You know how to use a pencil. Most of the pencils that you have encountered were probably HB. They are most common type. You probably also know that the H and B indicate, respectively Hard and Black. 4H indicates a much harder drawing implement than HB (and it’s lighter in shade), and 4B is much… Continue reading 2B
Well, this is exciting. Earlier this week the Tate Modern began screening “The Clock”, described on the gallery’s website as “a mesmerising masterpiece of contemporary art”. It was created by Christian Marclay, is 24 hours long, and, again in the words of the Tate’s website, “the installation is a montage of thousands of film and… Continue reading “The Clock”: this is where we came in, over and over again
It’s a while since I mentioned anywhere on this Blog that I have never smoked: not a single puff, drag or draw. That’s the main reason that I have never taken any proscribed drugs. I have never snorted or injected anything, legal or otherwise. I have been drunk plenty of times, and there many pieces… Continue reading The smell of weed is everywhere
Last weekend my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. Over the last ten years our celebrations have often incorporated travelling into Central London with the children and having lunch at a branch of Wagamama, the rice and noodle restaurant. Ten years ago, when the children were aged 3 and 1, dining at Wagamama was… Continue reading The Wagamama List, and Parking in Central London on a Saturday
Since writing about Cycling Proficiency back in June I have been meaning to return to the subject of bicycles, and to write about the first bike I ever owned. There are over 1500 words about this in the paragraphs that follow. In that earlier piece I mentioned sharing a bicycle with my brother as a… Continue reading More about bicycles
Last week’s piece about missing boats to and from Ireland was triggered by a journey to Fishguard last month, to catch the ferry for our recent trip to Hollywood in Wicklow. We very nearly missed the boat. We were allowed to board even though we arrived at the terminal 25 minutes after check-in was due… Continue reading Not missing the boat
If you live for long enough in the same village, town or city you will see many businesses come and go: shops, restaurants, bars, petrol stations. Having spent most of my life in the same part of West London I can trace the history of some of these multiple local changes without difficulty. Other places… Continue reading Lyons, Wimpy, Burger King, Carluccio’s, Empty
When my father was in the Guards, back in 1950s Ireland, part of his training involved Ordnance Survey-style maps. Some of the Guards were new to the concept of contours, the lines that indicate how steep or gentle a gradient is. They didn’t get it straight away. You’re probably familiar with the idea. The smaller… Continue reading The 4-Ring Man, and empty crisp packets
We are in the middle of a heatwave here in the UK. The Oxford Dictionaries definition is very straightforward: “A prolonged period of abnormally hot weather”. I will use their spelling, one word rather than two, though the Merriam-Webster dictionary entry (“a period of unusually hot weather”) lists it as “heat wave”. I have mentioned… Continue reading Word of the week: heatwave
There are signs on some of the busier roads here in West London which read as follows: “Dump rubbish in the street and we’ll fine you up to £400”. The text is laid out rather more dramatically than that, all in upper case, and is printed in different colours and font sizes. It’s on a… Continue reading “Dump Rubbish … and we’ll fine you up to £400”
