MY LONDON LIFE: RAIN & SHINE, DAY & NIGHT
IMAGES OF THE CITY IN AUTUMN
I realise I’ve written vast screeds of words in recent weeks and this can be trying for Yak readers who really don’t fancy such exegesis (and tiring for me to spend so long writing). Thus to give everyone a break I’m going to post a collection of photos I’ve snapped as I’ve moved around autumnal London (on foot, bike and bus). The weather’s getting cold here and last weekend’s storm saw torrential rains wash the city but, for the most part, there has been sunshine and crisp (even mild) temperatures. Very nice!
Burgess Park is a huge space, formerly an industrial estate (this part of London used to be home to tanneries and factories and canals built to transport goods). Its now a park extending from the Old Kent Road to the Walworth Road. I love to cycle across the lake - the brutalist estate in the right of the photo was part of the Aylesbury Estate, one of Europe’s largest public housing plans when built in the 60s (and now largely demolished - this building will go at some point in 25). Attack The Block and Luther and Harry Brown were just a few of the films/TV shot on the Aylesbury (its weathered concrete exteriors effectively symbolised “inner city deprivation” - I had a friend living in one of the buildings and his apartment was majestic).
Burgess Park has a bridge to nowhere - yes, the bridge in the distance once covered a canal. It now stands over a path for pedestrians and cyclists: the canals stopped being used to transport goods in the 1960s and were later drained and filled.
Oli Food Centre is open 24/7-365. Its a Turkish food emporium and is stuffed with tasty treats. I dropped in here to get fresh olives, baclava, pita bread, figs, humus etc.
Oli’s interior. A veritable Ali Baba’s cave of deliciousness!
I needed peppers for tonight’s dinner - 5 for £1. East Street Market remains the best!
I went to Gipsy Hill as the nearest Bulgarian shop to Peckham is there - not that its very close (SE19 and I’m SE15). In the 17th Century Gipsy Hill was noted as where a European Roma community had settled (thus its name). Back then it would have been in the countryside outside of London. Today, considering there must be a Bulgarian community here, Roma could again be living on the Hill.
Bulgarian specialties: rakija (a brandy made from grapes - in this case - or plums) and lutenitsa (a spread made from red peppers). Both will reliably grace a Bulgarian meal - I’m cooking such for friends - and are worth travelling for.
Heading into the West End I found the Xmas lights are up along Regent Street.
And St Martin’s Lane (theatreland, thus the mask symbol).
While down at Greenwich The Cutty Sark is anchored in mist and rain. When London gets grey its a deep, bleak grey.
And when London gets wet the rains can be torrential.
OK, that’s this Wednesday’s post. I hope you enjoyed following my footsteps around the city I call home.