A while back, there were a number of stories in the news of villages in the UK where they had decided to cut down old monkey puzzle trees because the needles were deemed to contravene health and safety regulations. (See here for one such story.)
I was glad, then, to see that the one in the village where my mother lives was still there when I walked down to buy a paper this morning:
Snowfall in the suburbs:
commuter cars
wear Father Christmas beards.
Yes, it deserves an accompanying photo, but there has been so much talk recently about using cameras in public places that I was hesitant to take one. In central London yesterday there was little more than:
A silent scampering of snow
but half way through the afternoon, when I headed west on a train from Paddington, it was still apparent that there had been far more snow outside the capital.
One thing I try and do when I’m in London is get to the Poetry Unplugged open mike at the Poetry Café on a Tuesday night. It’s usually packed, often inspiring and always fun, not least because of the skill and wit of the host, Niall O’Sullivan. Each participant is allowed up to five minutes at the mike, so it’s possible to perform several short pieces or one longer one.
I was there this week and dithering about what to read as I haven’t been writing much recently – at least not finishing much in the way of poetry. Sitting and listening to the readers in the first half, I was reminded how the poems that are best for reading aloud to an audience are not always the ones you are proudest of, or that are likely to get published or win competitions.
Continue reading “right to read”
I used to work in Millbank Tower in London and of all the city’s many galleries and museums, the one I am most familiar with is the Tate – Tate Britain as it is now. When in London, I usually try and find time to visit.
Apparently next year they are going to start to allow photography, but at the moment the only works you can take pictures of are a few sculptures at the entrance and the works displayed outside. Which includes the 1999 work by Martin Creed, currently displayed on the building façade above the Millbank entrance:
As a follow up to the pictures of pigs post, another story from the BBC:
BBC News photographer Jeff Overs was stopped and questioned for taking photographs in Westminster.
(I took the photo to the right on a trip to London earlier this year. Nobody tried to stop me, although, with hindsight, my choice of perspective of the monument seems far more suspect than the usual tourist might choose.)
Continue reading “Westminster sunset”
don't confuse the narrator 