David Cameron talking on the tube to the Olympics

Boris Johnson speaking in Hyde Park

Passion flowers on Harlesden Road

Peril of the single currency and Globalism

Shipwright's partition hulls for safety.

When SS Jeopardy is holed, the ship sinks but when SS Safety is holed, the ship sails back to port. The same consideration applies to Globalism. One size does not fit all. Countries need borders, tariffs and, in short, control; not to be at the mercy of unaccountable multinational powers.

Latest from the meadow

unknown

The one in front is white,
the ones at back mostly mauve-ish.

Knapweed, a tall one.
(Greater Knapweed?)

Various

London - a music video playlist

Welcome to the Olympics 2012. Here are some songs, images & music of London. Thanks to Facebook friends for all the suggestions.

Playlist

1. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
2. Willesden To Cricklewood - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
3. Kentish Town Waltz - Imelda May
4. Montague Terrace In Blue - Scott Walker
5. Warwick Avenue - Duffy
6. Buddha Of Suburbia - David Bowie
7. Wild West End - Dire Straits
8. Brompton Oratory - Nick Cave
9. Willesden Green - The Kinks
10. London Calling - The Clash
11. A Rainy Night In Soho - The Pogues
12. August In Hammersmith - Robyn Hitchcock
13. Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon
14. I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea - Elvis Costello
15. Misty Morning, Albert Bridge - The Pogues
16. Up the Junction - Squeeze
17. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
18. I Like London In The Rain - Blossom Dearie
19. Lions - Dire Straits
20. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - Frank Sinatra
21. Silvertown Blues - Mark Knopfler
22. The Old Main Drag - The Pogues
23. Limehouse Blues - Django Reinhardt et al
24. A Foggy Day In London Town - David Bowie
25. Junkie Doll - Mark Knopfler
26. Sweet Thames Flow Softly - Christy Moore et al
27. Piccadilly Palare - Morrissey
28. London Bridge - B.A.D.
29. The Guns Of Brixton - Arcade Fire
30. Primrose Hill - Madness
31. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight - The Jam
32. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
33. Kings Cross - Pet Shop Boys
34. This Is What We Find - Ian Dury
35. Swimming Over London - Tamesis Chamber Choir

PETA tips for safeguarding dogs in hot weather

From www.peta.org.uk:

During warm weather, even dogs who are left in the shade can quickly succumb to heatstroke and suffer brain damage as a result. On a 26-degree day, the temperature inside a shaded car is 32 degrees, and the inside of a vehicle parked in the sun can reach 70 degrees in just minutes.

Meadow: It's all happening

Field Scabious

Various

Red Campion?*

Common Knapweed

A bee on common knapweed

Wild Carrot a.k.a. Queen Anne's Lace?
Prickly stems with lines along. 

Knapweed and St John's-wort (yellow)

The yellow flowers look like a type of St John's-wort

Knapweed and St John's-wort

Teasel on 21/7/2012,  approx  doubling in size per day

Teasel 22/7/2012, already over 5.5 feet
from nothing about three days ago

Lots of new flowers in the past couple of days, including the army of teasel shooting up at amazing speed.

* Suggested by Percy Blower

Ode to Joy and to Spain

Part of Beethoven’s ninth symphony started by a child putting a coin into a street performer’s hat. Is Banc Sabadell one of the Spanish banks that needs money? A nice way of invoking the European spirit, if you like, with what is often thought of as the anthem of the EU.

Sponsoring "Short Story Day Africa" (screenshot)

It's nice to see Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 6 in the slideshow of sponsors' logos, as caught in this "freeze frame" screenshot. Link: Short Story Day Africa

Meadow update

Oxford Ragwort? This has only just blossomed.
The scene changes from day to day.

Depends on which leaves.

Thistles cover a large area.

Another view of the thistles.

I will try for a better shot of the pink things.
Update: Field Scabious - see later pictures.

Wild Carrot a.k.a. Queen Anne's Lace?
This has a nasty prickly stem.

Still don't know. Creeping Yellow Cress?
The stems have lots of "layers".

Hornet on privet

Looks like a hornet, no? The privet here is not really wild but privet grows wild as well. (Donnington Road)

Friday evening park

Teasel has appeared.

More blooming blooms

Bistort (?) out in the last few days

Michaelmas Daisy, newly out.

Type of Nightshade (Solanum ...)? Poisonous.
Not to be confused with Belladonna
a.k.a. Deadly Nightshade.

Sun Spurge?

Beetroot soup/New machine fresh wash

 

Signwriting, Willesden High Road, Friday 21 July 2012

Buddleia a.k.a. Butterfly Bush

At the disused factory warehouse, Bryan Avenue. According to a sign on the gate, the place is up for auction. So what happened to the plan for five-bedroom council houses on the site, which street residents were nimbying about?

Short Story Day Africa sponsorship

"Short Story Day Africa is a literacy project that aims to highlight the outstanding short fiction Africa has to offer." Link: Indiegogo

Official sponsor!

Willesden Herald has put a bit of the competition money into sponsoring this, in the hope of reading more short stories from Africa in our competition. And after all, the competition did receive funding from a Kickstarter appeal. What goes around comes around. I love reading stories from Africa, they're always fascinating. (Steve)

Swaminarayan school sports day at Willesden Stadium

A car park attendant said that people had come from all over the country for the sports day. Every bit of the car park, the grass in between the bays and part of the park was filled with cars. Welcome to The Swaminarayan School