My garden is a jungle at the moment, what with all the rain, but I'm reluctant to do anything about it, cos my pond has spawned millions of micro-frogs! I have to be careful stepping out of the back door as they like to congregate there! This one would have fitted on my little finger nail, had I been able to catch it! Boy, can they jump!
I'm sure the 'Cella' at The Sanctuary in Hove has shrunk - or rather the bar has expanded. Only Continental-style lagers I'm afraid, but I'm there for the launch of Pog's 59th album 'Finding hope in unlikely places'. It's their best so far, with great tracks they've been playing live for a while, such as 'Because it's football' (a brave critique on the new-build Seagulls' stadium plannned for a green field on the edge of the South Downs), 'In Heaven' (the la la song), 'London's Grand Parade' and 'Phone in well'. The setlist was the album, straight through, tho Deacon, Wob, Paul and Kerry didn't have time to do the penultimate track. The lighting wasn't conducive to good photos (Kerry was in shadow most of the set) - well, that's my excuse anyway! And the set was punctuated by power cuts activated by the noise limiter! Supports were Spalien Acecraft (who missed a rhyming opportunity with 'cemetery' in their song about the Vogue Gyratory), and the multi-media minidisc-powered Project Adorno doing a psychogeographic essay on London (the Central line used to be longer when it went to Ongar). Top night out, and only a fiver (including a free CD!) Catch Pog at their next gig on Wednesday at the Albert with Mia Riddle.
Well, the Worthing Festival Open Houses are closed for another year! Well done Dan and the RAG Artists and Makers. Bought a cute glove animal from Erica Smith and a Penguin Pool book from badge queen Anwen Williams at the St Matthew's Courage show then headed to Thompson Towers to invigilate. I sold another Shoreham Airport print! Woo Yay! Then I hot footed it to Lesley Buckingham's in Patcham for her birthday and lots of CAKE! (But I was yearning for savoury and apparently missed a Terre a terre spread!) Still, the cake was gorgeous, especially the Madeira Cake, made by Lesley's mother. Sunday, I did my bit for charity, marshalling on the Capital to Coast bike ride, manning the rest stop at the top of Devils's Dyke. Took my folding Giant Halfway on its maiden voyage downhill all the way home!
After a blissful night's rest at Hingley Heights (Malcolm from The Office lives downstairs!), and a hearty breakfast of crumpets, Guinness Marmite and Belgian apricot jam, we set off in Amanda's air-conditioned motor car to the coast and Worthing for the Artists and Makers Festival. Failing to grab a copy of the East End Advertiser's advertised Special on Street Sex, we proceeded towards the Blackwall Tunnel and the M25. All was going swimmingly until the Brighton turn-off, where we encountered gridlock! We continued to the next junction at the picturesque village of Reigate, and turned towards Dorking. Everyone was delighted to see the giant cock of Dorking on a roundabout that we passed! The A24 down to Worthing was a breeze and despite never approaching the town from the north, found Thompson Towers quite by accident! Dan was out doing a curated bike tour of the Open Houses, so we had tea and a piece of Sheila Guyatt's fabulous fruit cake in the garden. Rob and Amanda went sightseeing and I stayed invigilating. No sales yet, but Dan is doing quite well. Rob and Amanda kindly gave me and my many carrier bags a lift back to Brighton and home, en route to Hastings. A night in watching the Tour de France on ITV4 followed, and so to bed.
On Saturday, after a great breakfast I had the fabulous treat of a trip by motor car to the Canary Wharf Waitrose, one of the grandest in the world. Out into the agoraphobic open air and with a Boots sandwich in my bag, I entered the cathedral-like space that is Canary Wharf tube station on route to the Tour de France. The tube was jammed with people on their way to Wembley to see Spinal Tap at Live Earth, but eventually I got to St James's Park and found a gap on the route of the Prologue on Victoria Street, a long straight view in both directions. At 3pm the race started, with each rider led by a motorbike (alternating British bobby and French gendarmerie) and followed by about three cars of spare bikes and a tv crew! After a while I decided to walk to the start, past Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square where there was a big screen. I was surprised to get a reasonable view of the start on Whitehall near Downing Street, and all the police motorbikes. I then moved on to the finish, through St James's Park, past all the coaches where cyclists were warming up. No view for me at the crowded finish, so I wandered back to my original position, taking in Bradley Wiggins warming up at the Cofidis coach. Saw the last few riders, then went to a pub by the tube station to have a pint of London Pride and watch the results on the TV. Despite various texts and phone calls, didn't manage to hook up with anyone! Then it was back by District Line to Mile End for a fabulous supper cooked by Amanda of broadbean soup followed by butternut squash risotto and Eton mess, all washed down with kir royale and wine, with live Spinal Tap from Wembley on TV. Bliss.
It was an action-packed weekend up the Big Smoke, so will have to do this in installments! Travelled up on the Thameslink train with Peter and Lisa and first stop was the Cartoon Museum for a W Heath Robinson exhibition entitled 'Helpful Solutions', featuring mostly his big monochrome contraptions, plus two real machines, apparently made for a Jonathon Ross show! The Cartoon Museum is a gem, never been there before, but has some great cartoons on show. Bought a catalogue, had a coffee round the corner (all those streets around the British Museum have been pedestrianised!) then off to Trafalgar Square for the opening ceremony of the Tour de France. Charring Cross Road had been blocked off (literally with concerte blocks) so I walked down, and met up with Nick and Rob by the Fuji stall, amazingly! The Square was rammed and with no chance of a view (even the big screens were obscured by trees!) we decided to head up to The Angel (a Sam Smith's pub) for a couple of pints. Then it was on to the 100 Club, snatching a veggie roll on the way. With our virtual tickets in our hands, first surprise was there was David Devant ephemera for the taking at the ticket booth! A programme complete with setlist, Spirit Specs and Psychic Selector, a Fantasy Fag and a Spirit Eye. Oh what joy! Just like the old days. We grabbed a table by the side of the stage by a poignant George Melly poster and settled down to watch the supports: a sort of school orchestra, Boogaloo Stu ( a sort of camper smarter version of the Vessel) with the gorgeous Sparklemotion Dancers (who once supported Mr Solo), and some chaps (and a chappess) in white boilersuits making a racket. Then it was on with the show. They did the complete 'Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous' in order, but with 'I'm Not Even Going To Try' at long last renamed 'Auntie Mabel', plus the two tracks from the single given away with the vinyl version of the LP (and if you don't know what they are, you're not much of a fan, eh!). Not much Spectral Roadie action or bagpipes unfortunately but a great singalong set neverthless with audience invasions and interaction a-plenty. Encore was 'Space Daddy', 'Dangerous Dilettante' and finally the magnificent 'Pimlico'. Fantastic! Then it the night bus to Mile End, where Rob and Amanda had kindly agreed to put me up...
Did a shift on the 20th Century Society stall at the Midcentury Modern fair at the marvellous De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea. This is such a wonderful design icon, that even the coffee in the cafe is a work of art! But there is no cycle parking to be found anywhere near! Also took in a fab but smallish exhibition of designers' drawings called Vision Bank, including Erich Mendelsohn's first ideas for the pav, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s design for the K2 phone box (1924), Henry Beck’s preliminary sketch of the London Underground (1931) and Sir Joseph Paxton's blotting paper doodle for the Crystal Palace. As I'm writing this I can hear 76079 steaming out of Brighton back to Bristol. I can't believe I missed it when I got off the diesel from Bexhill at Brighton station!
