Thursday 27 December 2007

Crop circles


Over the festive period, the Common has been visited by the Plumstead Regional Arts Team (you can work the acronym out for yourselves). Their latest installation is a crop circle inspired piece entitled 'scumbag #1'. Merry Christmas!

Monday 24 December 2007

Bad news

A couple of lovely listeners have alerted me to a shooting incident around the Common a couple of weeks ago.

I knew nothing about this. Strolling around The Shire, I saw this discreet notice. I presume the gun shots came from the area around the St something and someone church.

I hate to say this, but this kind of sums up my view of this year. News reports every other week about another youngster stabbed, another gun related incident. Tabloid journalism ruling the airwaves? Bad news sells?

Sigh. There's no way I'm going to end 2007 on a bum note. The fog on the Common looked absolutely gorgeous and I was desperate to photograph it and post up a lovely pic of our lovely green space, but I couldn't find my camera in time.

Have a lovely Christmas me dearios.

Thursday 13 December 2007

Shops

Was out for a stroll around The Shire this week and noticed that a couple of retail properties are being readied for the good folk o' Plumsteadshire.

1) The old video shop and teen hang-out at The Slade. I think the last speculation was that this is going to become a bookmakers. Thank the Lord God this is not the case. I loathe these cheap gambling dens almost as much as I hate seeing men wearing enormous spectacles (see Timmy Mallett). Speaking of which, I do believe this shop will be opening as an opticians. I don't know what it will be called, but I always thought 'For Eyes' is a funny and clever name.

2) The most under-rated plasterboard storage unit. The shop on the corner of Admaston Road has been home to baths, sinks and sheets and sheets of Gyproc for as long as I can remember. What an under-used shop. This could easily be turned into my jazz café. Picture it. Coffees, home made cakes, newspapers, cribbage and Sonny Rollins Sundays. I digress.
Speculation has been that this shop will become (yet another), estate agent.....and there was I believing that there's a down-turn in the housing market.

3) Next door to the Gyproc store is/was Abalone. I never understood why a printing shop would be named Abalone. Was the owner called Mr Abalone? Well, I don't know if this is anything to do with Gyproc or if it's going to become another estate agent. How about if it kept its' name and turned into a fish restaurant? Nothing really fancy like Loch Fyne, but something slightly fancy like Olleys in Hernia Hill.