Haymarket

More West End zapping yesterday stopping for agreeable Italian food and then a show.

Taxis were somewhat rare, but I guess the area had extra people from the various events during the day and the evening rain didn't really help.

So we did one of those "share a taxi to multiple destinations" things and sort of passed the money forward to the last person sitting.

fireworks

I spent part of the weekend staying in a room by the embankment near Temple tube. So what? I hear you cry.

Well it just happened to be right by the side of both the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday and then overlooking the barge with all of the fireworks for Saturday evening.

I wish I could say we'd planned it that way, but it was just pure co-incidence. I must admit, when I spotted a few Roman soldiers running past the windows and then a large straw version of Gog and Magog, then I realized something was happening.

It turned out that the very road was being used as the halfway house staging post for the procession and then in the evening the whole stretch of the River Thames was packed with people wanting to see the fireworks show.

I simply moved to the window to look across to see everything.

TX5F taxi

Well, the new design TX5F London taxis are going to be easier to spot in the street.

Apparently tourists were complaining about the visibility of black cabs and cyclists have asked for a softer exterior to taxis (and buses) as part of general improvements to London road safety. The high visibility roof extensions are multi-purpose, containing a GPS radio system, Wifi linkages which extend between similarly equipped vehicles and also provide another aid to spotting taxis in busy streets. Original criticisms about wind resistance have proved unfounded, because taxis have an average speed of 8.3 mph in the central area.

This prototype was sighted at the rainy Lord Mayor's show on Saturday, as was this gentleman trying to hail one of the more conventional designs.

Michelle Shocked - keep on rockin 'Shel.

A perfect evening; We were with a favourite troubadour artist at a favourite venue. Michelle Shocked at Union Chapel.

We met across the road from the Chapel. In the Library, which, of course was really a pub serving Belgian Monks' beer. We sat outside so that we could watch for the doors to open.

By 7:15 pm we were in the line, speculating about the support act named Shelly, whilst fireworks flashed in the November skies. We bagged some prime seats and left coats sprawled whilst we exited through a side door to the adjoining bar (no drinking of alcohol in the chapel).
We sipped Red Stripe, until they announced the support act was ready to start. Not everyone watches support acts, but I usually do, so we headed back into the pews.

Some surprise as a hoodied figure was already singing and playing guitar. 'Shelly' was actually Michelle Shocked, doing the support act herself. Older songs in a plain acoustic style, homage to the Campfire Tapes. Already excellent and with a fine violin accompaniment.

A short pause and then Michelle returned, minus the hooded tracksuit and now with a small band. A mix of songs, some new and plenty from the formidable back catalogue.

Michelle Shocked is a great performer, with a blend of stories and songs; plenty of narrative and good ways to relate to the audience. The band 's musicians are all highly accomplished too, and the performance has spontaneity and sufficient confidence to veer from a set list as the evening's mood dictates.

Michelle Shocked's career spans from the 1980s through to now. For this show it was great was to see the energy, enthusiasm and connection with the audience throughout the performance. Beyond simple professionalism, here is a performer who has experienced plenty and has produced an accompanying soundtrack. Always fiercely independent, convinced of her causes and creating messages within her lyrics, Shocked was on top form for this gig.

We all left the gig with big smiles from an excellent evening. It goes into my top gigs list.

re think

Locked away with piles of work papers today and surviving on cups of tea.

Harrogate's finest.

I seemed to finish yesterday evening at about 02:30 and then started today at around 07:30. I reckon I have another 3-4 hours tonight and then I'll be around where I need to be with this piece of work. I spotted one of my earlier notes which said "may need rethink".

Gulp.

I hope not at this stage.

ch

...the beginning of change. 77 days left, George. Just don't touch anything else.

And heres a little fireworks song as its the 5th of November.

US election result : Obama Landslide

You should see the look on George's face as he tosses the keys to Barack.

A smirk.

He's trashed the joint.

Not just the White House. America. And as much of the rest of the neighborhood as he could get his hands on.


Fortunately, rashbre central has poll-free advanced notice of the final outcome.

But for traditionalists there's music from Wonkette to accompany the incoming official results.

Tunes with the word 'change' seem appropriate.

And winking.

Don't forget.

Post early and post often.

Like Homer here with the voting machine.



And here's the entire Dixville Notch, New Hampshire voting process. 2 mins 35 seconds from vote to result

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loaded

There's no 'luck of the draw' with parking in central London. You have to know where the meters and car parks are, the right zones and have that phone system set up for around Westminster. I have a few favourite places to park if I need to leave the car in the central area, but every so often will come unstuck.

Last Sunday it was Camden that caught me when I'd parked to load a big bag into the car. I'd parked in one area, got out, checked the signs and it said 'Residents Only'. So I moved to another bay further away which said 'loading 20 minutes'. It was around the corner from where I needed to pick up the bag - a two minute walk each way.

A casual look for a non motorised warden - none to be seen. A speedy return trip with the bag.

Ticketed.

In about 6 minutes.

I did protest on the web form to Camden, but they just let it run until I phoned them.

"If you are loading, it has to be clear to the warden that you are doing so, you need to be going back and forth to the vehicle.", they explained. It amounted to pay now at half price or argue more and eventually pay the full fine. So I paid the £60. Ten quid a minute.

Still - it would have been £20 a minute if I'd continued the argument.

breakfast concept

Sunday, slow start, newspapers. breakfast. Sometimes so. Today, hurried because of a rather busy schedule.

It started with visitors who have had to move out of their house after the unfortunate incident with the toaster.

Lets say the loss adjuster has suggested they take at least four months rental at alternate premises whilst the damage is fixed.

And in parallel with that we had the arrival of large quantities of luggage requiring repacking and transportation around part of London. And the reappearance of the still waterlogged Ka.

At least the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was relatively quiet during the evening whilst I scooted around on errands.

November

Graphite skies and orange mornings. Must be November. I like to think of it as 'my month'.

Brrr.

quantum of solace

Engines revved, tunnels, flashing lights, police sirens, screeching tyres, angry looking people in cars; Yes, I was in London traffic before going to see the Bond movie.

I'll describe it as 'old school Bond with less humour'. Car chase along the Italian Riviera, the Aston Martin that can't out run a jumped up Fiat full of machine gun toting bad guys. We know we are in for a car or two to explode in flames before the title sequence and are not disappointed.

But did it deliver overall? Only partly. I thought it was going through the moves rather adding a new overall sparkle. Bond films should have signature elements but some were really missing. No gimmicks from Q, rather little overt humour from the almost silent Bond. A few playboy moments but rather more chases around quarries and building sites.

The scene where they arrived at a backpacker quality hotel and then Bond decides to move their 'teachers on sabbatical' cover story to the local equivalent of the Ritz was about as funny as it got as well as presenting a self reference to the films generally more gritty side.

Of course there was a reasonable trail of car/boat/plane chases, with the propeller driven transport plane able to out-manouvre a stunt fighter plane and a steel hulled fishing boat able run rings around a couple of purpose built high performance assault dingys. Its all in the jump cuts - and there were plenty.

After climbing over thirty minutes of advertisements for Bond linked merchandise, the movie itself was a couple of hours of predictable escapism - you just knew that the hydrogen fuel cells powering the desert hotel would go properly unstable even before one of the colonels mentioned it.

I'll describe it as watchable, certainly good Christmas season 2009 television but somehow the core of the Bond franchise needs revitalising beyond adding a few 'kerching' product placement moments (although I did like the drink recipe interlude).

I don't mind having a tough guy version of Bond, but previous films could also give us good chuckles and pantomime as well as the thrills. I don't think of it as Bond baggage. More its heritage and a way to delineate it from Bourne and some of the other successors. It seems like the direction is out to emulate others now rather than pay more than fleeting oil-coated homage to the line. This villain didn't even have a limp, let alone a cat or piranha fish in a tank.

However, it can still make for a fun night at the movies, ideally rounded out with a pizza, glass of beer and some amateur film analysis. Its one of those films where everyone has a viewpoint.

insiders

A couple of trapped spirits today. The rather feeble looking wasp I nearly trod on, before rescuing and releasing to the big wide world and a lone robin which had somehow found its way into the gigantic Marks and Spencer where I was buying milk. The robin was valiantly flying the boundaries of its newly gained territory between the mens' shirts and the halloween cuddly toys.