Chris Roberts a London writer and tour guide who has written books on the history of nursery rhymes, London's bridges, lost words and superstition in football. He has been conducting walking tours around London for most of this century.
He is also a digital teaching lead at one of South London's leading further education colleges.
www.thecityoverthewater,com
doing more and more research on dog related attacks and killings for that Dogter Jeckyl story. Gist of it is the sharp increase over past four years* driven by in breeding monster canines for, well, their monstrousness. Genetics of it all quite interesting.
*killings up from circa 5 to 10 a year
oh and @londondreamtime
this one might amuse George on figgy puddings.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0026231
My nerd revelation of the day was that the childhood home of one of Bloomsbury set Lynton Strachey) that later become a an open air school for TB patients. was on the site of college I work at.
I am mildly ashamed at not to have learned this earlier, I mean we all know about the Thorntons and the Clapham Sect and that black American poet Phyllis from the 19th century and Noel Coward living a few doors down but effin hell...the Bloomsbury Set.
#Clapham
https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/stoweyhouseoas.html
Today saw some of my favourite lido ppl the Rom Com film writer with the 'comme da fuck down hat, the stout Scottish fellah and his partner. Carol Stagg and David Grafton and the excellent Karen.
Scottish fellah told me that the Germans recommend 30 minutes outside everyday whatever the weather, which is handy b/c this time of year that;s about as long as any of of who change outside spend in water & out of it drinking coffee every morning.
Anyone on here who moved from other sites should probably give this a go on linguistic inflation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002752n
On a cheerier note on AI this was on the clever wireless this week. MOdel Collapse*
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00274wj
*for ppl of a certain age this is nothing to do with Naomi Campbell at the Vivienne Westwood show in 1994
** the digital nerd fest otherwise known as BETTS was extra disappointing this year and almost entirely AI driven. Last year readers there were virtually none.
Anyway I am aware of the irony of posting this online and that my job is a digital teaching lead. Also, of course, where do get soot these days in "smoke free" London and all the caves are full of young people who can't afford the renr.
* now the woman who writes this is far younger and angrier than I am and I think she has every reason to. I say angrier but last Saturday outside offy on die neue strasse Camberwell I did find myself offering a bloke out for saying he was looking forward to Musk coming for Starmer. Naturally he fled not my "masculine energy" but just because to him I appeared mad. Maybe I am but clearly they walk amongst us, and I them.
Just read this on the F&cking Capitalism substack* about reasons behind the technology companies dropping their support for green energy. It's not as simple as blaming Mr Trump as quite simply they need the green power on top of coal etc to fuel people's passion for creating 3 breasted 7 fingered generated images. In short maybe it is time to return to caves and play in soot**
https://hannahforsyth.substack.com/p/capitalism-wont-save-us?
Fox force five, or fewer. Dog fox that snoozes out front of ours beginning to get used to me and Julie leaving flat. TBH think others (Amir above us aside) manage not to spot him. He was still there when I got back a few hours later. Also younger female on Denmark Hill Estate caused proper shock and awe to visiting (German?) family checking their phones to find whatever flat they were visiting earlier. Also one on Shakespeare on way to lido this morning. #mundane.
some top radio here @londondreamtime and anyone else interested in play, creativity and the urban environment https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027507
It's Monday and had two nights of insomnia. Head full of tunes from my youth that feel apt today. Also realising that the other place got considerably worse after that new A
I app mediates what you are saying half accurately. Point is on here I can say half accurate things withouht that. #mundane
There are alot of versions out there featuring animals including Tweet Pie, Sylvestor the Cat and several appearances in Scooby Doo so, you know, there's previous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Hyde_(character)
Did manage to get some writing done today though (well editing any) and further sketched out the idea to reset the Marshall & Millions* story from Popular to the pet cemetery near Shooter's Hill.
Interested in notion of how ppl perceive dog behaviour and the possibility that same dogs can be both lovely pets and savage weapons depending on situation.
I'll be heavily borrowing from Robert Louis Stevenson b/c story is going to title Dogtor Jeckyl and Mr Hound.
*look it up.
Had sleep loss relapse last night. REally thought was getting better on the nasal drip insomnia. What's annoying is that I can't seem to do anything useful with the time. I guess now it's why Dickens walked the streets at night b/c if you can't work at least you can gather material.
It's unlikely I'll start walking through the night like.
Free masterclass in London with one of the worlds best storytellers. #storytelling #london #janBlake
Every time I leave the house now I notice something else about the damage caused by Thursday's crash. Thing is took me a day to notice the truncated lamp post. Another the mangled cast iron fence two doors down, Must have been a hell of an impact
Just seen news about David Lynch. Twin Peaks (tv series) remains in my top three " what you judge good telly by" standards.
Wish Mulholland Drive had been more, talked about Blue Velvet the other day as iconic.
He was properly good
* *along with the Wire and (though different style of drama) Boys from the blackstuff
On matters of cats sitting here at kitchen bench with my own minxy o'kitten
*any locals on her might pick up the reference if I say it's the townhouse next to the former house of 1,000 cats (pictured).
I miss them and the eccentric spanish lady who lived there. She used to walk out to go to co-op a few doors down and leave the door wide open. These lads and lasses used to file out to guard the entrance. Local legend has it that one group of (human) lads tried to get in once. Let's just say it ended badly and only one of the three escaped with minor injuries.
Cats eh?
