I felt like having a real explore this day. It was sunny as can be, with ultra blue sky, and chirpy, cheery birds. I hadn't been to the secret little woodland in a long time - you can have a real clamber about as it is partly on a hill, with so many layers of wildly different trees, shrubs, flowers, really thickly built up - like another world, and yet you are still in London. This is where I would take anyone who had negative ideas about London - to show how it can really be!
This curious looking flower caught my eye on an exploration of SW London woodland a year or so ago. Its petals are chequered. Recently, I visited the same site, excited to find it had sprung up once again. I read up about this flower: the fritallary; it is actually incredibly rare - the UK's 'most exotic flower'. More thrillingly, where they exist, they are likely to have grown for centuries. Yet they can be easily destroyed in one simple ploughing. There were but three or four examples of the flower around in a space of no more than two or three square feet. To be around these flowers feels like a precious secret. That they're still here today shows how nature always finds a way; nature is tough. I felt like having a real explore this day. It was sunny as can be, with ultra blue sky, and chirpy, cheery birds. I hadn't been to the secret little woodland in a long time - you can have a real clamber about as it is partly on a hill, with so many layers of wildly different trees, shrubs, flowers, really thickly built up - like another world, and yet you are still in London. This is where I would take anyone who had negative ideas about London - to show how it can really be! I delighted in the different sights and textures of various tree bark. Nature fascinates me like nothing else - immersing myself in it like this is my calm and my fun and my antidote to so many things in loud, demanding, fast-paced life. We've got to treasure and preserve our green open spaces.
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I bought a few zines at the Yorkshire Zine Weekend: Isn't it a many-splendid sight? Glowing in the sun too: Some bought from individuals' tables or when they approached me, some bought from distro tables, some were swaps, a few were free. Plus loads of flyers, the odd CD, and badges. Always badges:
I wanted to find out where this old carousel had travelled from or been bought from - it was over 100 years old. Cute horses always make me think of my pal Ingrid. This horse seemed to carry a face of glee as it travelled round. I love how brightly lit and jolly carousels are, they always make me extremely happy! Shiny, shiny, shiny! Climbing elf. Glittery cake extravaganza. This digitally animated theatrical face projected from a TV screen was unnerving. With a greatly slowed down, deep voice and the strangest accent, like a character from the Labyrinth, he told weird jokes and laughed far too hard all to himself. Sinister! The ceiling was busy with lights, and made everything seem like such a magical world. Milton Keynes always has the best Christmas scene each year, and it's always free.
My International Zine Month started off well. Made a 24 hour zine, bought drawers with which to archive my beloved zine collection, wrote letters to zine makers, and so on... But life got taken over by: www.savewimbledonlibrary.org There would be no zines made by me, latterly in life, without this library, in fact! Whilst I had hoped to pick things up again, and had two more 24hour zines planned for the making, I am just going to pick things up for the very final couple of days, with a photo post, on a zine theme! My zine-related badges! I do have a Brain Scan badge or two somewhere, I swear, but I've misplaced them for the moment. I include the star one, as it is made by zine maker Emma Jane Falconer. The rest are from distros or are directly zine related. I did find time to write to a zine maker I have never written to, nor met, before, last night - which is part of International Zine Month. Or rather, I replied to a lovely letter from Emma of Hedgehog in the Fog zine, about Cambridge, and about zines, and about culture and about music. In the background, there are new copies of the brill new zine I've been sent: Milk and Apples, too! Lastly, above, are the zines I have been reading for the end of International Zine Month. I would love to include every single zine I have been reading and been moved by this month, but time is scarce, so here is a selection of ones I've enjoyed from the last couple of days.
From left to right: 1. my friend Vicky's inspiring 24 hour zine about youth depression (see her online zine shop here for similar zines from her), 2. & 3. Milk & Apples amazing new zine series from Human Bean, about self-harming/invisibility of mental health problems/borderline personality disorder/hospital admission, 4. Viva Quinto! zine about the wonderful secondhand book emporium on the Charing Cross Road (this shop looks to be the reserve of lavishly rich collectors from the outside, but there are some true bargains and affordable works to discover) - I love the spirit of this book zine, made by Yo Zushi, who was involved in this year's brilliant Clapton Zine Fair. Viva Quinto zine only available from the book shop as yet, I understand. It all seems like a dream now, Florence. I only just got earthed yesterday, as I spent a couple of days in a pure daze after returning. The heightened views, the bumpy green rolling mountainous Tuscan hills, warm green olive groves, ancient architecture, towering grand towers and domes, the flowing old river, the history in the elegant, narrow streets, and gorgeous gardens... it was all so sublime. Whenever I was in a museum, I thought of my friend Ingrid, her love of collections/archives, and it made me appreciate the whole experience even more. I took photos galore of museums that I simply passed in the street and libraries too - the buildings alone were stunning, and it made me sad that often in the UK, libraries and archives are not housed and valued with the same permanence and care and reverance. The libraries I came across included: a converted ancient church, and a grand, classical, mediterrannean stone creation, with palm trees and great stone statues with trumpets to fanfare the very place. The above photo is of the Borgello sculpture museum, which was incredible. And, of course, we went to Uffizi. I amazed myself by firstly not only successfully boarding a plane and staying on it for two hours without giving in to all-consuming panic (!!!), but also scaling the ever so narrow, tiny confines of the winding stone steps of the Campanile. The sign said 414 steps to the top, and I wasn't sure I could go ahead with it, but forced myself. It's not so much vertigo, just the confined space and the experience of climbing wide steps with such sharp turns (people coming down the stairs as you go up), and going up up up not able to turn back or retreat at all. Luckily, there are several stages where you can pause to look at the view, which made it more feasible. Many photos were taken of the stunning views, and I really enjoyed it once I was up there. We were blessed with such good, sunny weather. It was even balmy at times! It was exactly what I had been craving in our harsh UK winter (and spring). I felt so healthy, relaxed, happy, carefree. The many gorgeous gardens with so much going on inside (ponds with statues, carefully crafted islands with walkways, and other adornments, ancient coffee-houses, flora, churches, terraces, arbours, terracotta, museums, mazes, walls, and so on) were such a panacea. I was in my element here. Since my beau prefers city holidays, and I love my natural environs, gardens and green open spaces are important. I hadn't seen such elaborate, amazing gardens since Seville's tropicalia. I'm sure I'll 'zine about the holiday in much more depth and care soon. For now, I'll just end by saying how well we ate and drank and delighted in Italy. My second visit to the country, and I can't wait for future visits. I came home with souvenirs of the vegetable variety, because Italy is one of the best climates for food growing (and because other souvenirs are general. I brought home from a friendly little market stall, a bunch of tiny, sweet little red tomatoes on the vine, plus a pepper that was both yellow and green as it naturally would be (unlike the UK's extremely cultivated/possibly force-ripened/sprayed veg); a pepper that was so gargantuan I had to hold it with two hands! Ah, the bliss of the mediterrannean...
Walking around Putney recently, I happened to pass this adorable sight! It seems some neighbours on this street have taken ownership of some of the little patches around the trees along their road. Some are simply decorated with flowers. This door is so magical, though! Even a path leading up to it! Little touches like this just make life brighter, as if there are still some people who care and who feel wonder at the world and want others to feel happy wonder too. Anyone who speaks negatively of London is proved wrong when you see things like this! I didn't care what anyone thought as I gasped aloud in joy, and instantly took a photo, before deciding to open the tiny little door to see what was behind. There were some jigsaw children's pieces with animal faces, heh! Anyway, this gave a silver lining to my outing. Thank you to whoever had the heart and soul to perform such a touch! |
AthemauraEnthusiastic about 'zines, libraries, gardening in the city, independent book shops/record shops/cafes, vegetarian and vegan, London in all its variety, local living/community. Archives
November 2014
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