noneofthisisreal

He has no family and found himself homeless after allegedly losing both his job and his houseboat around 2017 - but told the Daily Mail last year he lost his job as a botanist in 2023.  

The Swede, who dresses in blazers and waistcoats, said he has never claimed benefits and has never been dependent on alcohol.  Fernstedt now seemingly lives the high life, spending his hours working out on gym bars he found in the street and showering for free in nearby Victoria - and is a stone's throw from the Royal Albert Hall.  He also immerses himself in novels by historian William Dalrymple and economists, and attends a nearby church as a practising Russian Orthodox Christian.  

 He uses the nearby church as his en-suite to the mansion, which was formerly owned by former Saudi Arabian crown prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz until his death in 2011.  Fernstedt is also showered by donations including free clothes, food and even an iPhone from his neighbours, who he claims enjoy him sharing the sought after area.  He is the only person sleeping rough outside the terraced houses of 2-8a Rutland Gate, as he believes his neighbours think 'one is none, but two is a Calais camp'. 

Behind him sits a house worth more than some small island economies. In front of him lies the pavement. Between the two is a front door. That is the joke, if you have a taste for very bleak comedy.

‘It’s my pretend reality’ … Anders Fernstedt, a former journalist who has lived outside the property for three years.

There may not be anyone inside, but there is someone outside – just outside – and I’m afraid I’ve woken him up. On the porch is a makeshift tent, made mostly from umbrellas. A bearded head emerges, a little bleary, but cheerful. The porch is filled with stuff, which spills out along the railings: baskets, books and newspapers, pictures, teddy bears, games, a couple of bicycles, lots of flowers in vases, pots and bins.

He is comfortable enough – he shows me the mattress he sleeps on, plus additional squishy things, such as a fluffy octopus toy someone won at the Winter Wonderland fair in Hyde Park and gave to him. “I’m like the princess and the pea,” he says. On top, he has a Hungarian goose down duvet that keeps him warm in winter, but isn’t too hot in summer. He generally sleeps well, although sometimes he’s woken by a loud Lamborghini.

Dragon's Blood is a natural, resin, mentioned by Pliny in his Natural History. It has a weak tinting strength, and its rich red colour can be fugitive in direct sunlight. It is fully soluble in alcohol, and can be used to add a warm, transparent tone to spirit varnishes. Also available in powdered form.

(via Dragon's Blood Pieces - Gums and Resins - Pigments, Gums, Resins)

We always had to have 50 boxes of a Daler Rowney oil colour called Naples yellow for Lucian Freud