Seagull

Sudbury Hill, Harrow this afternoon

Storm Erik - a timely warning

This is the moment a man fell from a promenade into the water in 2018. Passers-by naturally rushed to help. They too found themselves in difficulty. All escaped with their lives. If you see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/GrFc265HIu

— RNLI (@RNLI) February 7, 2019

Don't get near the waves in a dangerous place like this (above, from 2018). I was nearly swept off my feet into the sea from some huge rocks many years ago. You just don't know when a bigger wave will crash in. (Ed.)

A walk through Grove Farm, North Greenford

"The road not taken" (took the right hand one, left goes west)

The not very narrow path to the not very deep north

Not much of a path here. Go up left towards exit or right to follow the stream. 

View towards the landmark Kellogg Tower (now flats) across the stream

Should have gone that way

Okay, we're down here, let's keep going, fool!

A local nature reserve, with wild service trees etc* but don't know what these ones are.

Across the stream to the back of the Kellogg Tower office-to-flat conversions

You can just about see the stream in this. Anyone know its name, if any?

Uh oh. Heading for a dead end, only some four-legged tracks here.

Had to turn back and up to the plateau behind the David Lloyd sports centre

Found a way out. "Thank you for visiting Ealing parks". Pleasure.

The David Lloyd sports centre road. That's Sudbury Hill station on the left.

This walk started from the entrance between houses on Whitton Avenue West and ended at the side road that leads from Greenford Road to the David Lloyd sports centre.

* Grove Farm is an 8 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing. It was declared an LNR in 2002 by Ealing Council, which owns and manages the site.

The site has ancient woodland, and woodland flower species, while trees include the wild service tree. Plant species include welted thistle, hairy violet, pepper saxifrage and adders tongue fern.

There is a circular path, and there is access from Whitton Avenue West, Dimmock Drive and Lilian Board Way. (Source: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grove_Farm,_Ealing)

Another view from the railway bridge today

Midday, and snow from last night has not melted yet.

Views from the rail bridge on a cold but sunny day

Chiltern Line going west away from Sudbury Hill Harrow

Chiltern Line going east towards Sudbury Hill Harrow

Update:  Later in the afternoon, the sky became completely overcast and it rained steadily with some sleet and snow at times, till nightfall.

Spare poems going cheap

Breda Rainey


Breda Rainey you would
hammock in the rainy box
chaps sodden from the night dew.

Breda Rainey you wear
tiny leaves of the hedgerow
in your hair.

Breda Rainey you are,
though you heave a pushchair,
forever garlanded in box.

.

The Weight of Words


The number of all the raindrops that have ever fallen on England
and all the flakes of snow that ever fell on Japan,
in words,
would not outweigh a pinch of cotton
as would make a pillow for a dormouse.

.

Canal of Days

Life is a canal, on which we are narrow boats

with no reverse gear.

Each night, each sleep, is a lock.

We enter the lock and the water of yesterday is released,

till we emerge into tomorrow, to another gated day.

Behind us and above that again,

lie the days gone by. Ahead only today,

its prospect, its gate, its fall.

Gone the hundreds, hail the one.

Oh lucky swans!

.

Superb John Prine session w/ Gordon Lightfoot in the room

Great atmosphere, anecdotes, wonderful songs and a brilliant performance.
And it must be said, "not a dry eye in the house." "Laughter through tears" is another stock phrase that comes to mind.

Ebikery redux

Once again, an ebike partially blocking the path, near a junction in the Sudbury Hill area #ebikes #LimeE pic.twitter.com/v1z9CQ2k9d

— Willesden Herald | New Short Stories (@storyofthemonth) January 4, 2019

Police appeal: Murder of Jason Isaacs

Seen suspicious-looking two mopeds with pillion passengers not wearing helmets?: read this. The photo is of a poster on Whitton Avenue near Oldfield Circus: it's been damaged. "Appeal to find Jason Isaacs' killer: police re-visit murder scene in Northolt" https://t.co/dvAQAdPkgq pic.twitter.com/jEyvRMnyGm

— Willesden Herald | New Short Stories (@storyofthemonth) January 1, 2019

Short Story of the Month, January 2019

The Willesden Herald New Short Stories Story of the Month

January 2019: Disappearing by Barbara Robinson

… Later, John places the kettle on the hob. I’m sitting at his kitchen

table again, rolling another joint. My eyes are level with his waistband

as he leans across me to take cups from a shelf, the tip of his tan-coloured

leather belt close to my face. I yank it …

Barbara Robinson has an MA in Creative Writing from MMU and reads at literary events in Manchester. Her short story Supersum was short-listed for the 2016 Willesden Herald prize and her novel Elbow Street shortlisted for the 2018 Andrea Badenoch Fiction Award and longlisted for the Grindstone Literary 2018 Novel Prize. She has had short stories published in Ellipsis Zine and Fictive Dream.

Ebikes in a heap

Uh-oh. Lime-E ebikes in a heap beside the pedestrian crossing in front of Sudbury Hill tube station. They are a safety hazard and an obstruction. #ebikes pic.twitter.com/XxhEYkCRE3

— Willesden Herald | New Short Stories (@storyofthemonth) December 28, 2018

eBikes for Christmas

Lime-E eBikes outside Sudbury Hill tube station, Christmas Eve

It says "£1 to start" on them. There's an app.

Beside a pelican crossing (Greenford Road). Safety from children's viewpoint?

One e-thing leads to another

Following on from the appearance of electric bikes (ebikes, Lime-E brand) outside the two Sudbury Hill stations earlier this week, sure enough on a walk around the area today, two paths are partially blocked for those carrying large shopping bags and or pushing prams or in wheelchairs.

E-bike blocking the path, South Vale

Ebike blocking the path, Wood End Road

Another view of the ebike, Wood End Road. The path slopes here.

Irish language in Kilburn station

"Tá Londain ar oscailt" (London is open) 

Mayor of London "#LondonIsOpen" campaign sign as Gaeilge. It looks like it's been there a while. Kilburn is known for its large Irish population.

E-bikes hit London

Lime-E electronic bikes next to Sudbury Hill Harrow station today

Friday 14 December, update: There are many more, about ten, outside Sudbury Hill underground station this morning, in two ranks. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a photo of them. They are pristine and I doubt anyone has tried to use one as yet. [Ed.]