The Sun Is Out In De Beauvoir Square
I took this picture yesterday morning, as I walked through the are to my doctor’s for a B12 injection.
The Sun Is Out In De Beauvoir Square
Last year, at this time of the year, there would be a lot more colour and leaves around. It really has been a bad winter.
Although, it was good to see the gardeners setting up the garden for Spring.
I don’t think many would associate this quiet and pleasant square with the inner London borough of Hackney. But then Hackney is one of the inner boroughs with most green spaces.
More From The Institute Of Economics and Peace
the web site of the The Institute Of Economics and Peace is fascinating.
Shown here, is a comparison of the various US States. As most would expect, Maine and Vermont are at the top, but to me, there are some surprising states in the bottom ten.
And here is a global terrorism index.
Both reports have very good interactive maps.
I think research like this is invaluable, when it comes to sorting out the world.
Britain Is Becoming Less Violent
According to this report on the BBC about a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace, Britain is becoming a less violent place.
On the other hand, you do get different perceptions from talking to people. Several times, when I say to someone, as I did last Saturday, that I live in Hackney, there is a general view that it is an area with crime and rioting all the time, and a generally low standard of living.
Since, I’ve moved to this area, I’ve not seen anything the least bit violent, an aggressive dog or anything to worry about. There was the tragic incident round the corner, where a young girl was run over by a hit-and-run driver, but she got off a bus and ran behind it to cross the road without looking, despite the fact, there is a light-controlled crossing a few metres away. I don’t think we can put that down to the area, as this sort of incident happens everywhere.
I think there has been one case of housebreaking in the area, where someone went out and left a window open. There was certainly more petty thieving when I lived in rural Suffolk, than this area of Hackney.
The only crime, that appears to be common, is the con artists, who come up with all sorts of non-violent scams. I think, the fake gold ring trick, has been tried on me, about four times in the last year, but only once in the local area. Another time was actually outside Selfridges.
But then, there have always been scammers and let’s face it the Internet is full of them!
Katherine Jenkins At The Marathon
There seems to have been a lot of criticism of Katherine Jenkins at the London Marathon. It’s reported here on the BBC. This is an extract, containing comments from a Daily Mail columnist.
She then criticised the singer’s appearance, describing her £200 Prada sunglasses, full make-up, “immaculate” ponytail and “raisin-sized” diamond earrings.
So what! She wouldn’t be the first runner, who wanted to look her best.
I actually saw her perform once at a private party and she was definitely worth whatever the organisers paid.
Is this just another case of Tall Poppy Syndrome?
If I was a celebrity treated in this way in these circumstances by a columnist, I’d challenge them to a race, with the loser paying several thousand to a charity of the winner’s choice.
Love Is All You Need
I saw Love Is All You Need tonight at the Barbican cinema.
It was I think the first Danish film, I’ve ever seen and it was certainly one of the few films at which I cried at the end.
But then the two main characters were a widower and a woman going through breast cancer. I am of course the first and C suffered a bought of breast cancer, which she successfully overcame.
On the whole though it is an excellent film and quite uplifting.
Speak As You Find
I have taken horses to the breeding establishments of all the major owner/breeders in the Newmarket area. Most are very professional and you’d have to go a long way to find a better organised and managed stud, than say the Nunnery, Banstead Manor, Cheveley Park, Lanwades or the Royal Studs.
One stud, I went to a couple of times, that was not of the same standard was Sheikh Mohammed’s Dalham Hall. You couldn’t pin what was wrong, and I never had a problem, but the quality of staff, wasn’t of the same order as at other top class studs. And they were always changing! By comparison, when I went to Sheikh Hamdam’s Nunnery, you were always recognised like an old friend and they usually asked how I was getting on without C.
So when I read on the BBC’s web site, that Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation is involve in a doping scandal, I am not surprised.
Kings Cross Square
This must be a classic design for a barrier to keep people out of a building site.
Kings Cross Square
Kings Cross Square is going to be a welcome addition to London’s streets.
An Unusual Place To Play your Drums
This guy was entertaining everybody at Kings Cross station.
An Unusual Place To Play your Drums
You can’t question his ambition. He wasn’t too bad either!
A Bus Stop With A Carluccio’s
The Carluccio’s in Upper Street, Islington, is a uniquely convenient restaurant.
A Bus Stop With A Carluccio’s
Today, I had to get a snack lunch and then go on to Kings Cross station to pick up some rail tickets for my trip to Burnley for the last day of the football season.
So I got a 30 bus to this bus stop, had my lunch at Carluccio’s and then after lunch got on another 30 bus to the station. It really, is a conveniently placed restaurant, at one of those mini-bus interchanges, you get all over London. And Carluccio’s is not the only restaurant in walking distance of this bus stop.
I do think sometimes, that those who open restaurants forget about the buses and don’t think to place their hostelries, where passengers change buses. I can think of a couple of bus interchanges, where the cafe offerings are distinctly poor.
Everybody Was Happy In London Yesterday!
From the guys on the barriers at stations, and the guardian of the First Class Lounge at Paddington, to the waitresses in Carluccio’s, London was happy yesterday.
I put it down to the sun.
The Anonymous Widower 