As if I hadn’t waxed lyrical enough in my last blog post about the extraordinary orchid festival I had the pleasure to visit this month, having taken so many pictures of the blossoms I feel compelled to show off just a few more. It’s not just the skill and care the staff possess but the love they show for the place really makes Kew unique - I’ve been to a few botanical gardens in my life, but this one still tops my list, decades after I first came here…
Whilst there - of course - exists a penis museum (in Iceland, I believe), this is the first museum of its kind to redress the balance, and publicise the beauty of female genitalia! The idea that was initially floated was less sensationalist than educational - rather than have ‘Tracy Emmim’ style exhibits on display, it would exist as a learning space - a place where both adults (and teenagers) can be educated - learning more about the vagina…
For me this ‘day of love’ is on a par with New Year’s Eve - high pressure, high cost, and often low yield. The commercialisation, the gooey tv ads, the cloying red chocolate boxes in every store - no, it’s not my shtick. So, it was to my own surprise that, this year, I made a concerted effort to wander the streets of central London, in search of pictures to mark the day. And lo and behold, look what I found…in the backstreets of London’s elegant, fashionable and quite timeless Mayfair…
Firstly, London is packed with enough odd and unusual activities to keep you entertained indefinitely. Secondly, everything’s well within reach because of the incredible London Underground transport system. And thirdly, many of the ‘hidden’ attractions of London are free or comparatively cheap when compared to the big tourist attractions...
...apart from the fact that there are so many varieties of fish to choose from, every London fish & chips shop has its own ‘twists’ (whether it’s the batter they use, the way they cook their chips — and in what shape they make them - and the additional extras you’ll get on your plate — such as pickles or mushy peas).
It might be the less trendy part of the Portobello Market, but this area of town has plenty to intrigue. And whilst it might not have the style, glamour and price tag of its fashionable neighbour, Notting Hill, it's a great place to wander with a camera. Here are a few pictures from the area that runs from Portobello Green up to north Kensington...
I discovered Lisboa at the tender age of 20 (my beloved first love introduced me to the place) and it fast earned a place in my heart for it’s delicious ‘natas’ - traditional custard tarts made with wonderfully flaky pastry. I have extraordinary memories from the first time I ever tasted one - sitting outside (on a cold, bright winter’s day) with a cup of steaming coffee and biting into one of these gooey delicacies. ..
I’m still a big fan — I believe in buying local produce, contributing to my community and promoting an urban food environment...ut I can’t help but think, in some ironic way, that many farmers markets are actually becoming victims of their own success…or at the very least they’re losing their way, because what I see today is a far cry from the ‘revolutionary’ set ups I witnessed 25 years ago. ..
My favourite piece in the Library, without a doubt, has to be the Astronomical Clock. Deigned by Raingo in Paris, it has been French polished to a marble finish It’s a highly complex mechanism. showing an intricate model of the solar system...the rotation of the earth on its axis and the phases of the moon...
Over time, Balenciaga's designs became more linear and sleek - look at Ava Gardner and Jackie Kennedy in his creations, if you want proof of it. The ground floor of the exhibition (which, by the way, is beautifully curated) is dedicated to his clothes and accessories and if you're a fashion guru you're going to be in seventh heaven...
Just north of Soho, and not far from Bloomsbury or Marylebone, it has wonderful squares, great pubs and a rich literary past (but more of that later). From the 1930's onwards, the area between Gower Street (today home of the University of London) and Great Portland Street became known as Fitzrovia, but its history goes back as far as the 1750's, when Lord Charles Fitzroy began developing the land...
