More foiled plans and changes, changes, changes

Thursday, 20 February, 2020

We decided to go to Hackney Wick to see how things were progressing there. Hackney Wick is an artist’s community, with an overground station, near the Olympic Park at Stratford. It’s always been a mass of old buildings, factories, industrial parks, and warehouses and over time the artists and visitors have littered every wall, every door with art.

At one time, the art was glorious. Those days seem to be gone. A new entrance to the overground station has changed the orientation of the area and it confuses me. In the process of the change – where homes and factories have been torn down, the art has been sacrificed. As well, the old station entrance, which was always a bit of a dump, hasn’t been torn down yet. The day we arrived, we saw that several of the new buildings had been completed, the fancy office buildings, the luxury flats with names that were supposed to recall the area’s heritage – The Bagel Factory, Stonemasons Yard, Ceramic Works – they’re highly priced in this obviously deprived area. I wondered how many would just be owned rather than lived in. It made me that familiar mixture of curious, excited and sad to think about it and we cut our walk short since Krish was now motivated by the nearby Well Street Fish and Chips.






A rather ghostly and scribble-littered Hackney Wick
A rather ghostly and scribble-littered Hackney Wick – The new, the old, and the very quiet
A car crash in Hackney Wick near the estate. I didn't photograph the onlookers
A car crash in Hackney Wick near the estate. I didn’t photograph the onlookers. Notice more construction

A visit to the little Tesco and another to Lidl, then on to Vietnamese Supermarket.

We’d passed Lennox House on Cresset Road, approaching Well Street. The architectural notes read ‘These flats were built in 1936-7 to the designs of J E M MacGregor for Bethnal Green and East London Housing Association. There are 35 flats. The three bedroom flats were on the first floor, one bedroom flats on the top floor and two bedroom flats on the other levels. The original idea was that the central portion of the building beneath the stepped flats should be used as a covered market. The income from this would be used to subsidise the rents of the flats above. However, during the building period, land in the area was designated for residential use only. The Housing Association was also committed to providing a garden for each flat (apart from those on the ground floor).’ We noticed local brewery barrels on the main floor – did they brew in here, or just store the barrels? I think just store.

Lennox House, by Well Street, is a fantastic building
Lennox House, by Well Street, is a fantastic building
These balconies seem well-suited to creating the towering gardens we saw in Turin and Milan
These balconies seem well-suited to creating the towering gardens we saw in Turin and Milan
The original plaque
The original plaque
Barrels from the 40ft brewery
Barrels from the 40ft brewery- a Dalston success story
At the bottom of Cresset Road, Well Street is under construction
At the bottom of Cresset Road, Well Street is under construction – how long till this gentrifies completely?

And then, on the bus home, I discovered I didn’t have my bus pass. I looked through my entire bag and checked all my pockets. It was gone. The pass office told me that it would cost £12 to replace it but that my renewal was due to be sent out. I decided to wait and pay full price until it arrived.

I was going alone to see A Passage to India at the Tower Theatre that night so I left early and visited Lidl and the Vietnamese supermarket first – no pass had been found. I phoned the Tesco and the fish and chip shop – no pass. I was scuttled.

The play was very good. I’d seen the Masterpiece Theatre series years ago. My memory of it was nothing like the play I saw.  I enjoyed the fact actual Indian actors were playing those roles. I felt that British imperialism was probably fairly represented too. The xenophobia, the bigotry, the superior attitude, the refusal to accept something different by considering it unclean, barbaric. un-Christian so heathen…and the fear. Each side underestimated the other really. And at the end the anger was real.

A Passage to India
A Passage to India

Next, how my plans continue to be foiled! Continue reading “More foiled plans and changes, changes, changes”

Hackney delivers at Christmas, innit – and the Ghost of Christmas Past

Monday, 30 December, 2019

A week or two before Christmas and you’d never dream it was just around the corner. Not on my street.

The view down the street just a couple of weeks before Christmas
The view down the street just a couple of weeks before Christmas
At nearby St Thomas' Square, not much sign of Christmas here either
At nearby St Thomas’ Square, not much sign of Christmas here either

I’m used to the Christmases of Toronto, where bling was everywhere and not always tastefully. Now in Toronto, the lights in the centre are definitely not up to London standards but when you get (surprisingly quickly) to the neighbourhoods, almost every house has lights inside and out.

When I lived and visited La Habra (California) one of my favourite things to do at Christmas time was to drive around looking at the magnificent outdoor lights and decorations, each neighbour trying to outstrip the next. I used to say that what Los Angeles lacked in snow, it made up for in lights!

In  ‘the old days,’ it was a very rare Toronto Christmas that was not white, sometimes spectacularly so. The drifts would blanket the streets and obscure some of the doorways and windows, creating a surreal and muffled scene, but the lights would shine through – magical. We;d light a fire log and settle in for a warm and lovely day indoors.

My childhood Christmases – in east and south-east London – were simple affairs. The tree would go up – more magic – often while we slept. On Christmas eve we’d go to bed, trying desperately to fall asleep or Father Christmas would not come down our chimney at all. It was the same chimney that we’d burned our ‘This is what I want for Christmas’ letters – mum and dad assured us that the words would arrive at the North Pole in the smoke. A glass of something strong and a mince pie or biscuit was waiting for Father Christmas, and we’d always check in the morning to see if it was gone – it always was.

When we did awake, there’d be a pillow case or stocking at the foot of our bed and also a tangerine and some nuts in the toe of the stocking – I imagined to keep us content and not out of bed too early. I don’t remember any elaborate presents. Colouring books, a doll, toiletries as we got older… A good breakfast and then, as our dinner was roasting, Dad would take us out to buy something we chose, sometimes from the chemist. The air was usually crisp and the puddles frozen over. A favourite trick was to crack the ice with my shoe – how much fun were the simple things!

When Robin was little, I was very excited for his first Christmas. The first he was only a few months old but the second was highly anticipated. A bulging stocking at the foot of the bed each year and then the wait for him to wake up. Yes – the wait! I’d be awake at 5am like a child – and he’d be asleep. An hour later, asleep, three hours later, asleep…some time before noon, he’d wake up rubbing his eyes and wondering why John and I were hovering over the bed. I have tapes of his childish chatter as he opened presents. So cute!

It’s not likely that I’ll get into the West End to see the big lights this year. I had lots of plans and even marked on my calendar all the opportunities I had to check them out, but the cold rain and other bits and pieces put paid to that idea. Hopefully, next year.

But here I am in Hackney and, while there are no spectacular light displays, it’s got its own kind of special going on.

Just before Christmas, I went with my friend Holly-Gale to see my pottery instructor, Maria’s studio. She and others in the studio were having an open house sale. Maria is one of those people who, when you meet them, you know you’ll stay connected.

Maria in her studio
Some of Maria's pots inside her tiny studio space
Some of Maria’s pots inside her tiny studio space
I bought a few things from the 'seconds' box. I love this fragmented piece, which I'm using a candle holder
I bought a few things from the ‘seconds’ box. I love this fragmented piece, which I’m using a candle holder

One very rushed morning on the weekend before Christmas, I met Lisa for a quick visit to Mare Street and Broadway Markets.

Inside the market it was warm and bustling
Inside the market it was warm and bustling
The Chandelier Room at Mare Street Market
The Chandelier Room at Mare Street Market
Rebel Rebel had some lovely Christmas flowers
Rebel Rebel had some lovely Christmas flowers – they also created the door display

Netil Market was super quiet, with only a couple of stalls open. We were shocked but walked on to Broadway Market. Things were quieter than usual there. First we wandered into the Vegan Market, which seemed to have a few stalls including a man who was selling raw oysters, freshly smoked kippers, and jars of smoked oysters. I decided to buy a jar – haven’t tried it yet. Soon!

Finn and Flounder on Broadway Market was pretty gorgeous
Finn and Flounder on Broadway Market was pretty gorgeous
One year I bought sprigs from holly from here. This year, nothing
One year I bought sprigs from holly from here. This year, nothing
Couldn't resist a photo of one of the remaining Pie and Mash shops
Couldn’t resist a photo of one of the remaining Pie and Mash shops* *See bottom of blog**

Market florist selling her wintry bouquets
Market florist selling her wintry bouquets
A very serious Christmas musician
A very serious Christmas musician

Continue reading “Hackney delivers at Christmas, innit – and the Ghost of Christmas Past”

New Year and the ballet

Wednesday, 2 January, 2019

New Year in London is a big deal – just not for me! I usually stay home and don’t do much but I was busy nonetheless. I popped out to the pub around 7pm and chose a pizza – my first one from there – to take away. They took a long time to make it so I was suspicious. I kept remembering how fast the pizzas were made in Torino so what were they doing back there?

The pub has been taken over by a local craft beer company
The pub has been taken over by a local craft beer company

I decided to go the whole way and make it a junk food night so also went to buy some wings and fries. Another long wait and second thoughts later, I arrived home with pizza, five chicken wings and fries. None of it was worth eating but at least I wasn’t hungry after picking at it. I’ll never learn that these things are rarely worth trying! I watched the fireworks on TV and some out of the window and fell into bed. Happy New Year!

On January 2nd I had tickets for a ballet. It was meant to be a surprise for Krish but he wasn’t in the mood so I asked my friend Juliet if she was up to coming and she said yes. But first I was going to take myself out for lunch and then wander around a bit at Angel, which might be pretty at Christmas.

I wanted to try the BunBunBun newly opened location in Dalston so allowed plenty of time to get there and eat and set off again.

BunBunBun, Dalston - a spare setting
BunBunBun, Dalston – a spare setting
Bun Cha, my lunch
Bun Cha, my lunch

I ordered the Bún chả Hà Ná»™i –‘Served as it is served in Hanoi [grilled lemongrass pork, mini grilled pork patties in a meat broth with a crispy spring roll]. sounded intriguing. and it was.’ My whole review is here! I’ll go back and try something else soon to see if the rest of the menu measures up. I’d love to do a foodie trip to Vietnam. Continue reading “New Year and the ballet”