diamond geezer
Tractor Tax Protest
Thousands of farmers, countryfolk and their supporters were in central London yesterday to protest...
22 hours ago
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...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Winter Resorts and Activities in Central Minnesota
6 days ago
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
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
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...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Alberta’s Best Nature Escapes for Adventurous Travelers
a week ago
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...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Discover Portugal’s Wellness Havens with TAP Air’s Stopover
a week ago
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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
Oxford Street
OXFORD
STREET
£300
London's Monopoly Streets
OXFORD STREET
Colour group: green
Purchase price:...
2 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
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....
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...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
diamond geezer
Ted Lasso in Richmond
A Nice Walk: Ted Lasso (1 kilometre)
Richmond as seen on Ted Lasso, nowhere near enough to make a...
a month ago
A Nice Walk: Ted Lasso (1 kilometre)
Richmond as seen on Ted Lasso, nowhere near enough to make a day of it but a nice walk all the same.
n.b. I'm walking the route suggested on page 26 of the Visit Richmond Guide 2024/2025
Turn left out of the station and cross the road at...
Spoon & Tamago
Five Things To Look Forward to at the 2025 World Expo Japan Pavilion
The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, slated to take place in Osaka, is just 6 months away. Taking place...
a month ago
The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, slated to take place in Osaka, is just 6 months away. Taking place from April 13 to October 13, 2025, the expo aims to be a participatory, experiential, solutions-oriented exposition, offering the world an opportunity to come together in one place to...
diamond geezer
RP1
London's Free Buses
RP1: Richmond Park circular
Length of journey: 12 miles, 90 minutes
the RP1, a...
a month ago
London's Free Buses
RP1: Richmond Park circular
Length of journey: 12 miles, 90 minutes
the RP1, a minibus service organised by the Royal Parks to provide accessible transport through and around Richmond Park. Just because you can't get around easily any more, why should you miss...
Spoon & Tamago
The New 12 Kanda Co-Working Space Supports Small Businesses
all photos by Toshiyuki Yano Right across the Kanda River from Akihabara Station is 12 Kanda, a new...
a month ago
all photos by Toshiyuki Yano Right across the Kanda River from Akihabara Station is 12 Kanda, a new co-working space dedicated to supporting small businesses and startups. A visually eye-catching building, it features multiple stories with different forms and functions stacked on...
diamond geezer
847
London's Free Buses
847: Stratford to Here East
Length of journey: 1 mile, 7 minutes
shuttle bus...
a month ago
London's Free Buses
847: Stratford to Here East
Length of journey: 1 mile, 7 minutes
shuttle bus that runs up and down the Olympic Park and has done since May 2017. It may therefore come as a surprise to hear that I've never previously ridden it, especially as it's very close to...
diamond geezer
It's official
Journalists working at various media portals are under increasing pressure to churn out more and...
a month ago
Journalists working at various media portals are under increasing pressure to churn out more and more stories because the more they write the more page views they get. Clickbait isn't going away any time soon. But a trope that's sadly gathering more prominence lately is a...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Lufthansa Strives to for More Eco-Friendly Air Travel
a month ago
diamond geezer
Random Bexley Footpath
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things to do in Wood End. Roadworks at the Bow...
a month ago
I worry sometimes that my content isn't niche enough. Things to do in Wood End. Roadworks at the Bow Roundabout. A walk along the Burnt Oak Brook. So today I'm going all-out niche in an attempt to dampen interest even further. Welcome to Random Bexley Footpath.
All Outer London...
Cheese and Biscuits
Xi Home Dumplings Bay,
I often like to look up the situation of restaurants I'm heading out to on Google Streetview, just...
a month ago
I often like to look up the situation of restaurants I'm heading out to on Google Streetview, just so I know what to expect when I get off the bus and lessen (though not completely mitigate) the chance I might head off in completely the wrong direction. I wouldn't recommend doing...
diamond geezer
The Smudge of Remembrance
n.b. All the photos in this post were taken this week.
The Smudge of Remembrance
This key project...
a month ago
n.b. All the photos in this post were taken this week.
The Smudge of Remembrance
This key project is called The Smudge of Remembrance and has been comprehensively curated to create spectral moments of commemoration firmly rooted in the everyday.
Some iterations are almost...
Cheese and Biscuits
Camille, Borough Market
Some restaurants just make it look so easy, don't they? The menu at Camille is so enticing, with...
a month ago
Some restaurants just make it look so easy, don't they? The menu at Camille is so enticing, with unusual eye-catching ingredients prepared in exciting and distinctive ways, that it's almost enough to spoil any other dining experience by default, and it makes you wonder if they...
diamond geezer
The zone 1 challenge
It's time once again to go on a pointlessly challenging train journey.
How many zone 1 stations can...
a month ago
It's time once again to go on a pointlessly challenging train journey.
How many zone 1 stations can you travel through without repeating any?
And there are 72 zone 1 stations altogether, so it's going to be a long journey.
It's perhaps best to think of the question as...
Spoon & Tamago
An Exhibition of Plushie, Small Disappointments
An onigiri smushed at the bottom of your bag. Water splashing off a spoon. Burnt toast. Life is full...
a month ago
An onigiri smushed at the bottom of your bag. Water splashing off a spoon. Burnt toast. Life is full of small disappointments. But helping us see the humor in it all is Makosun, a Japanese maker of weird plushies—their words, not ours—who renders all these small disappointments...
diamond geezer
Piccadilly
PICCADILLY
£280
London's Monopoly Streets
PICCADILLY
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price:...
a month ago
PICCADILLY
£280
London's Monopoly Streets
PICCADILLY
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £280
Rent: £22
Length: 1400m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1/SW1
Piccadilly leads from the West End to the west of town and is one of London's older roads. The eastern half was...
Spoon & Tamago
In an Appeal to Young Workers, a Manufacturing Company Steps Away from Obscurity
all photos by Takumi Ota courtesy Schemata Architects For decades, Japanese manufacturers have...
a month ago
all photos by Takumi Ota courtesy Schemata Architects For decades, Japanese manufacturers have worked in obscurity, churning out parts for the world’s biggest automakers and smartphone brands. And for the most part—largely owing to the confidential nature of their work—they have...
diamond geezer
The last QEOP entrance opens
In good news the last entrance into the Olympic Park has finally opened. About time too.
The new...
a month ago
In good news the last entrance into the Olympic Park has finally opened. About time too.
The new connection starts just beyond the bridge over the Waterworks River, where a broad shallow concrete ramp bears off from the Greenway and slopes down towards the railway. It's...
diamond geezer
Waverley
This is Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer.
She's currently on a two week foray...
a month ago
This is Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer.
She's currently on a two week foray up and down the Thames Estuary and adjacent coasts. And if you'd been in Gravesend on Sunday evening you could have enjoyed a two-hour voyage up the estuary to Tower Bridge for just...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Ropemaker, Emsworth
As I have surely said on this blog plenty of times over the years, I will never go to any holiday or...
a month ago
As I have surely said on this blog plenty of times over the years, I will never go to any holiday or short trip without at least one meal booked that stands a better than average chance of being decent. This is partly just for the sheer joy of eating out (how sad must your life...
diamond geezer
Unblogged 1984
30 unblogged things I did in September 1984
They didn't have blogs or the internet forty years ago,...
a month ago
30 unblogged things I did in September 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 end...
Spoon & Tamago
This Halloween, a Zombie Shinkansen Will Travel Between Tokyo and Osaka
Want a taste of the frights but too busy to go to a haunted house? How about a haunted train? This...
a month ago
Want a taste of the frights but too busy to go to a haunted house? How about a haunted train? This year, a Tokaido shinkansen, in what is being called the world’s first zombie bullet train, will travel between Tokyo and Osaka. The stage will be set in car 16 of the “Nozomi 435”...
diamond geezer
Wimbledon expands
Last week the Deputy Mayor approved the All England Club's planning application to build 39 new...
a month ago
Last week the Deputy Mayor approved the All England Club's planning application to build 39 new tennis courts across Wimbledon Park. But was that decision right or was it wrong?
extend across the road with a new show court and dozens of practice courts, and throw in a new...
diamond geezer
Three NHS checks
I went to the doctor's a couple of weeks ago, not because I needed to but because I thought I...
a month ago
I went to the doctor's a couple of weeks ago, not because I needed to but because I thought I should. "Oh that seems fine," she said, in a wholly reassuring way. "But perhaps we ought to do some checks."
On Monday I went back to my doctor's surgery for Check 1. It's always...
diamond geezer
Paddington plus
Paddington tube station has another entrance. I know, another one.
It already has a...
a month ago
Paddington tube station has another entrance. I know, another one.
It already has a District/Circle/Bakerloo entrance on the mainline concourse, a separate District/Circle entrance across the road on Praed Street, a completely separate Circle/Hammersmith & City entrance over...
Spoon & Tamago
150-Year Old Florist in Yanaka Blossoms with a New Cafe
all photos by Takuya Seki courtesy Maru Architects Founded in 1870, Hanaju is a florist that has...
a month ago
all photos by Takuya Seki courtesy Maru Architects Founded in 1870, Hanaju is a florist that has served Tokyo’s Yanaka neighborhood for over 150 years. The flower shop is located near the entrance of Yanaka Cemetery and is surrounded by traditional homes and businesses, including...
diamond geezer
Farewell Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, first published in 1827, went to press for the last time on...
2 months ago
The Evening Standard, first published in 1827, went to press for the last time on Thursday.
<insert anecdotes here, including how it used to have competition, and how it used to be good, and how it used to cost money but you'd still buy it, and how it was never the same after...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Travel by Sea With Luxury, Sustainability, and Adventure
2 months ago
diamond geezer
Redditch
Gadabout: REDDITCH
Redditch is an old market town a dozen miles south of Birmingham and marginally...
2 months ago
Gadabout: REDDITCH
Redditch is an old market town a dozen miles south of Birmingham and marginally in Worcestershire. It's also a new town, one of the second wave designated in the mid 1960s, and expanded considerably to create a car-friendly constellation of residential nuclei....
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Myrtle Beach Travel Guide for Travelers with Disabilities
2 months ago
diamond geezer
Coventry Street
COVENTRY
STREET
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
COVENTRY STREET
Colour group: yellow
Purchase...
2 months ago
COVENTRY
STREET
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
COVENTRY STREET
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £260
Rent: £22
Length: 200m
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: W1/WC2
Coventry Street owes its name to Charles II's secretary of state, Henry Coventry, who'd built a house here...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Myrtle Beach’s Sensory-Friendly Hotels, Spots, Restaurants
2 months ago
diamond geezer
The Royal Mail Experiment
Have you ever wondered whether the Royal Mail are failing to deliver your post on time? I've long...
2 months ago
Have you ever wondered whether the Royal Mail are failing to deliver your post on time? I've long thought it suspicious that I go days without post then a whole batch arrives together, and that bills seem to arrive long after they were posted. But without evidence all this is...
Cheese and Biscuits
Hainan House, Angel
Hainan is an island off the south coast of China about the size of Vancouver Island - that makes it...
2 months ago
Hainan is an island off the south coast of China about the size of Vancouver Island - that makes it bigger than Sicily and Sardinia and twice the size of Hawaii, with a population of over 10 million people (more than London). And yet inevitably until last week I'd never heard of...
diamond geezer
Open House (2)
For Open House Day Two I zipped around the capital and visited seven different and quite varied...
2 months ago
For Open House Day Two I zipped around the capital and visited seven different and quite varied properties. It was a long day. I therefore don't have the time or energy to write about them all, not right now, so instead I've prioritised selecting some good photos and uploading...
Spoon & Tamago
Tentacle-Inspired Leather Accessories Handcrafted by Cokeco
Cokeco are a Fukuoka-based design duo who create leather accessories inspired by the natural...
2 months ago
Cokeco are a Fukuoka-based design duo who create leather accessories inspired by the natural curiosities of the world around them. Lately, their attention has been focused on sealife: specifically, our multi-limbed mollusc friends whose tentacles provide endless inspiration for...
diamond geezer
Kempton Park
One Stop Beyond: Kempton Park
In this series I'm taking the train one stop beyond the Greater...
2 months ago
One Stop Beyond: Kempton 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 Kempton Park, one stop beyond Hampton on the Shepperton line, a station which exists solely because of the...
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...
diamond geezer
W12W13W14
Over the weekend TfL withdrew bus route 549, extended route W13 and substantially restructured...
2 months ago
Over the weekend TfL withdrew bus route 549, extended route W13 and substantially restructured routes W12 and W14. I wrote about the changes last week, and how TfL's information strategy relied substantially on a very complicated map. I went back yesterday to see how the...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Royal Oak, Whatcote
There are so many different types of restaurant, so much variety in the ways and manner and styles...
2 months ago
There are so many different types of restaurant, so much variety in the ways and manner and styles that we eat out, that sometimes it's amazing we find anything in common about the experience at all. And yet somehow we do, and restaurant critics and food blogs exist because, by...
diamond geezer
Climbing Campden Hill
A Nice Walk: Campden Hill (¾ mile)
Campden Hill, a full 42 metres above sea level. Here it is on a...
2 months ago
A Nice Walk: Campden Hill (¾ mile)
Campden Hill, a full 42 metres above sea level. Here it is on a topographic map, a raw bruise to the east of Holland Park, entirely untroubled by public transport. [1872 map] [2024 map]
Campden Hill rises to the south of Notting Hill Gate,...
Cheese and Biscuits
Mamapen at the Sun and 13 Cantons, Soho
There are a few pubs in London notable for their hosting of fledgling food businesses, giving...
2 months ago
There are a few pubs in London notable for their hosting of fledgling food businesses, giving talented but cash-strapped teams a chance to test their market and their cooking skills without the risk and stress of opening a completely brand new restaurant. Over the years, you will...
diamond geezer
Leicester Square
LEICESTER
SQUARE
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
LEICESTER SQUARE
Colour group: yellow
Purchase...
2 months ago
LEICESTER
SQUARE
£260
London's Monopoly Streets
LEICESTER SQUARE
Colour group: yellow
Purchase price: £260
Rent: £22
Area: 2 acres
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: WC2
And so to the yellows, the 'entertainment' corner of the Monopoly board. One theory has it that their ordered...
Cheese and Biscuits
The Blind Bull, Little Hucklow
A large menu is rarely a good sign, and I have to admit a part of my heart sank when I sat down at...
2 months ago
A large menu is rarely a good sign, and I have to admit a part of my heart sank when I sat down at the Blind Bull and counted 12 items in the starters section, 6 mains, 3 sides and 5 desserts (even if I'm being kind and counting all the ice creams as one) - fully 26 dishes...
diamond geezer
Poverest
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Poverest Tourist Board
Visit Poverest - London's Secret...
2 months ago
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Poverest Tourist Board
Visit Poverest - London's Secret Leisure Destination
Poverest, the charming outer London suburb handily located on the Chislehurst Road, where a good time is always on offer. [map]
Ask anyone in Poverest where...
AFAR Media - Travel...
7 Articles on Adventure and Wellness in the Nordic Countries
3 months ago
diamond geezer
On multiple OS maps
This is the town of Purley.
three OS Landranger maps.
Landranger maps, each drawn to a scale of...
3 months ago
This is the town of Purley.
three OS Landranger maps.
Landranger maps, each drawn to a scale of 1:50000, and between them they cover the whole of Great Britain and its islands.
maps tend to align precisely with their neighbours so places appear on one or the other. But...
Spoon & Tamago
Abstract Paintings by Yuna Ogina Depict Intimate Human Connections
Tokyo-based artist Ogino Yuna creates semi-abstract paintings using motifs of living things that are...
3 months ago
Tokyo-based artist Ogino Yuna creates semi-abstract paintings using motifs of living things that are familiar to her, such as flowers and people. But for her latest exhibition, which just opened in Tokyo, the artist has pointed her brush at one of the most basic yet intimate...
diamond geezer
Hayling Island
Seaside postcard: Hayling Island
Hayling Island lies just off the south coast near the mouth of the...
3 months ago
Seaside postcard: Hayling Island
Hayling Island lies just off the south coast near the mouth of the Solent, just east of Portsmouth. It's England's 7th largest offshore island and 5th most populous, some way behind Wight and Portsea respectively, both of which are nextdoor. It...
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,...
diamond geezer
Havant
Until yesterday I hadn't been to Havant.
Havant is a large town in southeast Hampshire on the way...
3 months ago
Until yesterday I hadn't been to Havant.
Havant is a large town in southeast Hampshire on the way to Portsmouth.
They Havant got many old buildings because most of the town burnt in a fire in 1760. Only the church and a row of cottages survived.
St Faith's and they found...
AFAR Media - Travel...
A Local Baker’s Top Picks to Maine’s Best Winter Adventures
3 months ago
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,...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Where to Explore Maine’s Outdoors and Dining—a Local's Guide
3 months ago
diamond geezer
Banksy's zoo
Over the course of the last nine days, the artist Banksy has been out daily painting animals at...
3 months ago
Over the course of the last nine days, the artist Banksy has been out daily painting animals at various locations across London. As publicity goes it's been a summer season masterstroke.
Some have since been removed, some have been screened off, some have been further...
AFAR Media - Travel...
What to Eat, Do, and See, and Where to Stay, in Maine
3 months ago
diamond geezer
The exclaves of Sutton
This is Saffron Close, one of the exclaves* of Sutton.
exclave, noun (plural exclaves)
A portion...
3 months ago
This is Saffron Close, one of the exclaves* of Sutton.
exclave, noun (plural exclaves)
A portion of a country's territory not connected to the main part.
It's a very ordinary late 20th century cul-de-sac, not far from the tram stop at Therapia Lane in the vicinity of Mitcham...
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
Poohsticks Bridge
In deepest East Sussex, on the edge of Ashdown Forest, is a famous bridge where a six year-old boy...
3 months ago
In deepest East Sussex, on the edge of Ashdown Forest, is a famous bridge where a six year-old boy and a fictional bear invented a waterborne race.
There was a broad track, almost as broad as a road, leading from the Outland to the Forest, but before it could come to the...
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...
diamond geezer
Trafalgar Square
TRAFALGAR
SQUARE
£240
London's Monopoly Streets
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Colour group: red
Purchase...
3 months ago
TRAFALGAR
SQUARE
£240
London's Monopoly Streets
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Colour group: red
Purchase price: £240
Rent: £20
Area: 3 acres
Borough: Westminster
Postcode: WC2
four streets on the Monopoly board (all the pinks plus Strand) and is also a property in its own right. I've...
Spoon & Tamago
Tomohiro Inaba Invites Viewers to Complete the Story of His Sculptures
“To the promised land” (2024) | installation view at YukikoMizutani Tomohiro Inaba is an artist who...
3 months ago
“To the promised land” (2024) | installation view at YukikoMizutani Tomohiro Inaba is an artist who creates sculptures that engage the viewer through their own imagination. Depending on your point of view, Inaba’s works look like they’re either disintegrating into mid-air or or...
diamond geezer
Sullivanlessness
London's only independent bus operator threw in the towel on Friday, withdrawing their services from...
3 months ago
London's only independent bus operator threw in the towel on Friday, withdrawing their services from eleven routes in north London. Sullivan Buses have operated out of South Mimms since 1998 and will continue to run their Herts-based services as usual. But boss Dean Sullivan has...
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
Six 15-minute posts
Here are six brief posts, none of which I spent more than 15 minutes on.
1) The consultation...
3 months ago
Here are six brief posts, none of which I spent more than 15 minutes on.
1) The consultation report for "Extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead" has just been published. At this very early stage in the project it focused on asking people...
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Kessler Collection Hotels with Art in the Southern U.S.
3 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...
Upgrading to Lufthansa Allegris’ New Business Class
3 months ago
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...
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...
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
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
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...
AFAR Media - Travel...
The Best Theme Parks, Festivals, and More in Florida
4 months ago
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....
diamond geezer
Bus of the day 187
Bus Route Of The Day
187: West Hampstead to Park Royal
Quadrant: London northwest
Length of journey:...
4 months ago
Bus Route Of The Day
187: West Hampstead to Park Royal
Quadrant: London northwest
Length of journey: 8 miles, 60 minutes
Because it's 18th July I've been out riding the 187, because that's the Bus Route Of The Day. It's no big hitter.
twiddling round backstreets in an...
AFAR Media - Travel...
4 Outdoor Adventures Near Marriott Hotels in Florida
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Bus of the day 177
Bus Route Of The Day
177: Peckham to Thamesmead
Quadrant: London southeast
Length of journey: 12...
4 months ago
Bus Route Of The Day
177: Peckham to Thamesmead
Quadrant: London southeast
Length of journey: 12 miles, 75 minutes
Because it's 17th July I've been out riding the 177, because that's the Bus Route Of The Day. There are more glamorous ways to travel.
177 is your friend, and...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
Where to Relax and Eat Seafood in Corpus Christi, TX
4 months ago
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...
Visit Corpus Christi, TX for Beaches and Outdoor Adventure
4 months ago
diamond geezer
Majority Sweepstake
On polling day, let's have a sweepstake on the size of the Labour majority.
comments...
4 months ago
On polling day, let's have a sweepstake on the size of the Labour majority.
comments if(postComments['51253209151424'] != null){document.write(' (' + postComments['51253209151424'] + ')')}else{document.write(' (0)')};
n.b. If you don't think Labour are going to get a majority, go...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Why Vacation to Corpus Christi, TX in the Fall
4 months ago
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...
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
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...
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
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
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...
diamond geezer
Walking between Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3
A Nice Walk: Heathrow T2 to T3 (500m)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too...
5 months ago
A Nice Walk: Heathrow T2 to T3 (500m)
Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk, nothing too taxing, a bit of a stroll, world class transport connections, dry in all weathers, popular with tourists, moving walkways, duty free opportunities, entirely step-free, won't take...
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),...
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
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...
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 -...
AFAR Media - Travel...
Eco-Friendly Cruise Activities for Nature Lovers
5 months ago
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...
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...
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...
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