Blog an fhir bolg

Little Haiti, Miami, Florida

I am spending Christmas and New Year in Miami, so as a change of venue, here are pictures that I took on a walk around Little Haiti in Miami. I finish with a frozen iguana that fell from a tree in our garden, it has been there the last three days. Apparently this is normal when the temperature goes below 8C, and it will defrost and walk away when the temperature goes back up!

The Other Palace, Victoria, London

The Other Palace started life as St James Theatre in 2012 when it was the first newly built theatre in Central London for over 30 years. It was bought by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, Really Useful Group, in 2017 and has been re-branded and it intended as a place to develop new musicals. Bill Kenwright bought it in 2021. The first show was  “The Wild Party” which was an auspicious start . This was my…

St Paul's by William Wordsworth. #poetry #London #literature

I have to thank Tim Miller and his podcast “Human voices wake us” for bringing this great London poem to my attention. St Paul’s from Tate Modern Pressed with conflicting thoughts of love and fearI parted from thee, Friend, and took my wayThrough the great City, pacing with an eyeDowncast, ear sleeping, and feet masterlessThat were sufficient guide unto themselves,And step by step went…

An exhilarating experience with @iFLY_UK

An indoor skydive is an experience where you lean into a wind tunnel and the gushing wind lifts you up and keeps you aloft. Never having done a skydive from a plane, I cannot say how similar the feeling is to a parachute jump – but I can say that there is an initial moment of dread as you step off the ledge of the tunnel and allow the blast of wind to take your body airborne. This is followed by…

Great London Songs @biblecodesundays #London #songs

13. Maybe It’s because I’m an Irish Londoner – Biblecode Sundays This is a great London song for those of us who grew up in London with Irish parents, or those who have moved from Ireland to London. It celebrates both London and Irish culture. This song was released in 2007 by the Celtic Rock band The BibleCode Sundays. They are still together today and still play live around London. If you get…

London is a city packed with great museums and this is why the V&A is the best! @V_&_A #LoveLondon #touristLondon #Londontourism

The V&A calls itself “The world’s leading museum of Art and Design”, a bold claim. In a city that has many of the greatest museums in the world, the Victoria and Albert is among the best of them. It is certainly my favourite. The permanent collection is vast, with almost 3 million objects and the variety of displays is huge, in terms of time -from antiquity to the present day, geography –…

Joe Allen - classic dishes done well. @JoeAllenWC2 #Londonicon #londontheatre #londonfoodie

Joe Allen has been in London since 1977. I first went there in about 1979 and it has been, on and off, one of my favourite restaurants in town ever since then. When I heard that the building it was in, had been bought and that it would be moving, I was disappointed and worried. They found new premises very close to the old venue, and they reopened in 2018. COVID restrictions hit London soon after…

12 Lazy Sunday – Small Faces This was originally a track on the 1968 album “Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake”. The song was released as a single in April that year without the band’s knowledge and reached No.2 in the UK singles chart. They weren’t happy with its’ release, because they felt that many other tracks on the album better represented their musical direction, they were trying to ditch their pop…

Capital Ring Section 5 - a great mix of nature, architecture and historical interest. @capital_ring #walk #WalkLondon @walklondon #LoveLondon

Stratham Common to Wimbledon Park This section is different to the last as it has suburban roads as well as parks and some beautiful and interesting building along the route. We leave Streatham Common at the Northwest corner and walk down residential streets until we get to the railway line near Streatham Common station. We pass under the tracks, through a couple of colorful alleyways, probably…

The Sex Party, Menier Chocolate Factory

This is a story about a suburban sex party, set in a middle-class house in Islington. The play is set in the kitchen, all the libidinous stuff takes place off stage, in the lounge and we see the cast as they arrive and when they are taking a break from the action (as it were). I probably went with the wrong frame of mind; I was expecting a comedy or a farce. It does have some jokes (not enough)…

11 Parklife – Blur Released in 1994, the title track of Blur’s third album Only reached No. 10 in the UK chart, but it is probably one of the most recognizable “Britpop” songs. The verses are narrated by Phil Daniels, a London actor, in a strong cockney accent. It was written while Damon Albarn was living in Kensington Church Street and the band were recording the album in Fulham. At the 1995…

A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon @FourCornerClub #chess #chesspunks #London #quirkylondon

The Four Corner Outdoor Chess Club is a very enjoyable thig to do on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It meets at noon in St. John’s Square, a short walk from Farringdon station, a part of the city that is quiet at the weekend. It is free and you don’t need to book – just turn up and take part. The atmosphere is fun and friendly, it doesn’t matter whether you are a good player or a complete beginner,…

Capital Ring Section 4. A fine walk with spectacular long views @capital_ring #WalkLondon #walk @walklondon #LoveLondon

Crystal Palace to Streatham Common Section 3 goes from Crystal Palace Station to Streatham Common, it is pretty short at 6.5km and has some spectacular long views at various point through the walk. Definitely one to choose on a clear day. On leaving the station and Crystal Palace Park, you cross over Anerley Hill Road and go up a steep hill to Palace Square, which has an interesting…

9 Vossi Bop – Stormzy Vossi Bop was released in April 2019 entering the UK chart at No.1 and spending two weeks there. Stormzy is a London grime artist, and his lyrics and performances often talk about living and growing up in South London. This song references UK and London politics and the line “tell ’em this is London City, we the hottest in the world”. The video has him rapping outside the…

An enjoyable evening out! #London #LoveLondon

I attended amongst a group of 10 people, some of us remembered the original album fondly, a couple had read the Jules Verne book, and a couple had no knowledge of the story. The entry point is a 19th Century tavern, where you can have a drink while you await your fellow travelers. The parties set off in groups of around 15. and you begin by sitting in a small cinema where hologram images set the…

London Playlist #Londonplaylist #GreatLondonSongs

8 Up the Junction – Squeeze “I never thought it would happen, with me and the girl from Clapham” begins the 1979 story song from Squeeze. It’s named after a 1960s kitchen sink drama directed by Ken Loach and although the story is not quite the same one, it has many of the same elements. Lean lyrics and no chorus, it succinctly tells a life story in 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Released as a…

A great thing to do on a sunny day! @UpatTheO2 #London #LoveLondon

It seems that I was one of the few people who liked The Millenium Dome, as it was called when it was called when it was first built. I had a couple of very enjoyable days there at the start of the century. So, when I was given the tickets to walk over the roof of it, as a birthday gift, I was delighted. It’s called the O2 arena now and the walk over its roof is “Up at the O2” with a tagline of…