Whiteley's flag

Queensway, Saturday 9:30 pm

Friday garden weeds

Cat's Ear?

Chickweed*. Tiny white flowers.
Five deeply-cleft petals, hairy stems, oval leaves.
The flower is lovely under a magnifying glass. 

* Suggested by Percy Blower

Thursday meadow

Lady's Bedstraw?

Knapweed? Lady's Bedstraw?

Out tonight

Purple flower to be identified.
Beside the big tree at the library centre

White Dead Nettle? St Andrew's Road

Update: Sunday1 July

To be identified. St Andrew's Road

Groundsel? St. Andrew's Road

BBC Radio 4 - James Joyce's Ulysses

Broadcast for Bloomsday 2012

Magnificent production, highly recommended. Brings the book completely to life. Superb casting and acting.*

Available for a year. Listen online or download with iTunes.


* Sounding like an advert in the Freeman's journal. Effect of listening too long. Gets in your brain.

They pass

French market this weekend

In the doomed open space by Willesden Library centre

More street wildflowers

Purple Crown Vetch. Harlesden Road

Groundsel? Harlesden Road

Unknown. I haven't seen the white flower before.
(Looks like giant kind of chickweed.)
Sorry for the poor resolution.  Grange Road.

Unknown. New to me. Purple flowers

Resurfacing

Peter Avenue

It's almost complete now, after about three days work. It was only a few years ago (five?) when this road was last resurfaced. It was in poor condition but why don't these surfaces last a bit longer? Looks like they have put exactly the same Tarmac again, though that is not an expert comment, so might be wrong.

After scraping away the old tarmac.

Jeremy Paxman vs Chloe Smith (Inception Mix)

Clover time in the fields

The lemon coloured flowers/florets? are new this week.

Mugwort?

Unknown. Lots of these in the meadow,
and there's a miniature version (?) beside the paths,
which doesn't grow such long tendrils.

New since last week: the white clover is out
all over the fields. Saw lots of wasps on it and a few bees.

The Library Lab - great!

"In partnership with Brent Council, Architecture 00:/ set up the new Library Lab in the Willesden Green Library Centre. The Library Lab will be open from February to August 2012, offering free workshops, lectures, a pop-up co-working space aimed at accelerating local entrepreneurship in the Brent community, and a free creche aimed at supporting working parents.

"To find out more about The Library Lab, visit thelibrarylab.com.

"The video was made in partnership with CODOC, an award-winning documentary company dedicated to creating spaces for critical thought through media. CODOC are also based out of the co-working space at the Library Lab.

"The Library Lab was delivered by Architecture 00:/ in partnership with Work Free / Think Future Ltd. and with support from Brent Council, The Outer London Fund, and the Greater London Authority."

What a terrific advert for our magnificent Willesden Library Centre. You will hardly believe that this is scheduled for demolition and replacement with a council office block. Not to mention the "locally listed" Victorian library building in front of it.

What are we dealing with here? Culturecide, nothing less. The police station nearby is also to be sold off. The post office clings on after several threats. What is the point of life, housing, not to mention taxes, if there is nothing around but an urban desert? Can nobody save us from the barbarians of Brent borough council?

Ed

Photos of British and Irish wildflowers

Wildflowers of Ireland. This is what got me started identifying wildflowers. I have used the book by Zoë Devlin for all my attempts at identifying, even though (clearly) this is not Ireland. As well as her photographs, the book has classic poems - sometimes several - to go with many of the flowers and it also has the Irish names and folklore, all of which makes the book very interesting and enjoyable. There is also the sense of a personal journey, with the dates and places when all pictures were taken. Of course the technical data is also included, botanical names, distribution, cross-references, recommended reading etc.

Wild Flowers of the British Isles. This looks a good site, which I hope to make more use of.

Here are some quick access sets of thumbnails, to see lots of possibles at a glance:
A-L1 Agrimony to Long Headed Poppy
L2-Y Lords and Ladies to Yellow Flag Iris

This evening

Spot the ball

A few footballers

Wednesday meadow

Poppy

  

Bird's-foot-trefoil

Bird's-foot-trefoil

Mallow?

Yarrow*

* Thanks to Percy Blower for suggesting this.

Armchair

Freecycled armchair. Rowdon Avenue

Been there since yesterday. It's in fairly good condition but if it rains...

"Wild flowers are overpowered by exhaust fumes"

Nature - Environment - The Independent

Nitrogen pollution from exhaust fumes and airborne farm fertiliser is causing loss of wildflower species that thrive on poor soil . The harebell is given as an example (photo). Stinging nettles, cow parsley and some grasses are said to be crowding them out.

Rambling rose

Bryan Avenue

Their fragrance is heady and heavenly, even from the distance of the camera.

Monday meadow

Bramble with bee

Bird's-foot-trefoil. Lots of these today.

Poppy

Mugwort (?)

No more library, no more bookshop

End of the road*. Everything half price to clear at the Willeseden Bookshop. Great stock of classics, biography, history, gardening, poetry, fiction, art. Children's books are their speciality (1/3 of the shop).

Six libraries out of twelve closed, the library centre to be demolished, Dollis Hill house demolished. The barbarians have entered the citadel. Thanks to the ToryLibDem government and local Labour collaborators. And now no more Willesden Bookshop!

But fear not, you're getting a square office block and five blocks of five storey flats. Who needs open space, who needs study space, who needs books, cinemas, cafés, museums, theatres, meeting rooms - not your local Labour councillors. All they need is money.

Ed

* Update: The bookshop management is not giving up. The purpose of the present stock reduction is to be able to move at one week's notice because from end of July that is what they will be on from then. They are still looking for a new home but the short term lets offered to date are not good what is required. More permanence is needed.

Thistles, knapweed

Thistle

Knapweed?

Knapweed

Still unknown

A little context

St Augustine's church

A view towards St Augustine's church, Kilburn Park Road

"Known as the 'Cathedral of North London', S. Augustine’s has its roots in the 'Oxford' or 'Tractarian' Movement which began with a Sermon preached in 1833 by John Keble" (Ref: History)

Ode to a Bedsock

The life of a bedsock is not very onerous.
It does the opposite whatever its owner does.
When you hit the hay its work must begin,
Together, usually, with its identical twin.
Bedsocks are harmless. Their idea of play
Is to wander about on a mattress all day.
So mind the Geneva Convention, fellows,
And never confine them under the pillows.

--
Stephen Moran

Samaritans

Charity shop, Walm Lane

Spotted Dog crane manoeuvre

Traffic was stopped while the crane pulled out of the site
but one car couldn't wait and darted through, horn blaring.

Piano Warehouse

Where Hassop Motors was till very recently, Willesden High Road

Piano Warehouse is a new feature on Willesden High Road in the old Hassop Motors showroom. Hassop are still there as well for MOT, servicing and used car sales. Entrance at the side.

More local street wildflowers

White: Wild Strawberry? Yellow: Trailing Tormentil?
Front garden, St. Paul's Avenue 

Honeysuckle? St. Paul's Avenue

Self-documenting Yellow Corydalis

Local phone booth

Press button A