent dinner. There are too many tourist traps, dingy fast food joints, grim chains and bandwagon-jumping copycats (just see how many smash burger joints have appeared in...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Counter, Tunbridge Wells
As much as I try to travel as far and wide as possible for a meal, there are certain parts of the...
3 weeks ago
As much as I try to travel as far and wide as possible for a meal, there are certain parts of the world that are somewhat better-represented on these pages than others. Obviously as I live in London, and it's the best food city on the planet, that's the main focus of this blog....
Cheese and Biscuits
The Lamb Inn, Little Milton
Most visitors to the Lamb Inn will approach from the car park and be greeted with the sight pictured...
3 weeks ago
Most visitors to the Lamb Inn will approach from the car park and be greeted with the sight pictured above - an achingly cute thatched countryside pub in whitewashed stone looking like it hadn't changed much in the past few hundred years. And this is, of course, a great way to...
Cheese and Biscuits
Lima, Shoreditch
I don't usually like to do invited reviews back-to-back, so this was supposed to be a post about a...
2 weeks ago
I don't usually like to do invited reviews back-to-back, so this was supposed to be a post about a lovely Catalonian restaurant called El Molí de L'Escala. El Molí serve a daily-changing menu of exciting and unusual local seafood (they had sea cucumber on the menu last week, and...
Spoon & Tamago
Japan’s Jimi ‘Mundane’ Halloween Costumes of 2024
Happy Jimi Halloween to everyone who celebrates. It’s that wonderful time of year when our favorite...
3 weeks ago
Happy Jimi Halloween to everyone who celebrates. It’s that wonderful time of year when our favorite Japanese festival, Jimi Halloween, is on full display. Mundane Halloween, as we coined it back in 2018, is when people dress up in costumes so mundane they have to be explained....
diamond geezer
Signs of autumn in Old Malden
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things on hills in Hainault. Ex-country lanes...
3 weeks ago
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things on hills in Hainault. Ex-country lanes in Harrow. Bridges in Norwich. So today I'm going all-out niche in an attempt to dampen interest even further. Welcome to...
Signs of Autumn in Old Malden
Malden, a manorial...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Lisbon's Culinary Scene Rivals Europe's Best Food Cities
a week ago
diamond geezer
Rayners Lane
Four tube stations are named after country lanes, the longest of which is Rayners Lane in Harrow....
3 weeks ago
Four tube stations are named after country lanes, the longest of which is Rayners Lane in Harrow. What's more it still follows exactly the same meandering path across two miles of suburbia as it did when everything was fields. So I've walked it.
entirely undeveloped agricultural...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #7
The second full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen drilling continue on the Stratford...
3 weeks ago
The second full week of roadworks at the Bow Roundabout has seen drilling continue on the Stratford side, both under and beside the flyover. A third lane is already substantially carved out at the end of Stratford High Street. Below we see a broad curve where grey concrete block...
Spoon & Tamago
Keisuke Oka’s Arimaston Building in Tokyo, Made Entirely by Hand
all photos by @husky_003 | used with permission Almost 15 years ago, on a tiny plot of land in...
2 weeks ago
all photos by @husky_003 | used with permission Almost 15 years ago, on a tiny plot of land in eastern Tokyo, a young architect named Keisuke Oka began to construct a tower of concrete entirely by hand. Located just a short walk from Mita Station, the Arimaston Building (蟻鱒鳶ル) is...
diamond geezer
Dunton Green
One Stop Beyond: Dunton Green
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
2 weeks ago
One Stop Beyond: Dunton Green
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Dunton Green, one stop beyond Knockholt on the Sevenoaks line, a disparate village at the foot of the North Downs...
diamond geezer
Not very interesting transport news
Friday's not very interesting transport news
The Overground lines still haven't been...
3 weeks ago
Friday's not very interesting transport news
The Overground lines still haven't been renamed
double-sided Mildmay line panel was revealed at one end of platforms 1 and 2 (click to embiggen), while a separate sign directed passengers up to the Mildmay line from the subway. These...
diamond geezer
Oxford Street
OXFORD
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
OXFORD STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
3 weeks ago
OXFORD
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
OXFORD STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price: £300
Rent: £26
Length: 2km
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
Oxford Street is one of the Roman Empire's most successful roads, at least in terms of retail income. It started out as...
Cheese and Biscuits
Med Salleh Viet, Earl's Court
It's a funny old part of town is Earl's Court. Not quite Kensington, not quite Chelsea, not many...
2 weeks ago
It's a funny old part of town is Earl's Court. Not quite Kensington, not quite Chelsea, not many reasons to visit (certainly not since the conference center/arena got pulled down), it's these days little more than a fairly ordinary provincial high street dumped in West London,...
diamond geezer
Revised security measures at the National Gallery
Last Friday the National Gallery made it harder for visitors to enjoy a look around.
Revised...
4 weeks ago
Last Friday the National Gallery made it harder for visitors to enjoy a look around.
Revised security measures at the National Gallery
Walk-through metal detectors have been a fixture here for years, ditto a perfunctory bag check. This did tend to create queues but nothing...
diamond geezer
Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Things on Hills: Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Where the heck are we? The far side of Redbridge,...
3 weeks ago
Things on Hills: Hog Hill and Dog Kennel Hill
Where the heck are we? The far side of Redbridge, almost in Havering
Be more precise: On the southern edge of Hainault Country Park
Nearest tube station: Fairlop, but 1½ miles away so hardly near
Nearest bus routes: both the 247 and...
diamond geezer
Tube map gaps
It's exactly 11 months since London last had a new tube map.
Intervals between tube maps in reverse...
a week ago
It's exactly 11 months since London last had a new tube map.
Intervals between tube maps in reverse chronological order
11 months
Dec 2023 A Little Slice of Paradise ← Brent Cross West
7 months
May 2023 Come Out, Come Out
6 months
Nov 2022 Routes/Roots ← Bond Street
6...
diamond geezer
Bond Street
BOND
STREET
£320
London's Monopoly Streets
BOND STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
a week ago
BOND
STREET
£320
London's Monopoly Streets
BOND STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price: £320
Rent: £28
Length: 800m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
penultimate street on the Monopoly board famously doesn't exist, even though it has a station named after it. It's also...
diamond geezer
Postcards from Norwich
Postcards from Norwich
✉ Goldsmith Street
five years ago it went to council housing in Norwich....
4 weeks ago
Postcards from Norwich
✉ Goldsmith Street
five years ago it went to council housing in Norwich. They could have built flats but instead they packed 105 energy-efficient houses into a handful of dense terraced streets, aligned east-west to maximise solar gain. Extra-thick walls...
diamond geezer
Emails from 2004
Today I thought I'd dig into my inbox archive and bring you ten emails I was sent in October 2004....
3 weeks ago
Today I thought I'd dig into my inbox archive and bring you ten emails I was sent in October 2004. Twenty years ago was a different time.
From londonmobs (1/10/04)
(and that was it, no further London flashmobs were organised)
cc-ed from my work address (5/10/04)
The...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Discover Portugal’s Wellness Havens with TAP Air’s Stopover
a week ago
diamond geezer
Consequential
Some weeks are consequential.
a) Today is the Budget.
This budget also feels like it's been...
3 weeks ago
Some weeks are consequential.
a) Today is the Budget.
This budget also feels like it's been coming for ages, the General Election being 17 weeks ago, but it takes time to check the nation's finances, develop a plan and balance strategic gains with individual pain. There has...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Madeira, Portugal Is the Ideal Stopover Destination
a week ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Ski, Stay, & Explore Outdoors in Alberta's Winter
a week ago
diamond geezer
Taking the piss
In an ideal world every TfL station would have toilet facilities but the truth is you're more likely...
2 weeks ago
In an ideal world every TfL station would have toilet facilities but the truth is you're more likely to be caught short.
announce "bold plans to grow and improve toilet provision" because that'd be a very good thing. The press release promised "investment totalling £3m per year...
diamond geezer
Empty dangling
Big news about the Dangleway!
Opening hours cutback proposed🚡
On weekdays that means an 8am...
6 days ago
Big news about the Dangleway!
Opening hours cutback proposed🚡
On weekdays that means an 8am start rather than 7am.
🚡 🚡 🚡NowFrom Decembercut
Mon-Thu 07:00 to 22:00 08:00 to 22:001 hour
Friday 07:00 to 22:00 09:00 to 22:00 2 hours
Saturday08:00 to 22:0009:00 to 22:001...
diamond geezer
Carpenders Park
One Stop Beyond: Carpenders Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
2 days ago
One Stop Beyond: Carpenders Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater London boundary, getting off and seeing what's there. Today that means Carpenders Park, one stop beyond Hatch End on what will next week be the Lioness line. For positioning purposes...
diamond geezer
Walking on Canada Water
It's now quicker to walk from Canada Water station to the big Tesco. This is because British Land...
2 weeks ago
It's now quicker to walk from Canada Water station to the big Tesco. This is because British Land are trying to sell flats.
swooshy timber boardwalk has just opened and it's red. Very red.
It starts from the dock edge by the library and ends at the far end of what used to be...
diamond geezer
McDonald's in Woolwich at 50
50 years ago today England's first McDonald's restaurant opened.
There's a brilliant plaque...
a week ago
50 years ago today England's first McDonald's restaurant opened.
There's a brilliant plaque outside.
The three signatories were big names in the American company - Robert Rhea, Fred Turner and Ray Kroc - but none of them turned up. Instead the ribbon was cut by the dynamic...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #8
The major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout are now into their second month (or their third month if...
2 weeks ago
The major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout are now into their second month (or their third month if you're the manager who cancels buses).
a curve of concrete block paving that's due to become roadway, so fairly trivial.
Previous updates: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7
diamond geezer
The Map House
An exhibition of tube maps, dozens and dozens of them, is pretty much nirvana for some people. If...
2 weeks ago
An exhibition of tube maps, dozens and dozens of them, is pretty much nirvana for some people. If this is you be sure to make a pilgrimage to The Map House (nearest station Knightsbridge) before the end of the month. Look for the gold tube map in the window, just round the corner...
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in October 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in October 2024
1) The five road junctions with the most...
2 weeks ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in October 2024
1) The five road junctions with the most casualties and collisions over the last three years (specifically the greatest 'casualty harm') are the Redbridge Roundabout, Seven Sisters, Elephant & Castle, the foot of Ilford...
diamond geezer
Single life
Single life
Yes, I used to post this every year, but now I only do it every five.
Single: You get...
2 weeks ago
Single life
Yes, I used to post this every year, but now I only do it every five.
Single: You get the whole duvet to yourself.
Coupled: You don't need a hot water bottle.
Single: There's half as much ironing to do.
Coupled: There's twice as much ironing to do but somebody else...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Alberta’s Best Nature Escapes for Adventurous Travelers
a week ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Winter Resorts and Activities in Central Minnesota
6 days ago
diamond geezer
Southwark 25
Silver Jubilee: Southwark
Southwark station opened 25 years old today on 20th November 1999.
The...
yesterday
Silver Jubilee: Southwark
Southwark station opened 25 years old today on 20th November 1999.
The platforms are much like many of the others on the Jubilee line extension, but the concourse between them is unique. Step through and you enter a long cylindrical space on two...
diamond geezer
Secret river quiz
Congratulations, you've found my secret river quiz.
(completed in seven hours, thanks)
3 weeks ago
Congratulations, you've found my secret river quiz.
(completed in seven hours, thanks)
diamond geezer
Anorak corner - bus edition
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual...
a week ago
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual spreadsheet listing the number of passengers using every London bus route and how many kilometres those buses travelled. Data is for April 2023 - March 2024. Comparisons are with the...
diamond geezer
Visit London bolx
Visit London is the flagship brand charged with attracting tourists to the capital, and in this we...
3 days ago
Visit London is the flagship brand charged with attracting tourists to the capital, and in this we wish them well. But they do write some absolute bolx.
This was their first tweet this month.
November has arrived and that can only mean one thing... a magical London...
diamond geezer
Bow Roundabout update #9
The roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue, and have a lot more continuing to go.
Bow side of...
a week ago
The roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue, and have a lot more continuing to go.
Bow side of the flyover, although new kerbstones are now lined up along the new slightly-wider edge of the roundabout.
major roadworks.
For the last month one of these two lanes has been...
diamond geezer
Unblogged October
31 unblogged things I did in October
Tue 1: Two new developments in Barking & Dagenham are...
2 weeks ago
31 unblogged things I did in October
Tue 1: Two new developments in Barking & Dagenham are over-egging transport links in their roadside marketing. Barking Riverside says 'Perfectly connected' when the reality is a half-hourly boat, a train to Barking or non-express buses....
diamond geezer
The 47th President
Two months ago I asked you the following question.
Who do you think will be the next American...
2 weeks ago
Two months ago I asked you the following question.
Who do you think will be the next American President? (poll closed)
Kamala
HARRIS
comments (71)
Donald
TRUMP
comments (29)
And now here we are the morning after the election. A red dawn is rising.
10 comments from readers...
diamond geezer
Ten apologies
I'd like to apologise for the ten posts I could have brought you today but haven't written.
1)...
a week ago
I'd like to apologise for the ten posts I could have brought you today but haven't written.
1) Visit London have opened a temporary Ticket Shop in Covent Garden
flogging stuff, mainly tickets to attractions and shows, and it looks hugely superfluous but it's not aimed at...
diamond geezer
Draw-Off
For a few weeks every November the water level in the Thames in west London is deliberately...
a week ago
For a few weeks every November the water level in the Thames in west London is deliberately lowered.
Draw-Off and it exposes more of the riverbed than usual.
In order to carry out essential maintenance works on Richmond lock, weirs and sluices, it is necessary to hold up the...
diamond geezer
Random Remembrance
Every London borough hosts a Remembrance event, maybe several.
The parade lines up outside the...
a week ago
Every London borough hosts a Remembrance event, maybe several.
The parade lines up outside the museum and awaits the signal. Everyone important's here, all the civic dignitaries apart from those who've been delegated to officiate at the borough's three other memorials. The...
AFAR Media - Travel...
An Alberta Winter Getaway for Nature, Wellness, and Culture
a week ago
diamond geezer
Beddington Farmlands
A Nice Walk: Beddington Farmlands (1 mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing...
5 days ago
A Nice Walk: Beddington Farmlands (1 mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, a bit of a stroll, wildlife guaranteed, railway-adjacent, mostly dry underfoot, broad pylon vistas, binocular opportunities, possibility of lapwings, won't take long. So...
diamond geezer
Cromwell Road Bus Station
Cromwell Road bus station in Kingston has reopened.
There are eight versions of today's post,...
4 days ago
Cromwell Road bus station in Kingston has reopened.
There are eight versions of today's post, according to your level of interest.
(click to jump to the right one)
1) I just need the basics
2) I never intend to visit but tell me more
3) I sometimes use this bus station
4) I...
diamond geezer
Tractor Tax Protest
Thousands of farmers, countryfolk and their supporters were in central London yesterday to protest...
yesterday
Thousands of farmers, countryfolk and their supporters were in central London yesterday to protest against the imposition of inheritance tax on farmland. You could tell something was up by the number of people in Barbour jackets, tweed caps and sensible outerwear milling around...
diamond geezer
Electric 358
A new bus has started running on route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington. They call it the...
4 hours ago
A new bus has started running on route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington. They call it the tram bus.
It's not really a tram, it's "a bus with tram styling" according to the manufacturers, Spanish company Irizar. They make two lengths of vehicle and to be fair the 18m...
AFAR Media - Travel...
10 Great All-Inclusive Hyatt Resorts in Mexico & Caribbean
a year ago
Spoon & Tamago
Not a Hotel: A Unique Timeshare Concept Redefining Luxury Travel
All images © Kenta Hasegawa courtesy Suppose Design Office “Buy a vacation home that doubles as a...
a year ago
All images © Kenta Hasegawa courtesy Suppose Design Office “Buy a vacation home that doubles as a hotel.” That’s the tagline for ‘Not A Hotel,’ a real estate start-up founded by Shinji Hamazu. The company challenges the traditional hotel model by treating it as a timeshare and...
Spoon & Tamago
Gaku Yamazaki has Documented Thousands of Unusual Road Signs Across Japan
all images courtesy Gaku Yamazaki Gaku Yamazaki, a 21-year old college senior, spends his spare time...
a year ago
all images courtesy Gaku Yamazaki Gaku Yamazaki, a 21-year old college senior, spends his spare time traversing Japan in search of what he has dubbed ikei-yajirushi, or ‘unusual arrows.’ There are thousands of these abnormal road signs dotted across Japan and while drivers might...
Spoon & Tamago
Cafe Fang: An Oasis of Books and Coffee in Kyoto
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of touristy Kyoto, head to this newly opened oasis of...
a year ago
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of touristy Kyoto, head to this newly opened oasis of books and coffee. Located slightly north of central Kyoto is the Donkou Kissa Fang, a serene cafe and private book collection built inside immaculately crafted townhouse and garden....
AFAR Media - Travel...
7 Things to Know Before Seeing a Broadway Show in New York City
a year ago
Spoon & Tamago
Exploring Tokyo’s Hidden Shrines
According to statistics, Tokyo is home to over 1800 Shinto shrines. You have your major shrines like...
a year ago
According to statistics, Tokyo is home to over 1800 Shinto shrines. You have your major shrines like Meiji-Jingu and Hie Shrine but there are many other tiny shrines, often unstaffed and nestled in the depths of back streets and behind buildings. Tearing down a shrine would be...
Spoon & Tamago
The 2024 Toyama Kei-Truck Gardening Contest
The 2024 Kei-Truck Gardening Contest took place over the weekend. In what is perhaps the...
6 months ago
The 2024 Kei-Truck Gardening Contest took place over the weekend. In what is perhaps the most-Japanese contest, professional gardeners and landscapers compete to create a beautiful, seasonal, and unique landscape , all within the bed of their kei-trucks. This contest originated...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Urchin, Hove
As soon as the sun comes out on a bank holiday, it feels like half of London heads down to the south...
6 months ago
As soon as the sun comes out on a bank holiday, it feels like half of London heads down to the south coast, and Brighton in particular. And though that town certainly has a lot going for it, not least a thriving restaurant and pub/wine scene that can show you a great time at all...
Spoon & Tamago
This is the Time of Year Bamboo Shoots Grow, Sometimes Wreaking Havoc
a triptych by Toyokuni Utagawa depicting an excursion to gather bamboo shoots (early 1800s)...
6 months ago
a triptych by Toyokuni Utagawa depicting an excursion to gather bamboo shoots (early 1800s) According to Japan’s ancient calendar of 72 microseasons, right now is microseason 21: the time of year when “Bamboo Shoots Sprout.” Known as takenoko in Japan, these voracious plants have...
Spoon & Tamago
‘Puddle’ Are a Series of Flower Vessels Inspired by Puddles of Water
Simple and common acts of nature often inspire brilliant design. Such is the case with “Puddle,” a...
6 months ago
Simple and common acts of nature often inspire brilliant design. Such is the case with “Puddle,” a series of flower vessels that mimic a puddle of water. Using properties of transparency and surface tension, these whimsical vessels create the illusion of a single plant growing...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Outdoor Locations in Toronto, Canada
6 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
The Bear, Camberwell
Despite Camberwell's increasing reputation for all kinds (and all budgets) of great food, it still...
6 months ago
Despite Camberwell's increasing reputation for all kinds (and all budgets) of great food, it still seemed unlikely that this bare-bones pub, just opposite the Walworth bus depot and furnished, as far as I could tell, with tables and chairs nicked from the local secondary school,...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Buxton, Brick Lane
Continuing a recent theme, here comes along another example of excellent restaurant pedigree...
6 months ago
Continuing a recent theme, here comes along another example of excellent restaurant pedigree producing a fantastic place to eat. The Buxton is a smart and buzzy spot halfway down Brick Lane, within trotting distance of sister restaurant the Culpeper which is also a lovely (if...
Spoon & Tamago
Japan Quietly Shines at Milan Design Week
Milan Design Week—Coachella, but for furniture—is running this week from April 16-21. All the...
7 months ago
Milan Design Week—Coachella, but for furniture—is running this week from April 16-21. All the biggest names and brands in the design world descend upon the Italian city, which sees its population swell by nearly 25%. Now in its 62nd iteration, the design extravaganza is an...
diamond geezer
River Wogebourne
THE UNLOST RIVERS OF LONDON
River Wogebourne
Shooters Hill → East Wickham → Abbey Wood → Thamesmead...
6 months ago
THE UNLOST RIVERS OF LONDON
River Wogebourne
Shooters Hill → East Wickham → Abbey Wood → Thamesmead (5 miles)
The Wogebourne is a five mile tributary of the River Thames in the southeast London boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley, that flows generally in a northeasterly direction,...
diamond geezer
The Secret Life of the Home
As science evolves, so does the Science Museum.
The Secret Life of the Home.
This much-loved...
6 months ago
As science evolves, so does the Science Museum.
The Secret Life of the Home.
This much-loved corner of the basement, where the life of the domestic appliance is quirkily celebrated, closes forever on Sunday 2nd June. I went for a last look round with a wall-to-wall smile,...
Cheese and Biscuits
Baudry Greene, Covent Garden
There are few things more important in the success of a restaurant than pedigree. If you are able to...
6 months ago
There are few things more important in the success of a restaurant than pedigree. If you are able to launch one good restaurant, you're more than likely to be able to make a good go of a second. And then a third, and so on. Well, up to a point. You don't want to spread yourself...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Five Great Places to Visit on Your Next Vacation to Florida
7 months ago
diamond geezer
Where in London?
It's Where in London? time again.
You can see the photos individually here: NW NE SW...
6 months ago
It's Where in London? time again.
You can see the photos individually here: NW NE SW SE
Answers
NW: ???Vanbrough Crescent, Lime Tree Park, Northolt UB5-->
NE: Stansgate Road shops, Dagenham RM10
SW: Heatherlea Grove, The Hamptons, Worcester Park KT4
SE: The Beck, High Broom...
diamond geezer
20 Centuries in 1 City
10 Centuries In 1 Day may not have been a very good walk.
London's a Roman city, can we do 20...
6 months ago
10 Centuries In 1 Day may not have been a very good walk.
London's a Roman city, can we do 20 centuries?
16th-21st century
This is the easy bit.
21st century
Gherkin (2004) I'm going to pick The Shard (2013). It's still the tallest building in western Europe.
20th...
diamond geezer
Mayday Mayday
London has just two streets called Mayday Something. I've been to both.
Mayday Road Thornton Heath...
6 months ago
London has just two streets called Mayday Something. I've been to both.
Mayday Road Thornton Heath CR7
Saints and Sinners pub (which you can tell closed three years ago because it's still advertising a pint for £2.99). Perhaps dodge the ambulances. And here you'll find Mayday...
diamond geezer
Zoë's Mayoral transport policies
As the Mayoral election approaches, all sorts of parties are announcing all sorts of policies on all...
7 months ago
As the Mayoral election approaches, all sorts of parties are announcing all sorts of policies on all sorts of things.
manifesto to be released, that of Green Party candidate Zoë Garbett, a 134-page monster which was launched yesterday. And because transport is one of the areas...
diamond geezer
London Countries - Afghanistan
London Countries (an A-Z)
1. Afghanistan 🇦🇫
In this new series I'll be visiting all the...
6 months ago
London Countries (an A-Z)
1. Afghanistan 🇦🇫
In this new series I'll be visiting all the countries in the world but without leaving London. Their people, their geography, their history, their culture, their cuisine, that kind of thing. I'm kicking off with Afghanistan because...
Spoon & Tamago
The Playable Poetry of Zeni Tainaka
The Day I Couldn’t Write a Poem is a short, playable game in which the reader moves a character...
7 months ago
The Day I Couldn’t Write a Poem is a short, playable game in which the reader moves a character through text, interacting with obstacles and making your way through a narrative. It’s the work of Zennyan (Zeni Tainaka), a Japanese pixel artist who has been experimenting with...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Cruise for Best Way to See the Northern Lights in Alaska
7 months ago
diamond geezer
Ealing NEWS
North Ealing
northernmost point in the borough of Ealing. Which is here in the corner of Roxeth...
5 months ago
North Ealing
northernmost point in the borough of Ealing. Which is here in the corner of Roxeth Recreation Ground. North Ealing station is 4 miles away.
Roxeth Rec may be large but it's tucked into a dead end wedge between two railway lines, hidden behind a rack of terraced...
Spoon & Tamago
Japan’s Stationery Award Offers a Return to the Primitive
Early civilizations had it all figured out. At least according to the Kokuyo Design Awards, arguably...
7 months ago
Early civilizations had it all figured out. At least according to the Kokuyo Design Awards, arguably Japan’s most-influential stationery design award, which this year asked designers to look to the past. “If we return to the idea of ‘primitive’ in order to create the future,”...
AFAR Media - Travel...
5 Excursions With Afar and Atlas Ocean Voyages
5 months ago
diamond geezer
The Wrythe
Today we're off to the only south London suburb that starts with The, namely The Wrythe which is a...
6 months ago
Today we're off to the only south London suburb that starts with The, namely The Wrythe which is a significant part of Sutton. Essentially it's North Carshalton but has had a separate identity since medieval times, actual residents since Victorian times and today forms a...
Spoon & Tamago
Five Unique Experiences at Harajuku’s Latest Development Harakado
Harakado, opened on April 17, 2024 at the Jingumae intersection along Omotesando Street in central...
6 months ago
Harakado, opened on April 17, 2024 at the Jingumae intersection along Omotesando Street in central Tokyo. The shiny, brand new facility was designed by architect Akihisa Hirata, whose interest in tangled, organic structures, is on full display in his rendering of the facade and...
Spoon & Tamago
Three Art Festival to Visit in Japan in the 2nd Half of 2024
Japan’s numerous art festivals have proven to be an effective way of luring domestic and...
5 months ago
Japan’s numerous art festivals have proven to be an effective way of luring domestic and international tourists out of popular destinations and into rural parts of Japan they would have otherwise not visited. The poster child is perhaps the Setouchi Triennale, whose combination...
Spoon & Tamago
Intricate and Organic Sculptures by Ceramicist Eriko Inazaki
These white and intricate forms appear to be the work of mother nature, sculpted over hundreds and...
a year ago
These white and intricate forms appear to be the work of mother nature, sculpted over hundreds and thousands of years. Instead, they’re the work of Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki, who painstakingly shapes and assembles each prick and piece by hand. And in doing so, she’s...
diamond geezer
Unblogged 1984
30 unblogged things I did in April 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago,...
7 months ago
30 unblogged things I did in April 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago, indeed my Sinclair ZX81 wasn't capable of much, but here are 30 things I didn't digitally publish at the time. To help you get your bearings I was 19 and most of this is the Easter...
AFAR Media - Travel...
21 Must-Try Michelin-Star Restaurants in Monaco
7 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Oyane-san Blending Tradition with Modern Technology In Shikokumura
Welcome to Oyane-san, affectionately known as "Honorable Roof," standing proudly at the foot of...
7 months ago
Welcome to Oyane-san, affectionately known as "Honorable Roof," standing proudly at the foot of Mount Yashima on Shikoku Island.
Related posts:
Buddhist Monks are Getting All the Love
Now Open: The New Oita Prefectural Art Museum Designed by Shigeru Ban
SANAA’s New Sublime River...
diamond geezer
BBC2@60
60years@BBC2
1964 Play School, Horizon, Match Of The Day, Not Only But Also; 1965 Call My Bluff, Man...
7 months ago
60years@BBC2
1964 Play School, Horizon, Match Of The Day, Not Only But Also; 1965 Call My Bluff, Man Alive; 1966 The Money Programme, Chronicle, Cathy Come Home; 1967 The Forsyte Saga, Look and Read, colour televison; 1968 Gardeners' World, The Morecambe & Wise Show; 1969 Q, Pot...
AFAR Media - Travel...
10 Art Destinations in Italy: Itinerary for Art Lovers
5 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Dream Xi'an, Tower Hill
There are lots of good Chinese restaurants in the Holborn/Bloomsbury area of London. Most seem to...
7 months ago
There are lots of good Chinese restaurants in the Holborn/Bloomsbury area of London. Most seem to have popped up in the last decade or so, I assume alongside an influx of Chinese students attending the many nearby high-profile universities and colleges, because I'm fairly sure...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Travel Itinerary Exploring the Roman Empire in Germany
5 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Satoshi Odagiri Creates One-of-a-Kind Organic Mobiles from Found Material
Located in the wilderness of of Hanno City (Saitama), about an hour outside of Tokyo, is Saturday...
8 months ago
Located in the wilderness of of Hanno City (Saitama), about an hour outside of Tokyo, is Saturday Factory, a design studio founded by Satoshi Odagiri in 2015. Inspired by the surrounding forests, rivers and wildflowers, Odagiri creates balancing mobiles that incorporate materials...
diamond geezer
Crossing the boundary
While I was in Enfield, heading away from the power station, I decided to depart across Sewardstone...
7 months ago
While I was in Enfield, heading away from the power station, I decided to depart across Sewardstone Marsh. Why exit the dull way when you can cross the Lea and walk through a minor Essex village? The riverside path passed nosey ponies and a pumping station and crossed three...
Londonist
Panto In London - Where To Watch The Best Pantomimes This Festive Season
Panto is back for 2023 - oh yes it is!
a year ago
Panto is back for 2023 - oh yes it is!
diamond geezer
Green Link Walk 4
I've now completed London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st...
8 months ago
I've now completed London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try here, if you need an app try here, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try here, and if you're reading this several months in the future try...
diamond geezer
Push Your Luck
New campaign to make your Tube journey cheaper
The Off Peak Fridays trial ends this Friday, after...
5 months ago
New campaign to make your Tube journey cheaper
The Off Peak Fridays trial ends this Friday, after which pay as you go single fares will return to their original peak values every weekday. But cheaper travel for deserving Londoners remains one of the key mission goals of the...
Spoon & Tamago
Shimmering Glass Plates Make You Feel Like You’re Eating Off Water Droplets
It’s said that shutter speeds of around 1/1000th of a second are necessary to really capture the...
a year ago
It’s said that shutter speeds of around 1/1000th of a second are necessary to really capture the detail of moving water in photography. So you can imagine the technical challenge of accurately capturing water as a three-dimensional object. Product designer Masahiko Tanoue has...
Cheese and Biscuits
Restaurant Dominic Chapman, Henley-on-Thames
This isn't going to be a very long post because, well, it wasn't a very long lunch. Sometimes you...
5 months ago
This isn't going to be a very long post because, well, it wasn't a very long lunch. Sometimes you want to spend all day cooing over a tasting menu, getting through way too many bottles of wine and ending up leaving just as the next set of guests are arriving for dinner. Sometimes...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Ultimate Guide for Solo Travelers: Exploring This Beach Destination
5 months ago
diamond geezer
Exiting Noak Hill
I said I wasn't going to make a habit of this, and I'm not, but I've ticked off two more.
The...
7 months ago
I said I wasn't going to make a habit of this, and I'm not, but I've ticked off two more.
The black ticks are all the crossings I've crossed and the latest two are the pair just northeast of Noak Hill. I walked out of one and back in via the other. In the middle were...
Spoon & Tamago
Kenji Yanobe’s BIG CAT BANG is Now on Display at Ginza Six
Space cats in astronaut suits, ultraman figurines reenacting the beginning of the universe, and a...
7 months ago
Space cats in astronaut suits, ultraman figurines reenacting the beginning of the universe, and a tribute to Taro Okamoto’s iconic Statue of the Sun sculpture. There’s a lot to love about artist Kenji Yanobe’s new installation, BIG CAT BANG, and it’s now on view to the public...
Cheese and Biscuits
YiQi, Chinatown
As any self-respecting 2024 London restaurant-goer knows, the trend in Asian cuisine is towards...
6 months ago
As any self-respecting 2024 London restaurant-goer knows, the trend in Asian cuisine is towards regional specification. You're not just Thai, you're Northern Thai/Isarn. You're either selling Tokyo ramen or Sapporo Miso or Kyoto-style Kaiseki. And if you're Chinese, are you...
diamond geezer
London's waymarked walks
London's waymarked walks
(i.e. they have signs showing you the way to go)
(n.b. fabulous...
6 months ago
London's waymarked walks
(i.e. they have signs showing you the way to go)
(n.b. fabulous Londonwide map here)
The Premier League
(i.e. important enough to be listed on the TfL website)
Capital Ring: 75 miles, 15 sections [blogged✔]
Full directions courtesy of the Inner...
Spoon & Tamago
Myaku-Myaku Footwear, Inspired by the Googly-Eyed Mascot for the Osaka Expo
Myaku-Myaku, the unsettling googly-eyed humanoid that was selected as the 2025 Osaka Expo, has...
7 months ago
Myaku-Myaku, the unsettling googly-eyed humanoid that was selected as the 2025 Osaka Expo, has inspired numerous spinoffs, both official and unofficial. And with exactly 1 year to go before the Expo, we should all expect to see a lot more. The latest iteration comes in the form...
diamond geezer
The news from Barking and Dagenham
Yesterday I went to the Becontree estate to take some photos of its churches. Then I added those...
4 months ago
Yesterday I went to the Becontree estate to take some photos of its churches. Then I added those photos to yesterday's post about churches on estates. I didn't add this photo, even though it was my favourite.
This is St Cedd's in Becontree. It has a lovely postwar copper roof...
diamond geezer
The longest distance you can walk underneath
I was in Arnos Park yesterday, a large and pleasant park in Enfield just to the north of Arnos Grove...
6 months ago
I was in Arnos Park yesterday, a large and pleasant park in Enfield just to the north of Arnos Grove station. It has two prominent physical features, one of which is the Pymmes Brook which was flowing fairly strongly after all that rain we've had. The other is the Arnos Park...
Spoon & Tamago
120 Koinobori Flutter in Sabagawa River
photo courtesy Sabogawa Koinobori Kawanagashi Association Around this time of year, Japan becomes...
a year ago
photo courtesy Sabogawa Koinobori Kawanagashi Association Around this time of year, Japan becomes decorated with scenes of fish fluttering in the sky. Known as koinobori, the carp streamers are an important celebration of Children’s Day, which is on May 5th, and is one of the...
Cheese and Biscuits
Lulu's, Herne Hill
Thank the lord for the lengthening days, for lifting the spirits and lightening the mood and - most...
a year ago
Thank the lord for the lengthening days, for lifting the spirits and lightening the mood and - most importantly from my point of view - dramatically improving the quality of food photography on this blog. I'm sure Lulu's would be a lovely, cozy little spot even in the depths of...
Cheese and Biscuits
Nanyang Blossom, Knightsbridge
For better or worse, every moment spent eating out in London is an education, and on a warm Tuesday...
4 months ago
For better or worse, every moment spent eating out in London is an education, and on a warm Tuesday evening last week I went to Knightsbridge to learn about Nanyang cuisine. It has a somewhat fluid definition, as these things often do, but generally refers to food from SE China...
diamond geezer
Bletchley to Bedford for £1
This is England's best value rail ticket.
£1.
Why? What is going on here? Explain!
Marston Vale...
5 months ago
This is England's best value rail ticket.
£1.
Why? What is going on here? Explain!
Marston Vale line, a minor branch line which has been suffering from an embarrassing lack of rolling stock recently. It was supposed to be operated by three converted District line trains -...
Cheese and Biscuits
Ploussard, Battersea
As much as I complained on these pages that all the exciting new restaurants were opening up not...
a year ago
As much as I complained on these pages that all the exciting new restaurants were opening up not handily close to where I live in SW11, but in far-flung places like Dalston or Shoreditch or Highgate, part of me still hoped that something would eventually come along to prove me...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Family-Friendly Vacations on Alabama's Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
a year ago
Spoon & Tamago
Japanese Aqarium’s Flowchart Illustrates the Complex Relationships of Their Penguins
the Kyoto Aqarium’s 2020 Penguin Relationship Flowchart Penguins, the way they waddle around and...
a year ago
the Kyoto Aqarium’s 2020 Penguin Relationship Flowchart Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto...
Spoon & Tamago
Icoma Foldable Electric Bike Inspired by Japanese Transformable Toys
The moment we saw this foldable electric bike, something awakened our inner child. We couldn’t quite...
a year ago
The moment we saw this foldable electric bike, something awakened our inner child. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it bit it was a feeling akin to seeing a brand new toy in a toy shop. It turns out that the origin story of the Icoma Electric Bike is very much a part of...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Discover the Artistic Side of Aspen: A Guide for Culture Lovers
6 months ago
diamond geezer
Cheam Charter Fair
Every year on May 15th the people of Cheam hold a charter fair.
Also much of the above may not be...
6 months ago
Every year on May 15th the people of Cheam hold a charter fair.
Also much of the above may not be true.
Firstly there is no evidence that Henry III granted a charter to Cheam in 1259 or in any other year. Tradition says he did but no historical records exist to confirm this,...
Cheese and Biscuits
Solo, Aughton
When I was first out of university, trying to decide what to do with my life, and with no long term...
8 months ago
When I was first out of university, trying to decide what to do with my life, and with no long term plan other than the fact I knew - eventually - I wanted to move to London and stay there, I got a job as a cashier at Ormskirk Abbey National. Ormskirk is ostensibly a market town,...
Spoon & Tamago
A VHS Cafe is Opening in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa Neighborhood
Despite it’s image of neon lights and cyberpunk mystique propagated by the west, Tokyo is very much...
a year ago
Despite it’s image of neon lights and cyberpunk mystique propagated by the west, Tokyo is very much a mash-up of old and new. It’s a city where Tower Records is still alive and well. Where vinyl record and vintage clothing shops have to employ crowd control measures. And where a...
Cheese and Biscuits
64 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia
The first thing we were given to eat at 64 Goodge Street was a little plate of truffle-cream...
4 months ago
The first thing we were given to eat at 64 Goodge Street was a little plate of truffle-cream gougères topped with shaved Comté. These turned out to be important for two reasons - firstly, they weren't on the menu and as unannounced bonus extra dishes go you could hardly do more...
Spoon & Tamago
The Watermelon Kimono is the Perfect Summer Outfit
Summer in Japan is not summer in Japan without festivals and watermelon. So if you’re looking to...
5 months ago
Summer in Japan is not summer in Japan without festivals and watermelon. So if you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe with some playful pieces that celebrate the season, as well as festival-appropriate outfits, look no further than the watermelon kimono – a juicy take on a...
Spoon & Tamago
A Temporary Rooftop Forest Replaces Fukuoka’s Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine During Renovations
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, one of Japan’s most-historically and culturally significant shrines, will...
a year ago
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, one of Japan’s most-historically and culturally significant shrines, will undergo a massive renovation beginning in May of 2023. And for three years the honden main hall will be completely closed off to the roughly 10 million visitors who come to the...
Spoon & Tamago
Kirie Artist Lito Celebrates Tanabata with Handcut Leaves
Today is Tanabata (七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”), a Japanese festival celebrating the...
4 months ago
Today is Tanabata (七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”), a Japanese festival celebrating the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi. According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh...
diamond geezer
Unblogged June
30 unblogged things I did in June
Sat 1: Kept bumping into Spanish and German football fans all over...
4 months ago
30 unblogged things I did in June
Sat 1: Kept bumping into Spanish and German football fans all over parts of London nowhere near where the Champions League final would be taking place. It's amazing how far a stadiumful spreads out. Dortmund had by far the better kit, and by far...
Spoon & Tamago
Kawazu Cherry Blossoms in Shizuoka Now in Full Bloom
The Kawazu-Zakura cherry blossoms If you’re sick of winter and ready for spring, head to Shizuoka’s...
9 months ago
The Kawazu-Zakura cherry blossoms If you’re sick of winter and ready for spring, head to Shizuoka’s Kawazu City, the host of one of Japan’s earliest cherry blossom festivals. The Kawazu-zakura cherry blossoms are known for blossoming early and some trees are already beginning to...
Spoon & Tamago
Forest Crayons Derived Solely From a Different Species of Tree Native to Japan
Forest Crayons are a set of 10 crayons, each with a color derived solely from a different species of...
4 months ago
Forest Crayons are a set of 10 crayons, each with a color derived solely from a different species of tree native to Japan such as cedar, hazenoki and katsura. Designed by Saki Maruyama and Daniel Coppen of Studio Playfool, the crayons manage to repurpose Japan’s otherwise wasted...
diamond geezer
Unblogged March (true)
31 unblogged things I did in March (true version)
Fri 1: I can't believe another constituency has...
7 months ago
31 unblogged things I did in March (true version)
Fri 1: I can't believe another constituency has elected George Galloway as its MP (actually I can, mine once did, because politics repeatedly proves you can fool enough of the people some of the time).
Sat 2: Yes I watched the...
Londonist
Things To Do This Weekend In London: 6-7 April 2024
Last-chance exhibitions, an ice hockey weekender, and a miniature railway.
7 months ago
Last-chance exhibitions, an ice hockey weekender, and a miniature railway.
Spoon & Tamago
Photographer Meticulously Recreates Images of Chickens Painted by Edo-Era Artist Ito Jakuchu
Edo-era painter Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) excelled at capturing the flora and fauna of the natural...
5 months ago
Edo-era painter Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) excelled at capturing the flora and fauna of the natural world, a skill that extended to remarkable depictions of birds. In particular, chickens were a common theme for the artist and it was said that Jakuchu owned many of them, and allowed...
diamond geezer
A nice walk
A Nice Walk: Suburban circuit (¾ mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too...
6 months ago
A Nice Walk: Suburban circuit (¾ mile)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, a bit of a stroll, easily reached, pretty flowers, running water, hidden secrets, occasional benches, refreshment opportunity, entirely step-free, won't take long. So here's...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Discover Nine Ways to be Present in Los Angeles.
8 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Noma’s New Pop Up by OEO Studio in Kyoto
All images ©Kotaro Tanaka courtesy OEO Studio OEO Studio, a Copenhagen-based design firm, has...
a year ago
All images ©Kotaro Tanaka courtesy OEO Studio OEO Studio, a Copenhagen-based design firm, has recently completed the interiors of Noma Kyoto, a pop-up dining in Japan in collaboration with Ace Hotel. The 250 sqm existing dining space has been transformed under the guidance of...
Spoon & Tamago
The Asuke II Cruise Ship is a Floating Museum of Traditional Craftwork
Over 50 pieces of traditional craftwork (dento kogei) are on display on the Asuka II cruise ship for...
5 months ago
Over 50 pieces of traditional craftwork (dento kogei) are on display on the Asuka II cruise ship for a project organized by the Japan Kogei Association, a Tokyo-based group comprising artisans nationwide, and Anchor Ship Partners Co., a shareholder of the company that operates...
Spoon & Tamago
Hokusai-Inspired Erasers Reveal Mt. Fuji the More They Get Used
Erasers are usually used to delete mistakes. And as they get worn down, they become dirty or harder...
5 months ago
Erasers are usually used to delete mistakes. And as they get worn down, they become dirty or harder to hold. By nature, they are not fun to use. But Japanese stationery fim PLUS is on a mission to reverse that mentality with erasers inspired by the iconic woodblock prints of...
Spoon & Tamago
The Evolution of Meiji Era Craftsmanship, On Full Display in Tokyo
It’s hard to overstate the cataclysmic impact that the Meiji Restoriation had on Japan. The Meiji...
a year ago
It’s hard to overstate the cataclysmic impact that the Meiji Restoriation had on Japan. The Meiji period, defined as the period between 1868 and 1912, followed what was nearly 300 years of almost complete isolation from the globe. Craftsmen and artists who had previously served...
diamond geezer
Green Link Walk 2
Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st...
8 months ago
Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try here, if you need an app try here, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try here, and if you're reading this several months in the future try...
Spoon & Tamago
A Glimpse Inside the Whimsical Wooden Miniature Homes of Yukihiro Akama
Artist Yukihiro Akama is set to unveil his largest exhibition to date, ‘Basho no Kankaku – A Sense...
8 months ago
Artist Yukihiro Akama is set to unveil his largest exhibition to date, ‘Basho no Kankaku – A Sense of Place,’ at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP).
Related posts:
Whimsical Wooden Automata by Kazuaki Harada
A Wooden Cabin Constructed Locally in the Mountains of Japan Using a 3D...
diamond geezer
439
In March 2020 TfL published a Croydon Bus Study, a 54 page examination of the local bus network and...
8 months ago
In March 2020 TfL published a Croydon Bus Study, a 54 page examination of the local bus network and how it might need to change in response to proposed development, particularly to the south of Croydon. Essentially it said "if more people are going to live here they'll need...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Eco-Friendly Cruise Activities for Nature Lovers
5 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Cafe Kitty, Soho
For someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about and reading about restaurants, I...
3 months ago
For someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about and reading about restaurants, I consider it a personal failing that I didn't connect Cafe Kitty (Soho) with Kitty Fisher's (Mayfair) until it came up in conversation about halfway through dinner. In my defence,...
diamond geezer
Vine Street
VINE
STREET
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
VINE STREET
Colour group: orange
Purchase price:...
4 months ago
VINE
STREET
£200
London's Monopoly Streets
VINE STREET
Colour group: orange
Purchase price: £200
Rent: £16
Length: 40m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1
In this year-long feature my aim has been to write just over 1000 words about each of the properties on the Monopoly...
Londonist
Tulips In London: When And Where To See Them In And Around The Capital
Who needs Amsterdam?
7 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Post-Apocalyptic Illustrations of Tokyo in Ruins
Shinjuku Station – the road has collapsed on the South side of the station, revealing pools of blue...
a year ago
Shinjuku Station – the road has collapsed on the South side of the station, revealing pools of blue water that have formed on the train tracks Stories about the collapse of civilization and order—apocalyptic stories—endlessly seduce us. As terrifying as the real thing would...
diamond geezer
Why did they say that?
This post is about announcements I’ve heard on TfL services recently.
The announcements split into...
8 months ago
This post is about announcements I’ve heard on TfL services recently.
The announcements split into two groups.
a) Why did they say that?
b) Why did they say that now?
Why did they say that?
"Customers using the escalators are advised to carry pets at all times"
[Whitechapel...
Spoon & Tamago
Undercover’s Jun Takahashi Lights up Paris Fashion Week with Glowing Terrarium Dresses
images courtesy Undercover Flora and fauna were abound as designer Jun Takahashi’s fertile...
a year ago
images courtesy Undercover Flora and fauna were abound as designer Jun Takahashi’s fertile creativity was unleashed during Paris Fashion Week 2023. The designer’s iconic brand Undercover, equally revered as a cult name in streetwear and as a fixture on Paris’ haute couture...
Spoon & Tamago
Hyper Realistic Pencil Drawings of Metallic Objects by Kohei Ohmori
Something must have come over me, says Kohei Ohmori, reflecting on the 280 hours or roughly 5 months...
4 months ago
Something must have come over me, says Kohei Ohmori, reflecting on the 280 hours or roughly 5 months spent drawing a hyper realistic composition of a metallic bolt and nut using just pencils. The 30-year old artist, who has publicly discussed his struggles with OCD (obsessive...
diamond geezer
Green Link Walk 3
Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st...
8 months ago
Let's return to London's newest official walkway, the Green Link Walk, which was launched on 1st March. If you need a map try here, if you need an app try here, if you want 45 pages of walking instructions try here, and if you're reading this several months in the future try...
Spoon & Tamago
The New Simose Art Garden Villa: Where Art & Hospitality Meet at the Sea
All images © Simose Art Museum Stretching over an area of 4.6 hectares and situated alongside the...
a year ago
All images © Simose Art Museum Stretching over an area of 4.6 hectares and situated alongside the picturesque Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima is the Simose Art Garden Villa. Designed by architect Shigeru Ban (previously), the newly opened destination comprises ten villas, a...
Londonist
Where To Watch Dickens' A Christmas Carol On Stage In London, 2023
From traditional retellings to drunk adaptations.
a year ago
From traditional retellings to drunk adaptations.
Spoon & Tamago
New Rent-Free Apartments Aspire to Support Budding Manga Artists
a rendering of Manga Apartment VUY, for which occupancy will begin in March 2025 For many years, a...
3 months ago
a rendering of Manga Apartment VUY, for which occupancy will begin in March 2025 For many years, a model has existed in Japan in which subsidized housing supports manga artists who are early in their career and have not yet established an audience. One of the earliest was the...
Spoon & Tamago
Discarded Tatami Mats are Reborn as Contemporary Furniture
Tatami mats are traditional Japanese flooring made from sewn-together igusa grass. But despite their...
a year ago
Tatami mats are traditional Japanese flooring made from sewn-together igusa grass. But despite their lovely aroma and natural resistance to mold, their usage has consistently declined as modern consumers opt for more contemporary living choices. The Tatami ReFab Project is an...
AFAR Media - Travel...
What to Eat, Do, and See, and Where to Stay, in Maine
3 months ago
diamond geezer
I've been to see some art
I've been to see some art.
Art West: Serpentine Gallery
Many's the time I've traipsed to the...
5 months ago
I've been to see some art.
Art West: Serpentine Gallery
Many's the time I've traipsed to the middle of Kensington Gardens only to be underwhelmed. Thankfully this time it was well worth the effort.
Yinka Shonibare CBE: Suspended States (until 1 September)
Yinka did the...
Spoon & Tamago
Osaka Celebrates Star Festival with River of 40,000 LED Lights Evoking the Milky Way
The Okawa River, which runs through central Osaka, was lit up on Friday with 40,000 LED lights...
a year ago
The Okawa River, which runs through central Osaka, was lit up on Friday with 40,000 LED lights floating down the river as they evoked the celestial milky way. The surreal scene was part of a celebration of Tanabata, or the Star Festival, which is a major summer festival in Japan...
diamond geezer
London's biggest power stations
The square after Pall Mall on the Monopoly board is the Electric Company. It would be too...
7 months ago
The square after Pall Mall on the Monopoly board is the Electric Company. It would be too overfamiliar to visit Tate Modern and Battersea Power Station, plus neither of them still generate electricity, so I'm not going there. Instead I've identified the five largest power...
Londonist
Sadiq Promises 'Bakerloop' Express Bus Route
Mirroring the proposed Bakerloo line extension.
7 months ago
Mirroring the proposed Bakerloo line extension.
AFAR Media - Travel...
Upgrading to Lufthansa Allegris’ New Business Class
3 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Tolerance Poster Show Debuts in Japan
The Tolerance traveling poster show is a socially driven initiative that asks prominent designers...
a year ago
The Tolerance traveling poster show is a socially driven initiative that asks prominent designers from around the world to create artworks with the word Tolerance in their language. The exhibition, which leverages art & design to spread its powerful message of respect for...
Cheese and Biscuits
Toba, St James
It's a strange part of town, is St James. Essentially a lesser-known southern extension of Mayfair,...
a year ago
It's a strange part of town, is St James. Essentially a lesser-known southern extension of Mayfair, it's barely a half mile square and yet contains quite a high density of fancy hotels (Duke's, the Stafford, the Ritz), private members' clubs and the odd royal palace. Whereas some...
Spoon & Tamago
Tenohira Hanabi Let’s You Enjoy Sparklers in the Palm of Your Hand
Senko hanabi, literally meaning ‘incense fireworks,’ are small and subtle sparklers that are packed...
4 months ago
Senko hanabi, literally meaning ‘incense fireworks,’ are small and subtle sparklers that are packed with about 10 seconds of delicate pyrotechnics. Typically sold alongside other handheld fireworks, the unspoken rule is that senko hanabi are reserved for the grand finale....
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Relax and Eat Seafood in Corpus Christi, TX
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Stratford & Bow
All the candidates for the upcoming General Election are now in place, so I thought I'd have a look...
5 months ago
All the candidates for the upcoming General Election are now in place, so I thought I'd have a look to see who mine are.
approximately equal electorates, which is terrible news for Wales (which is losing eight MPs) and good news for London (which is gaining two). Tower Hamlets...
AFAR Media - Travel...
6 Reasons To Travel by Private Yacht in Croatia
9 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Oren, Dalston
Mumbling and grumbling during my journey to Dalston the other night, as the 38 bus did an average...
a year ago
Mumbling and grumbling during my journey to Dalston the other night, as the 38 bus did an average speed of just less than walking pace all the way from Holborn in the pouring rain, just helped to highlight how I end up travelling to some parts of town for dinner over and over...
Cheese and Biscuits
Crocadon, Cornwall
Great restaurants often involve a great journey, and the journey to Crocadon, for everyone involved,...
a year ago
Great restaurants often involve a great journey, and the journey to Crocadon, for everyone involved, staff and guests, is greater than most. Dan Cox was head chef at Fera at Claridges when I last sampled his cooking, and although the restaurant eventually turned out to be a bit...
Spoon & Tamago
Breeze Bird Cafe & Bakery in Kamakura is Situated Along the Enoden Train Line
photos by Katsuhiro Aoki courtesy Same Picture Company For all that’s written and said about the...
a year ago
photos by Katsuhiro Aoki courtesy Same Picture Company For all that’s written and said about the difficulty of starting a business in Japan, there is one exception. The country’s lax zoning laws make it particularly easy to convert a section of your home into a cafe or eatery....
Londonist
Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs Getting A Glow-Up - As Part Of Huge Park Revamp
Italian Terraces will also be restored and replanted with wildflowers.
8 months ago
Italian Terraces will also be restored and replanted with wildflowers.
Spoon & Tamago
Experience Japanese Tea Time at Home With Sakuraco
many thanks to Sakuraco for sponsoring Spoon & Tamago this week! Sakuraco is a monthly subscription...
a year ago
many thanks to Sakuraco for sponsoring Spoon & Tamago this week! Sakuraco is a monthly subscription box with an emphasis on Japan’s tradition of tea and wagashi. Each month subscribers receive a specially-curated and seasonally appropriate assortment of authentic snacks. But it’s...
Cheese and Biscuits
Bossa, Marylebone
I don't know whether it's by design or sheer accident that Bossa, a brand new Brazilian restaurant...
a year ago
I don't know whether it's by design or sheer accident that Bossa, a brand new Brazilian restaurant from chef Alberto Landgraf, has landed right next door to the Brazilian embassy. But it felt very appropriate walking under a giant Brazilian flag up to the front steps of Bossa -...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Garden Museum Café, Lambeth
Beautiful 15th century Lambeth Palace is a strange London landmark - widely recognisable, with a...
9 months ago
Beautiful 15th century Lambeth Palace is a strange London landmark - widely recognisable, with a stately position Thames-side and passed by a number of busy bus routes, it is nevertheless very rarely visited, most of the main structures off-limits as the Archbishop of...
Spoon & Tamago
The Unforgettable Landscapes of Ippan Nakamura’s World of Illustrations
All images courtesy of Nakamura Ippan | used with permission Nakamura Ippan, a non-binary artist...
a year ago
All images courtesy of Nakamura Ippan | used with permission Nakamura Ippan, a non-binary artist known for their web comic series ‘Jimocoro‘ and ‘Minna no Gohan‘, held their first solo exhibition last month in Tokyo. Art enthusiasts had the opportunity to witness Nakamura’s...
Londonist
London's Going Snowdrop Crazy This Month - Here's Where To See Them
The flower that's about to take over your Instagram feed.
10 months ago
The flower that's about to take over your Instagram feed.
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Kessler Collection Hotels with Art in the Southern U.S.
3 months ago
diamond geezer
Old Bexley & Sidcup
I've not been especially balanced in my recent reporting of the capital.
• Yesterday I went to...
5 months ago
I've not been especially balanced in my recent reporting of the capital.
• Yesterday I went to Carpenters Road in the constituency of Stratford & Bow where Labour's Uma Kumaran is going to walk it.
• The day before I went to Ham in the constituency of Richmond Park where Liberal...
diamond geezer
London's most terminussy bus terminus
I won't keep you long today.
Let's answer a dull question.
Which London bus terminus has the most...
6 months ago
I won't keep you long today.
Let's answer a dull question.
Which London bus terminus has the most terminating routes?
See, half of you can head off already.
This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
It used to be easy when TfL made bus maps.
I made myself a list...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Devonshire, Soho
There's no avoiding the fact, and there's no point dancing around it. There's no need for lengthy,...
a year ago
There's no avoiding the fact, and there's no point dancing around it. There's no need for lengthy, thoughtful or measured arguments; no sense in analysing the details. There needs to be no slow and steady building of a case, culminating in a grand and weighty conclusion. The...
The Forney Flyer
Our Summer Plans up in the Air... And a Motorcycle Adventure from Late Last Year
I mentioned in a recent letter that we sent to many of you, that you should check this blog for the...
over a year ago
I mentioned in a recent letter that we sent to many of you, that you should check this blog for the latest updates regarding our plans to be in the U.S. briefly this summer. Well, as you can imagine, those plans are totally muddled right now because of all the Covid-19 related...
Spoon & Tamago
A Struggling Regional Train Line Turns its Cars into a Photo Gallery to Boost Ridership
the winning photograph of the Koumi Line photo contest There are numerous tiny train lines across...
a year ago
the winning photograph of the Koumi Line photo contest There are numerous tiny train lines across Japan that are a dying breed. One of those is the Koumi Line, which connects Kobuchizawa Station in Yamanashi with Komoro Station in Nagano. The picturesque line, despite its views...
Cheese and Biscuits
Caravel, Regent's Canal
It makes perfect sense that with London commercial property rents sky-high, wiley restaurateurs...
a year ago
It makes perfect sense that with London commercial property rents sky-high, wiley restaurateurs should look further afield and towards quirkier, more unusual spaces to set up shop. I have had mixed experiences dining on a boat (the London Shell Company: great fun; our office Xmas...
Spoon & Tamago
Step Into a World of Contemporary Japanese Art at New Exhibition in New York
a series of washi paper prints by artist takayuki. o “Stepping Into A World” is a the 5th in a...
9 months ago
a series of washi paper prints by artist takayuki. o “Stepping Into A World” is a the 5th in a series of juried open call exhibitions aimed at showcasing undiscovered Japanese artists and integrating them into the forefront of the global art scene. The exhibition, which includes...
The Forney Flyer
View From My Office Window
I never cease to be awed by the beauty and diversity of God's creation. Over the years, I've...
over a year ago
I never cease to be awed by the beauty and diversity of God's creation. Over the years, I've flown/worked in quite a number of regions/countries, and had the unique privilege of enjoying many awesome landscapes in some of the most remote and isolated parts of the world... and...
diamond geezer
The 20 year-old 2016 tube map
20 years ago this week TfL published a map of what their transport network might look like in...
4 months ago
20 years ago this week TfL published a map of what their transport network might look like in 2016.
(technically it was 20 years ago last week, but the actual anniversary was election day and we were all otherwise occupied)
The map has obviously disappeared from the TfL...
diamond geezer
Election triplepoint
The General Election has seen Labour strengthen its hold over the capital with 59 MPs, while the...
4 months ago
The General Election has seen Labour strengthen its hold over the capital with 59 MPs, while the Liberal Democrats have doubled their total to 6 and the Conservatives slumped to just 9. The electoral map of London is thus almost all red, with a yellow bloc to the southwest and a...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Vacation to Corpus Christi, TX in the Fall
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Unblogged May
31 unblogged things I did in May
Wed 1: The latest exhibition at The Curve gallery at the Barbican...
5 months ago
31 unblogged things I did in May
Wed 1: The latest exhibition at The Curve gallery at the Barbican is dark and almost empty apart from 20 scant full-frontal paintings. I completely missed the subtext ("The exhibition highlights how The Curve’s shape reflects the Arabic letter...
Spoon & Tamago
Tamatsukuri Kindergarten’s Renewed Circular Campus Fosters Inquisitive Learning and an Appreciation...
Tamatsukuri Kindergarten is a school for early-learning that is located in a forested region of...
a year ago
Tamatsukuri Kindergarten is a school for early-learning that is located in a forested region of Japan’s Chiba prefecture. For over 40 years the school has dedicated itself to nourishing the souls, minds and bodies of its pupils. In 2022, the school decided to renew its main...
Londonist
Seek Out 25 Colourful Guide Dog Sculptures In Canary Wharf
We've heard of a glossy coat but this is ridiculous...
7 months ago
We've heard of a glossy coat but this is ridiculous...
Cheese and Biscuits
Speedboat Bar, Soho
It's been a very long time since I did my post-University trip to SE Asia (yes, I am a cliché, I...
a year ago
It's been a very long time since I did my post-University trip to SE Asia (yes, I am a cliché, I know) and although this was 2001 (I am also old) and years before I thought about starting a food blog (in fact probably years before the first blog even existed) I remember being...
diamond geezer
Silver Jubilee
In May 2004 I wrote a month-long series called Silver Jubilee to celebrate the 25th anniversary of...
6 months ago
In May 2004 I wrote a month-long series called Silver Jubilee to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Jubilee line. I believe in playing the long game, so today I'm reviving the feature to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Jubilee line extension.
So here's what I wrote...
Cheese and Biscuits
Zapote, Shoreditch
One of the best things about being in San Diego twice a year (apart from the zoo... and seeing the...
a year ago
One of the best things about being in San Diego twice a year (apart from the zoo... and seeing the family of course) is its proximity to the Mexican border and to Tijuana. Mexico's second largest city is home to a breathtaking variety of restaurants at all price points, from...
Londonist
Things To Do In London Over Easter Weekend 2024
Eggs, bunnies and the Passion of Jesus.
8 months ago
Eggs, bunnies and the Passion of Jesus.
Spoon & Tamago
Go See 5.3 Million Baby Blue Eye Flowers at Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan
photo by teerayut hiruntaraporn Japan’s cherry blossoms usually get all the attention for their...
a year ago
photo by teerayut hiruntaraporn Japan’s cherry blossoms usually get all the attention for their short-lived beauty. But equally ephemeral are Japan’s Nemophila, or Baby Blue Eyes. And once a year, around late April to Early May, an astounding sea of 5.3 million of these little...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Union, Rye
Over the last, I don't know, ten or fifteen or so years - certainly since the expansion of the St...
a year ago
Over the last, I don't know, ten or fifteen or so years - certainly since the expansion of the St John universe but also since places like Lyle's and the Sportsman and the Draper's Arms spread their wings - a kind of consensus has appeared on what constitutes a Modern British...
Spoon & Tamago
Repurposing Japan’s Glut of Empty Homes as Greenhouses
The coronavirus pandemic had a drastic and immediate impact on Yuichiro Shimizu’s taxi business. As...
a year ago
The coronavirus pandemic had a drastic and immediate impact on Yuichiro Shimizu’s taxi business. As early as January 2020, Nichiei Taxi, a local business that has been servicing Saitama prefecture for over 50 years, saw their revenue drop by a staggering 80%. To save the company,...
Londonist
Bits Of London That Aren't In The Bit Of London They Say They Are In, But In Another Bit Of London
If you see what we mean.
7 months ago
diamond geezer
Your Social Media Calendar for November
Your Social Media Calendar for November
Hurrah it's November which can mean only one thing.......
a year ago
Your Social Media Calendar for November
Hurrah it's November which can mean only one thing.... Christmas is here! It's time once again to pimp up your feeds, boost the brands and push the festive content. But have you remembered all the important marketing angles and have you...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Visit Corpus Christi, TX for Beaches and Outdoor Adventure
4 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Keep Cool This Summer With the Komorebi Uchiwa
Komorebi (木漏れ日) is one of those uniquely untranslatable Japanese words. It means “sunlight filtering...
5 months ago
Komorebi (木漏れ日) is one of those uniquely untranslatable Japanese words. It means “sunlight filtering through the tree leaves” and embodies a poetic appreciation for nature and its changing seasons. Capturing that aesthetic, and embedding it into a beautiful handheld fan (uchiwa),...
Spoon & Tamago
Fruit, Not What it Appears to be in Artfully Arranged Compositions by Yuni Yoshida
I like to eat apples and bananas. Yuni Yoshida, the creative director known for her mind-bending...
a year ago
I like to eat apples and bananas. Yuni Yoshida, the creative director known for her mind-bending visual illusions, likes to alter them, creating visually arresting compositions that make you look, and then look again. Often incorporating food into her work, Yoshida has an ongoing...
Londonist
An Airport In Hyde Park? It Could Have Happened
1920s proposal envisaged a VERY central aerodrome.
a year ago
1920s proposal envisaged a VERY central aerodrome.
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Outdoor Adventures Near Marriott Hotels in Florida
4 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
OMA, Borough Market
Dave Carter, a big friendly giant of a man with a completely impenetrable Barbadian accent, began...
4 months ago
Dave Carter, a big friendly giant of a man with a completely impenetrable Barbadian accent, began his London restaurant journey at Smokestak, the hugely influential East London BBQ joint. Smokestak, together with a tiny handful of other brave pioneers around the same time...
Cheese and Biscuits
The London Shell Co., Highgate
The first time I went to the London Shell Co., I hated it. This was nothing to do with the food, and...
a year ago
The first time I went to the London Shell Co., I hated it. This was nothing to do with the food, and everything to do with my aversion to anything boaty, and being trapped on one for the best part of 2 1/2 hours as it punted around the dark, damp Regent's canal in the middle of...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Audley, Mayfair
I ended up in the Audley, newly refurbished and reimagined gastropub in Mayfair, rather by accident...
over a year ago
I ended up in the Audley, newly refurbished and reimagined gastropub in Mayfair, rather by accident on Saturday, and I'm afraid I didn't set out with my usual forensic (ha!) bloggery attitude to proceedings. I wasn't planning on having lunch out at all, but walking down Mount St...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Pelican, Notting Hill
While I think the Top 50 Gastropub list is largely great, every year when it's announced there is...
a year ago
While I think the Top 50 Gastropub list is largely great, every year when it's announced there is the same grumbling about how some of the nominated places are best described as 'restaurants that operate out of a pub building' than pubs. I have long argued that to be considered...
Londonist
Best Of Londonist: 1-7 April 2024
Our top stories from the last seven days.
7 months ago
Our top stories from the last seven days.
Spoon & Tamago
Japan’s Jimi ‘Mundane’ Halloween Costumes of 2023
Ah, it’s Halloween weekend. And that means it’s time for our favorite Japanese festival Jimi...
a year ago
Ah, it’s Halloween weekend. And that means it’s time for our favorite Japanese festival Jimi Halloween, where people dress up in costumes so mundane they have to be explained. The tradition was started in 2014 by a group of adults at Daily Portal Z who “kind of wanted to...
Spoon & Tamago
Tamiya’s New Plamodel Factory in Tokyo is a Model Maker’s Paradise
Photos by Daici Ano and Tomoyuki Kusunose, courtesy Torafu Architects Tamiya, perhaps the most...
4 months ago
Photos by Daici Ano and Tomoyuki Kusunose, courtesy Torafu Architects Tamiya, perhaps the most recognized brand name in the modeling industry, recently opened a new flagship facility in the Shimbashi Toranomon area of Tokyo. Dubbed the Tamiya Plamodel Factory, the shiny new...
diamond geezer
The Taylor Swift tube map
The most important event of the summer, if publicity is to be believed, is the arrival of Taylor...
5 months ago
The most important event of the summer, if publicity is to be believed, is the arrival of Taylor Swift to play eight gigs at Wembley Stadium. Taylor, as you'll be aware, is a billionaire singer from West Pennsylvania whose hit canon includes Shake It Off and several lesser known...
Spoon & Tamago
Art & Coffee: Our Favorite Museum Cafes Across Japan
Come for the art, stay for the coffee. Japan’s numerous museums offer a little bit of everything....
a year ago
Come for the art, stay for the coffee. Japan’s numerous museums offer a little bit of everything. Whether it’s cutting edge, contemporary art in Tokyo or a tiny museum in the countryside dedicated to a single sculptor, seeking them out is always rewarding. What’s also rewarding...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Terrace, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
The Terrace restaurant in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight is situated not just handily near the ferry...
over a year ago
The Terrace restaurant in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight is situated not just handily near the ferry terminal, but literally on top of it, the outside dining area (or Terrace, if you will) regularly enveloped in shade as the giant Lymington ferry pulls alongside. This means that...
Cheese and Biscuits
Manifest, Liverpool
Some restaurants just make it all look so easy. From the moment you walk into the room to the moment...
a year ago
Some restaurants just make it all look so easy. From the moment you walk into the room to the moment you pay up and leave, everything about the experience at Manifest is just so effortlessly polished, professional and enjoyable, and pitched at such reasonable prices, that it's...
diamond geezer
Anorak Corner - bus edition
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual...
a year ago
Anorak Corner [bus edition] (annual update)
Once again TfL have silently published their annual spreadsheet listing the number of passengers using every London bus route and how many kilometres those buses travelled. Data is for April 2022 - March 2023. Comparisons are with the...
Spoon & Tamago
Elongated Engawa Defines this Community Welfare Center in Chiba
As Japan’s population continues to grow older—one in 10 residents are aged 80 or above—care for the...
a year ago
As Japan’s population continues to grow older—one in 10 residents are aged 80 or above—care for the elderly becomes an increasingly important issue. And while elderly populations are typically seen as a burden, there are places around rural Japan that offer glimpses of a more...
Cheese and Biscuits
Papi, London Fields
"We'll need your table back in an hour and a half, is that OK?"
Still, there's a lot to like...
a year ago
"We'll need your table back in an hour and a half, is that OK?"
Still, there's a lot to like about Papi. It's one of those places where you want to order everything on the menu, and as the menu isn't that huge, if you take a couple of friends along you probably can. We...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Fat Crab, Clapham
One of the best things about being a food blogger in London, and especially as one that has been...
a year ago
One of the best things about being a food blogger in London, and especially as one that has been going as bloody long as I have, is that you generally get to see each of the great global cuisines, or at least global restaurant styles, tackled increasingly successfully. There's...
AFAR Media - Travel...
7 Articles on Adventure and Wellness in the Nordic Countries
3 months ago
The Forney Flyer
MAF Liberia
A few weeks ago I was asked to pop over to Liberia (on the west coast of Africa) to help with their...
over a year ago
A few weeks ago I was asked to pop over to Liberia (on the west coast of Africa) to help with their flying for six weeks. Our Liberia program has been short on pilots and very busy with flying, so of course I was happy to help!
Above is a shot of a bunch of Covid vaccines...
Spoon & Tamago
Manga Artist Hirohiko Araki Pays Tribute to Osaka Station’s History and Culture with New Public Art...
Osaka Station just got a little more bizzare. Manga artist Hirohiko Araki, known best for his epic...
3 months ago
Osaka Station just got a little more bizzare. Manga artist Hirohiko Araki, known best for his epic saga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, has installed his first-ever public art piece at Osaka Station’s West Gate. Titled “Fountain Boy,” the circular, back-lit sculpture pays homage to the...
diamond geezer
Rail & Heritage Loop
A Nice Walk?: Rail & Heritage Loop (18 miles)
Buro Happold, in association with social enterprise...
3 months ago
A Nice Walk?: Rail & Heritage Loop (18 miles)
Buro Happold, in association with social enterprise Footways, have just launched a new circular walking route linking 10 central London rail termini. It's not meant for speedy connections, more for recreational wandering, and ticks...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Theme Parks, Festivals, and More in Florida
4 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Guide to D.C. for Music Lovers by Local Musician Neffy
6 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Designed by Kengo Kuma, Kiki’s Museum of Literature to Open in Tokyo
Fans of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” will be delighted to learn that a new museum dedicated to...
a year ago
Fans of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” will be delighted to learn that a new museum dedicated to children’s book author Eiko Kadono will open in Tokyo. Designed by architect Kengo Kumo, the three-story Kiki’s Museum of Literature will be located inside Nagisa Park, which is situated...
Londonist
The Top Exhibitions To See In London: April 2024
From Caravaggio to Antony Gormley.
7 months ago
From Caravaggio to Antony Gormley.
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why you should visit Story Parlor in Asheville, NC
10 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Peckham Cellars, Peckham
Though it's always flattering to be invited to try the latest and greatest of London restaurants,...
over a year ago
Though it's always flattering to be invited to try the latest and greatest of London restaurants, and more often than not I'm happy to play a part in the tricky first few weeks of a new operation to help get it off the ground, or to refocus attention on an established place...
Spoon & Tamago
Japanese Designer New Year’s Cards of 2024
It’s been a rough start to the new year for Japan as one disaster begets another. We are of course...
10 months ago
It’s been a rough start to the new year for Japan as one disaster begets another. We are of course talking about the evolving situation at Haneda airport, as well as the Noto Peninsula. Our hearts go out to everyone affected but we also want to highlight the many heroes of the...
The Forney Flyer
Congratulations Hannah!
Congratulations Hannah! We are so proud of you!
over a year ago
Congratulations Hannah! We are so proud of you!
Spoon & Tamago
Make Daily Life Comical With Manga Sound Effects
These acrylic manga sound effects are the perfect item to introduce some comical playfulness into...
a year ago
These acrylic manga sound effects are the perfect item to introduce some comical playfulness into your room or office. Need to drop off a stack of documents for your coworker to review? The ドーン sound effect accentuates the weight and intimidation of the pile. Want to show off you...
Cheese and Biscuits
The White Horse, Churton
Churton is not a place you're supposed to have heard of, so don't feel bad if you haven't. Unlike...
a year ago
Churton is not a place you're supposed to have heard of, so don't feel bad if you haven't. Unlike its larger, and lets face it more attractive, neighbour Farndon with its pretty medieval half-timbered cottages and 14th century church tower, or Tattenhall to the east, another...
Spoon & Tamago
City and Forest Living in a Unique Concrete Log House
All images © Ichiro Mishima courtesy IKAWAYA Architects Merging the organic with the inorganic;...
a year ago
All images © Ichiro Mishima courtesy IKAWAYA Architects Merging the organic with the inorganic; walking the fine line between indoors and outdoors, is a predominant theme in contemporary Japanese architecture. One of the latest iterations is from architect Atsushi Ikawaya, who...
Londonist
Best Of Londonist: 25 September-1 October 2023
The best articles from the past week.
a year ago
The best articles from the past week.
The Forney Flyer
Nineteen Years of Joy, and Counting!
Nineteen years ago today, I married my best friend, Joy.
One year later our first child was...
over a year ago
Nineteen years ago today, I married my best friend, Joy.
One year later our first child was born...
... and well before his first birthday, we were commissioned by our church to head to the mission field. That was 17 years ago, and we've spent the vast majority of our...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Barn at Moor Hall, Ormskirk
In restaurants that offer both an A La Carte and parallel set menu I often play a bit of a thought...
3 months ago
In restaurants that offer both an A La Carte and parallel set menu I often play a bit of a thought experiment. If there was no such separation of options, and if all the dishes available were priced evenly on the same list, which would I end up going for?
Set menus (usually,...
diamond geezer
It's all downhill from here
It's all downhill from here.
This set of freak circumstances is never going to happen again. A...
4 months ago
It's all downhill from here.
This set of freak circumstances is never going to happen again. A Conservative party proven long-term incompetent by a sequence of abysmal Prime Ministers, a last minute intervention by Nigel Farage draining support away from the right, the Lib Dems...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Ways to Experience Minnesota's Scandinavian Heritage
6 months ago
The Forney Flyer
Subsistence Living, Way Back When
Well, it's been forever since I've posted and I won't even begin to make excuses. But before I try...
over a year ago
Well, it's been forever since I've posted and I won't even begin to make excuses. But before I try to start posting stuff from East Africa, I figured I'd finish that series I had started over a year ago about Way Back When we used to live just north of the Arctic Circle in...
Cheese and Biscuits
Black Salt, Sheen
For most restaurants, no matter how lofty their ambitions or discerning the clientele, sheer...
over a year ago
For most restaurants, no matter how lofty their ambitions or discerning the clientele, sheer practical market forces will be the driving force behind at least one or two dishes, whether it's the chic Northern gastropub reluctantly offering fish and chips and a burger alongside...
The Forney Flyer
Rain Rain Go Away...
This past year has been by far the wettest year since we've been in Uganda. Last year we had a very...
over a year ago
This past year has been by far the wettest year since we've been in Uganda. Last year we had a very short dry season, and then the rains came again with extra vengeance. The second, shorter, dry season that is supposed to come about half way through the year--well it basically...
Londonist
Best Of Londonist: 25-31 March 2024
Catch up with the best Londonist articles from the past week.
7 months ago
Catch up with the best Londonist articles from the past week.
Londonist
Bush Hall: Live Music At Historic West London Venue Under Immediate Threat
Four months to save the Shepherd's Bush icon.
8 months ago
Four months to save the Shepherd's Bush icon.
Londonist
Pubs With Real Fires In London: Cosy Up With A Pint By These Roaring Fireplaces
Updated for winter 2023!
a year ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
Spring Vacation at This Historic Arizona Hotel
8 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
The Rose, Deal
A stroll along the High Street in Deal reveals a town very much at the forefront of the wider...
a year ago
A stroll along the High Street in Deal reveals a town very much at the forefront of the wider Kentish food revolution. There seem to be more than the usual number of artisan butchers and fishmongers for what is otherwise a fairly small (albeit very quaint) seaside town. There's a...
diamond geezer
2X 60Y 60Z
In my quest to find London's highest-lettered house I've already found a U, V and some Ws.
18U...
a year ago
In my quest to find London's highest-lettered house I've already found a U, V and some Ws.
18U Brondesbury Park (NW6 7DL)
55V The Bishops Avenue (N2 0BJ)
1W-51W Rosebery Square (EC1R 4PT)
2X Chesterford Gardens (NW3 7DE)
We're in Hampstead amid the leafy avenues on the...
The Forney Flyer
Recent Stuff
A few weeks ago we (fellow MAF pilot Andrew and I) landed at Amudat airstrip for the first time in a...
over a year ago
A few weeks ago we (fellow MAF pilot Andrew and I) landed at Amudat airstrip for the first time in a very long time (below).
Over the past year and a half quite a few of the upcountry airstrips in Uganda (especially in Karamoja) deteriorated so badly that we had to stop using...
The Forney Flyer
And Here We Go Trying Yet Again...
There are so many good reasons/excuses I could give you as to why I did just one blog post last...
over a year ago
There are so many good reasons/excuses I could give you as to why I did just one blog post last June, with indications that I would start consistently blogging again, and then I disappeared... again. I could tell you that life has been super crazy busy, and that by...
Londonist
Belgravia In Bloom 2024: Flower Arches And Sculptures Pop Up In West London
It's all fun and games this year - that's the theme!
7 months ago
It's all fun and games this year - that's the theme!
The Forney Flyer
From the Flight Line
Here's some random shots from the flight line. First, one of our Cessna 208B Grand Caravans taking...
over a year ago
Here's some random shots from the flight line. First, one of our Cessna 208B Grand Caravans taking off from our home airstrip in Kajjansi, Uganda. This aircraft is now serving in Liberia.
I've always loved watching the sky and the weather. Last week I was out of the city and...
The Forney Flyer
Flood Relief Flying
You may remember that I mentioned in a previous blog post a few weeks ago, that there had been...
over a year ago
You may remember that I mentioned in a previous blog post a few weeks ago, that there had been severe floods in Western Uganda (and other parts of the country) in early-mid May. Well, several weeks later, we were given special permission by various authorities to fly relief...
Londonist
Exciting News For London Art Lovers!
A special offer just in time for the Easter holidays
8 months ago
A special offer just in time for the Easter holidays
AFAR Media - Travel...
This Luxury Hotel Brand Helps Protect and Preserve the Ocean
a year ago
Cheese and Biscuits
40 Maltby Street, Bermondsey
40 Maltby Street sits alongside places like Quality Chop House and the French House in that special...
a year ago
40 Maltby Street sits alongside places like Quality Chop House and the French House in that special category of restaurants used as a kind of shorthand amongst food-obsessed types in order to prove they know what they're talking about. Like Quality Chop House and the French...
The Forney Flyer
Life Under Lockdown in Uganda
Hey folks. Several of you have been asking how things are going for us over here in Uganda,...
over a year ago
Hey folks. Several of you have been asking how things are going for us over here in Uganda, considering how disruptive the Covid-19 stuff has been worldwide. Well, since my previous blog post (on March 24th) Uganda has basically gone under a virtual lockdown. I took these two...
Cheese and Biscuits
Nord, Liverpool
In a town that already plays host to wonderful places like Wreckfish and Manifest, you'd think that...
a year ago
In a town that already plays host to wonderful places like Wreckfish and Manifest, you'd think that the opening of another reasonably-priced, seasonal modern British restaurant in the centre of Liverpool would be a shoo-in for success. With demand already proven for this kind of...
Spoon & Tamago
Senko Hanabi Earrings are the Perfect Summer Accessory
Summer in Japan is not summer in Japan without fireworks. The tradition originated over 280 years...
a year ago
Summer in Japan is not summer in Japan without fireworks. The tradition originated over 280 years ago as a means of warding off epidemics and today, no matter where you are in Japan, you can be sure to encounter fireworks festivals both large and small. And while the grand...
The Forney Flyer
Latest from Uganda
Here's a picture taken while I was doing an early morning pre-flight inspection 2 days ago, on...
over a year ago
Here's a picture taken while I was doing an early morning pre-flight inspection 2 days ago, on Sunday, on a remote strip in South Sudan.
It's not normal for us to do flights on Sundays, but we've had an aircraft stuck in that location for a long time now, requiring some TLC...
AFAR Media - Travel...
3 Great California Travel Itineraries to Inspire Anyone
9 months ago
diamond geezer
TfL FoI requests in May 2024
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in May 2024
1) The three Elizabeth line ticket offices...
5 months ago
20 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in May 2024
1) The three Elizabeth line ticket offices which sold the fewest tickets in 2023 were Acton Main Line (2736), Hanwell (3375) and Maryland (4037). That's about 10 tickets per day.
2) The installation of new brighter lighting...
diamond geezer
Pudding Mill Lane 10
The DLR's youngest station is ten years old today.
Pudding Mill Lane opened on 28th April 2014...
6 months ago
The DLR's youngest station is ten years old today.
Pudding Mill Lane opened on 28th April 2014 and remains unnecessarily enormous.
Caveat: The station which opened 10 years ago was a rebuild paid for by Crossrail, because the original sat on the precise site where purple...
Londonist
The Crazy Clown Church Service That Happens In Hackney Every February
Send in the clowns!
9 months ago
The Forney Flyer
More From Liberia
I've really been enjoying being busy helping with the MAF flight operations in Liberia.
Shortly...
over a year ago
I've really been enjoying being busy helping with the MAF flight operations in Liberia.
Shortly after I landed at a remote location one day, our other aircraft, piloted by Ulrich Müeller, also landed (below) at the same airstrip.
I was about to load up two medical patients...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Guide to Washington D.C. by Local Band Everyday Everybody
6 months ago
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Family-Friendly Travel Guide to Minneapolis, MN
6 months ago
Londonist
Tram Strikes And Engineering Works Will Affect Network Heavily In March and April 2024
Disruption double whammy.
8 months ago
Disruption double whammy.
Cheese and Biscuits
Bouchon Racine, Farringdon
Such is the cyclical nature of these things, trends in food or clothing or plenty of other areas...
a year ago
Such is the cyclical nature of these things, trends in food or clothing or plenty of other areas besides will, given long enough, find themselves fading in and out of favour. There was a time, within living memory, when French cuisine was considered the gold standard of...
The Forney Flyer
Rib Day - 2 Year Anniversary Celebration!
Two years ago, on October 17th, this happened...
Long story short, I got knocked off my...
over a year ago
Two years ago, on October 17th, this happened...
Long story short, I got knocked off my motorcycle by a drunk driver, and then a different vehicle, a large Toyota Landcruiser (SUV) promptly drove over me, right across my torso. I should have died right then and there, and...
The Forney Flyer
Making the Most of Being Stuck
I'm taking a quick break from the series I was doing about our past, to update you on what's going...
over a year ago
I'm taking a quick break from the series I was doing about our past, to update you on what's going on here right now.
I mentioned a while back that I would update you regarding our summer plans when we knew more. Well, the uncertainty has persisted throughout the summer, so I...
Londonist
There Are So Many Swan Lakes Coming To London This Summer
The Year of the Swan.
7 months ago
diamond geezer
Bakerloop
An exciting new express bus is on its way if the Mayor is re-elected, which he obviously will be, so...
7 months ago
An exciting new express bus is on its way if the Mayor is re-elected, which he obviously will be, so an exciting new express bus is on its way.
All aboard the Bakerloop!
If I’m re-elected - a new Express bus will help Londoners get between Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road,...
Londonist
Another Free Quentin Blake Exhibition In April
The master illustrator is back.
7 months ago
The master illustrator is back.
Spoon & Tamago
Craft Your Own Salt From Over 600 Varieties at this New Salt Specialist in Tokyo
unless otherwise noted, all photos by Takeshi Shinto This summer, a unique store opened in Tokyo....
2 months ago
unless otherwise noted, all photos by Takeshi Shinto This summer, a unique store opened in Tokyo. Located just a few steps away from Tokyo Sky Tree is “Guruguru Shakashaka,” a salt specialty store that lets you explore 600 varieties of salt and then blend your own. Equally unique...
Spoon & Tamago
Japan Society Presents a Festival of New Japanese Film
this post is sponsored by Japan Society From July 26-Aug 6, Japan Society is presenting the 16th...
a year ago
this post is sponsored by Japan Society From July 26-Aug 6, Japan Society is presenting the 16th annual JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film. This year’s festival, which marks the first fully in-person JAPAN CUTS since 2019, features over 25 films from major blockbusters to...
The Forney Flyer
Heading North, Way Back When...
As promised, I'm continuing from my previous post about way back when...
After I graduated from...
over a year ago
As promised, I'm continuing from my previous post about way back when...
After I graduated from University and flight school, we briefly moved to Oregon as we prepared for future, cross-cultural work/ministry. That fall I had the opportunity to go on a short vision trip to a...
The Forney Flyer
Northern Scenery, Way Back When...
Today I'm returning to the "Way Back When..." series, highlighting some of the surreal beauty we...
over a year ago
Today I'm returning to the "Way Back When..." series, highlighting some of the surreal beauty we enjoyed in the boreal forests of the far north.
Obviously most of these photos feature frigid beauty. That's because it was cold and snowy/icy much of the year. Also, there were...
The Forney Flyer
Random Shots from the Phone
This post features a few random shots from the iPhone. Some are from my very old iPhone 5s, that...
over a year ago
This post features a few random shots from the iPhone. Some are from my very old iPhone 5s, that recently died. And some are from the refurbished iPhone 8 that replaced it. As a photographer, I don't buy into the concept that phone cameras will ever totally replace 'real'...
Londonist
Walking With The Snowman: Free Art Trail Comes To Fleet Street This Christmas
We're walking in the aaaiiiiiiir.
a year ago
We're walking in the aaaiiiiiiir.
Spoon & Tamago
Isometric Drawings of Sento, Kissaten and other Japanese Establishments by Honami Enya
rendering of the Takara-yu sento in Tokyo Japanese illustrator Enya Honami uses a style of...
3 months ago
rendering of the Takara-yu sento in Tokyo Japanese illustrator Enya Honami uses a style of architectural rendering known as isometric drawings to faithfully recreate cross-sections of Japanese public bathhouses, or sento. Honami is a skilled draughtswoman by trade, having...
Cheese and Biscuits
Pied à Terre, Fitzrovia
Since the closure of Le Gavroche, Pied à Terre is now the London restaurant which has held at least...
5 months ago
Since the closure of Le Gavroche, Pied à Terre is now the London restaurant which has held at least one Michelin star for the longest time. It first won the accolade shortly after it opened back in 1991, a time when fine dining meant French dining, and the term "gastropub" was...
The Forney Flyer
Way Back When
Our flying has been quite slow lately because of the Covid-19 situation. I have, however, recently...
over a year ago
Our flying has been quite slow lately because of the Covid-19 situation. I have, however, recently done several maintenance and test flights from our home airstrip, which as you can see, is about half underwater from the high levels of Lake Victoria. In fact, this is better than...
Londonist
Best Of Londonist: 18-24 September 2023
A tube map for planes, a street with four names - plus a really silly interview.
a year ago
A tube map for planes, a street with four names - plus a really silly interview.
diamond geezer
Crossing the river news
Crossing the river news
Silvertown Tunnel toll news
have been announced. They're not called tolls,...
4 months ago
Crossing the river news
Silvertown Tunnel toll news
have been announced. They're not called tolls, they're called user charges, but we all know what they are. The tolls will also apply to the Blackwall Tunnel from the day the Silvertown Tunnel opens which is expected to be...
Londonist
57 Magnificent Things To Do In London This Month: March 2024
Art fairs, Comic Con, the Boat Races, and other March events.
8 months ago
Art fairs, Comic Con, the Boat Races, and other March events.
Cheese and Biscuits
Evernight, Battersea
Knowing we would be having dinner at Evernight I thought aperitifs at Homeboy Battersea, just around...
a year ago
Knowing we would be having dinner at Evernight I thought aperitifs at Homeboy Battersea, just around the corner in the same building, would be a nice way to kick off the evening. I was at Homeboy a couple of years ago just after it had opened, was treated to a very decent burger...
Spoon & Tamago
An Ethereal Bubble Emerges from a Japanese Townhouse in New Art Installation by MAD Architects
photos by Osamu Nakamura In Niigata prefecture’s Murono Village, a surreal scene has unfolded…or...
4 months ago
photos by Osamu Nakamura In Niigata prefecture’s Murono Village, a surreal scene has unfolded…or should I say, inflated? From the rear of an abandoned townhouse a colossal, semi-transparent bubble has emerged, immediately transforming the quiet village into what could easily be...
diamond geezer
Bus of the day 167
Bus Route Of The Day
167: Ilford to Loughton
Quadrant: London northeast
Length of journey: 8 miles,...
4 months ago
Bus Route Of The Day
167: Ilford to Loughton
Quadrant: London northeast
Length of journey: 8 miles, 50 minutes
Because it's 16th July I've been out riding the 167, because that's the Bus Route Of The Day. Let's hit the Home Counties.
167 extends far enough to properly enter...
diamond geezer
Basingstoke
Gadabout: BASINGSTOKE
Basingstoke is a large town in north Hampshire, roughly halfway along the M3...
4 months ago
Gadabout: BASINGSTOKE
Basingstoke is a large town in north Hampshire, roughly halfway along the M3 motorway. It's simultaneously ancient and modern, a traditional market town selected by the London County Council for substantial postwar expansion which saw its population increase...
Londonist
WrapUp London: Donate Your Unused Coat To Someone Who Needs It This Winter
A small gesture goes a long way 🙂
a year ago
A small gesture goes a long way 🙂
Londonist
"Wretched, Frightful, Monstrous" - How London's Iconic Landmarks Were First Reviewed
Inc. some serious shade thrown on Tower Bridge.
7 months ago
Inc. some serious shade thrown on Tower Bridge.
diamond geezer
Unofficial tube map news 1
Three weeks ago a pasta-delivery company announced they'd be giving away free pasta outside five...
a year ago
Three weeks ago a pasta-delivery company announced they'd be giving away free pasta outside five tube stations on October 25th to celebrate World Pasta Day. This is the kind of marketingbolx that various media platforms adore, and Time Out, Metro, Secret London, AOL, MSN and the...
Spoon & Tamago
Close-up Photographs of Sumo Wrestlers Evoke Mountain Ranges Shrouded in Fog
Last month, the 107th High School Kanazawa City Sumo Tournament was held. The event has been held...
a year ago
Last month, the 107th High School Kanazawa City Sumo Tournament was held. The event has been held annually for over 100 years and attracts spectators locally but also from across Japan. But for the past 3 years, because of covid restrictions, the event had been held without...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Embark on island-hopping adventures and explore ancient wineries in Croatia
9 months ago
Spoon & Tamago
Yoko Tada Began Painting in her 80s. At 100 She’s Publishing Her First Book
“natsu no prelude” (prelude of the summer) by Yoko Tada won honorable mention last year from the...
a year ago
“natsu no prelude” (prelude of the summer) by Yoko Tada won honorable mention last year from the Japan Watercolor Association The painter Yoko Tada is having what some would call “a moment.” Last year her work was recognized by the Japan Watercolor Association, an organization...
diamond geezer
London's largest common
What's London's largest common?
In particular it depends on what common land is. The Open Spaces...
10 months ago
What's London's largest common?
In particular it depends on what common land is. The Open Spaces Society says this.
"Common land is land that has an owner but over which other people have the right to use and take away certain natural produce. These people, known as commoners,...
diamond geezer
World Cup of London Walks
The best thing about the creation of the Green Link Walk is that it brings the number of Walk London...
7 months ago
The best thing about the creation of the Green Link Walk is that it brings the number of Walk London walks to eight.
So let's do it, let's bring on the WORLD CUP OF LONDON WALKS.
Two rivers: Thames Path v Lea Valley Walk
Two greens: Green Chain Walk v Green Link Walk
Two...
Londonist
Buck's Fizz: How The Perennially Festive Drink Was Invented In A Mayfair Club
It's over 100 years old.
11 months ago
Cheese and Biscuits
Kolae, Borough Market
Everywhere you look the cost of living crisis bites, and few areas is that more evident than the...
10 months ago
Everywhere you look the cost of living crisis bites, and few areas is that more evident than the restaurant industry. If you're a regular anywhere you will have noticed your favourite dishes and tipples creeping up 10%-20% every few months, seemingly in an existential race with...
Cheese and Biscuits
Restaurant of the Year 2022 - The Bridge Arms, Canterbury
Since the madness of the Covid Times, you may have noticed that the rate of posting on this blog has...
a year ago
Since the madness of the Covid Times, you may have noticed that the rate of posting on this blog has slowed down a bit. Where I used to try and do 6 or 7 posts a month, and with that obviously stopping completely while there was nothing open to review, I have since found that 2...
Londonist
Support A Great Cause At The Guildhall's Spectacular Christmas Market!
Festive feasting, fantastic gifts, and medieval grandeur.
a year ago
Festive feasting, fantastic gifts, and medieval grandeur.
diamond geezer
Unwritten
Seven posts that I considered writing today but they were going nowhere so I didn't finish...
a year ago
Seven posts that I considered writing today but they were going nowhere so I didn't finish them
What's the lowest numbered A road you've never driven on?
Wow didn't it just get cold?
the temperature in my living room for three years. I note the indoor temperature first thing...
Spoon & Tamago
Oimachi’s New Shopping Oasis Coexists with the Mountains and Sea
All images © Osamu Morishita Architect and Associates Built on reclaimed land that seamlessly blends...
a year ago
All images © Osamu Morishita Architect and Associates Built on reclaimed land that seamlessly blends the expanse of the sea with the majestic mountains, ‘See-Sea Park‘ is a new commercial complex spanning over an area of 10,800 square meters in Oimachi, Fukui. The structure aims...
The Forney Flyer
Still Here... Again.
Folks, I'm still alive! I don't just mean that figuratively, I mean it literally. It seem like I've...
over a year ago
Folks, I'm still alive! I don't just mean that figuratively, I mean it literally. It seem like I've made a lot of excuses on this blog over the past year, for the chunks of time where I seem to disappear for a while. Well, this time I really had a good excuse!
Last October I...
diamond geezer
Stratford station has a new entrance
Stratford station has a new entrance.
Gibbins Road entrance and for most passengers it's of no use...
4 months ago
Stratford station has a new entrance.
Gibbins Road entrance and for most passengers it's of no use whatsoever.
Stratford station has a new entrance.
by the end of March but it didn't. It was due to open in May but it didn't. It's looked finished for ages but it clearly wasn't...
diamond geezer
100 tuts and a sigh
100 tuts and a sigh
beside the litter bin? Why is your basket on wheels completely blocking the...
6 months ago
100 tuts and a sigh
beside the litter bin? Why is your basket on wheels completely blocking the aisle? Why did you set the ringer on your phone to maximum volume? Who rotated the Cyclists Beware sign so traffic can't read it? Why has nobody rotated the sign back to where it...
diamond geezer
Vehicle registration letters
My latest numberplate-spotting game, as I said yesterday, is trying to spot all the pairs of letters...
9 months ago
My latest numberplate-spotting game, as I said yesterday, is trying to spot all the pairs of letters at the start of a vehicle registration plate.
I tried spotting L-pairs over the weekend - a dozen attempts in various parts of town for roughly fifteen minutes each. The dark...
diamond geezer
Pall Mall
PALL MALL
£140
London's Monopoly Streets
PALL MALL
Colour group: pink
Purchase price:...
7 months ago
PALL MALL
£140
London's Monopoly Streets
PALL MALL
Colour group: pink
Purchase price: £140
Rent: £10
Length: 500m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: SW1
Pall Mall is the first of the pinks, all of which lead off Trafalgar Square, and a classically posh street to boot. At less...
diamond geezer
Good / Not Good
GOOD
NOT GOOD
7 months ago
diamond geezer
grumpytutters
Modern life, eh, it's not what it was. People are so badly behaved these days, they get away with so...
a year ago
Modern life, eh, it's not what it was. People are so badly behaved these days, they get away with so much and it's incredibly irritating. So many things aren't as good as they should be because rules are ignored, adults are selfish, children have no respect, officials are...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Trips to Lesser-Know Destinations by Discover Corps
11 months ago
diamond geezer
The best value London sightseeing bus
The best value London sightseeing bus
It's hard to get an objective opinion. If you head to the...
3 months ago
The best value London sightseeing bus
It's hard to get an objective opinion. If you head to the Visit London website it turns out they have an affiliate deal with Golden Tours and promote them heavily at the top of their list, with two other operators tucked a long way down and...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Fort Myers: Your Gateway to Unforgettable Outdoor Adventures
5 months ago
diamond geezer
Horizon 22
These are great times for going up very tall buildings. Last month 8 Bishopsgate opened its rooftop...
a year ago
These are great times for going up very tall buildings. Last month 8 Bishopsgate opened its rooftop viewing platform to the public, free of charge, and on Wednesday 22 Bishopsgate followed suit. Its viewing platform is called Horizon 22, and at 254m above ground level it's two...
Londonist
A Free Bowie Exhibition In London's Golden Fitzrovia Chapel
A London Day lands in March.
9 months ago
A London Day lands in March.
diamond geezer
QEOP 10
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is 10 years old this weekend. A chunk of the North Park opened more...
7 months ago
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is 10 years old this weekend. A chunk of the North Park opened more quickly in the summer after the Games but the rest was only fully revealed on 5th April 2014, including all the good stuff round the Stadium. This was the moment that created a...
The Forney Flyer
Living up North, Way back When
Here's a shot of the little village where we lived for several years. It was nestled on the banks of...
over a year ago
Here's a shot of the little village where we lived for several years. It was nestled on the banks of the Koyukuk River, just above the Arctic Circle, not too far South of Gates of the Arctic National Park. There were no roads to the village. You could only get there by airplane...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Biltmore Arizona: an Iconic Southwest Resort
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Ruby Tuesday Drive
As unexpected street names go, this is right up there.
And there are ten more where that came...
6 months ago
As unexpected street names go, this is right up there.
And there are ten more where that came from.
Dartford not far from the QE2 Bridge. We're in Dartford because that's where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grew up, met and went on to form the Rolling Stones. And we're here...
diamond geezer
Rooms Through TIme
The Museum of the Home in Hoxton has evolved again. It used to be the Geffrye Museum, a linear...
4 months ago
The Museum of the Home in Hoxton has evolved again. It used to be the Geffrye Museum, a linear celebration of historic middle-class interiors. In 1998 it extended beyond the almshouses into a loopy extension with cafe and gift shop. In 2021 they added a thematic basement, shifted...
Spoon & Tamago
The Conran Shop, A New Chapter For Hillside Terrace by Keiji Ashizawa Design
All images courtesy of Keiji Ashizawa Design Since opening its London flagship in 1973, The Conran...
a year ago
All images courtesy of Keiji Ashizawa Design Since opening its London flagship in 1973, The Conran Shop has been a go-to destination for all things contemporary design. And in their latest chapter, the curated shop welcomes you to its new space in Hillside Terrace, a relaxing...
Spoon & Tamago
Minimal and Tranquil Charcoal Drawings by Masahiko Minami
“TRYST” (2021) by Masahiko Minami. Charcoal and mixed-media on wood panel Masahiko Minami works with...
3 months ago
“TRYST” (2021) by Masahiko Minami. Charcoal and mixed-media on wood panel Masahiko Minami works with charcoal and graphite to create minimalist landscapes in dramatic contrast. At once both familiar and foreign, the landscapes present a tension between absence and depth,...
Cheese and Biscuits
Maresco, Soho
Shall we get the inevitable comparisons out of the way first? Yes, there's more than a little...
a year ago
Shall we get the inevitable comparisons out of the way first? Yes, there's more than a little influence from the Hart Bros' Barrafina group of restaurants on display here at Maresco, a bright and bustling new arrival on the streets of Soho. There's a raw bar groaning with...
Spoon & Tamago
Spoon & Tamago’s Most-Popular Posts of 2023
It’s an annual tradition at casa Spoon & Tamago to reflect on the year that was by taking a look...
11 months ago
It’s an annual tradition at casa Spoon & Tamago to reflect on the year that was by taking a look back at the posts that resonated the most with our readers. In doing so, we try to make sense of the year which, for Japan, was very much a year of homecoming. Japan felt like...
diamond geezer
Random Grid Square TQ2492
Greater London contains around 2000 National Grid squares, each 1km by 1km in size. What I like to...
3 months ago
Greater London contains around 2000 National Grid squares, each 1km by 1km in size. What I like to do, very occasionally, is pick one at random, visit it and write about what's there.
Which random grid square did I pick? TQ2492
Where is it? Frith Manor in the borough of Barnet,...
Spoon & Tamago
Discover Fukui Sake Along the Kuzuryu River at Eshikoto
all images courtesy Furuya Design Eshikoto is a brand created by Nizaemon Ishidaya, proprietor of...
a year ago
all images courtesy Furuya Design Eshikoto is a brand created by Nizaemon Ishidaya, proprietor of the Kokuryu Sake Brewery which was founded in 1804 in the mountains of Fukui. With a motto not dissimilar to the famous quote from Field of Dreams–”if we make good sake, people will...
diamond geezer
Unlocking QEOP
Ten years ago, when Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park fully opened, I showed you this graphic showing all...
7 months ago
Ten years ago, when Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park fully opened, I showed you this graphic showing all the pedestrian entrances into the park. It wasn't an official list, simply those I'd spotted, numbered in an anti-clockwise direction starting from Westfield.
greens were...
Spoon & Tamago
Death Fes in Shibuya Asks Visitor to Embrace Their End
images courtesy Death Fes April 14th is the unofficial “day of good death” in Japan. The date 4-1-4...
7 months ago
images courtesy Death Fes April 14th is the unofficial “day of good death” in Japan. The date 4-1-4 can be pronounced yo-i-shi, or good death, making today the perfect day to kick-off the Death Fes, an event aimed at encouraging people to think and talk about their inevitable...
Spoon & Tamago
A Spoon & Tamago Guide to Ishikawa Prefecture
this post was sponsored by the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau This travel guide originally...
10 months ago
this post was sponsored by the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau This travel guide originally appeared in February 2023 and ever since Covid restrictions were lifted, Ishikawa prefecture has seen a steady climb in tourism. However, the tragic Noto Earthquake at the beginning of...
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