Whatever comes to mind before I alter it with the overpaint of time. Mostly satire, poetry and fiction but occasional unreliable fact, as all facts seems to be today. From deepest Notting Hill. London.
Thursday 11 August 2011
MANGROVE STEEL BAND PRACTICE ON ALL SAINTS ROAD 25TH & 26TH AUGUST
Wednesday 10 August 2011
Notting Hill Carnival will Go ahead but All Saint's Road on the Friday is stopped.
Looting and thuggery in Portobello, Westbourne Park Road. #2
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Notting Hill riot,Portobello Road, westbourne Park Road,The Bumpkin, Ledbury and Walmer Castle.
Will and I were going to celebrate with a night out at 2 Michelin star restaurant The Ledbury. I had come to terms with the fact that it would be an expensive dinner, but boy, I had no idea how expensive.
Around the fourth dish of the tasting course, there were loud bangs outside. The restaurant staff was yelling at us to get away from the windows. Before I knew it, the front door, a solid piece of glass shattered and people came crashing in with hoodies, masks, and random weapons.
The looters were yelling at us to get down and throwing stuff all over the place. I got down and started taking off my wedding and engagement ring to hide somewhere, but unfortunately wasn’t fast enough. One looter came up and demanded my phone. I didn’t have it with me since it was in my purse and it was out of arm reach. I also didn’t want to lead him to my passport, so I said I didn’t have one.
He told me to take off my rings and grabbed my hand, trying to yank them off. His friend tried to help too, but the rings wouldn’t come off and I just yelled at him that I’d take them off myself. In hindsight, now that I know that gun control is so fierce in England and he only had bat, I should have held on to my rings better and maybe slugged him in the face.
The kitchen staff at the Ledbury went beyond their call of duty by rushing up from the kitchen with rolling pins, fry baskets, and other dangerous kitchen tools and scared off the looters. Then they provided well-needed glasses of alcohol including champagne and whisky. When word came that the looters were coming back a second time, they ushered us into the bathrooms and told us to lock the doors. A few minutes later, they led us into the wine cellar and told us to lock ourselves in there.
Well, that was certainly a memorable dining experience. I was kind of hoping to finish the rest of my tasting menu, but all the broken glass, turned over tables, probably wasn’t conducive to a nice dining environment. I was sad for the wonderful smelling cheese cart that had glass littered all over it. So much cheese gone to waste!
Guy who took my ring, I hope you put it to good use and don’t just dump it in the street. Also, I hope you get a case of flaming diarrhea for the rest of your life. Ledbury staff, thanks for keeping things under control and giving me some petit fours to munch on.
http://www.runawaysquirrels.com/2011/08/london-riots-comes-to-the-ledbury/
Monday 8 August 2011
Sunday 7 August 2011
Lisamarie, jogging and wine.
My Bohemian life.
I went off with my hands in my torn coat pockets; My only pair of breeches had a big whole in them. And I listened to them, sitting on the road-sides And while, rhyming among the fantastical shadows, A. Rimbaud. |
Saturday 6 August 2011
Retro, arrogance, Earl of Portobello and Friday nights.
FEEN, Bumpkin Jam, Christina Tomlin and How to lay back in West London.
I jumped out to catch the Mangrove steelband rehearsal at the Tabernacle (well worth catching if you can. Mon - Thurs weekly until Carnival) then went back. Good thing too.
The attic at Bumpkin is a lovely little space, very laid back, boho, friendly and the perfect spot for this kind of curated open mic thing.
Feen
A very high point was 'FEEN' a band I've not seen before but will look out for in future. I hope they come back. also on the bill were Charlotte Campbell and the amazing Christina Tomlin; god knows where she finds that voice and power.
the jam at the end was the perfect way to end an evening.
Very good indeed. See you there on Thursday.
Thursday 4 August 2011
The portobello Travel Bookshop is closed.
The film 'Notting Hill' made it famous, made it a tourist hot spot, filled it with camera happy sightseers with no interest in the books or the shop other than some sort of shrine to that tosser Grant and what's her name the american luvvie.
It wasn't even the shop used in the film. It isn't on Portobello Road, it is on Blenheim Crescent.
The tourists have killed the place. It is now closed until a buyer can be found to put some enthusiasm back into a very special local amenity.
The tourists should be asked to pay for photography or fuck off and photograph Hugh Grant's house. I can supply the address.
The Elgin, Sophie Barker and Aisling Mallon.
Aisling Mallon