My other beautiful launderette is a laundrette

This evening

My other beautiful laundrette is a launderette.

Amazon KDP versus Willesden Herald

Amazon: "Our records still show we haven’t received valid tax identification information for your account. In order for Amazon to comply with U.S. tax reporting guidelines, you must complete our short online tax interview by 10/25/2013 to avoid your books being removed from sale on Amazon."

WH: 'I am not obliged to conform to "U.S. tax reporting guidelines". When Amazon pays its fair share of U.K. tax I might consider it. Until then you can get stuffed.'

Update (September 2014): I relented and filled in the form.

Moonlighting skiver does okay, we suppose

Naturally we're beside ourselves with joy for our very busy intern, Steve Moran, who has somehow managed to win himself a prize for some sort of "slam", whatever that is. If you want to find out more, it's down the bottom of this page. It doesn't mention him but I suppose we can take his word for it. It was Small Wonder's tenth anniversary but since Steve has won something there, I think we can assume that it's finished now. Although there were some great turns, the closing session was no great shakes this year by the way, v. poor. Not up to the usual standard and nothing to do with short stories!

My beautiful launderette

Launderette on Greenford Road

"No re-entry after 8:00 PM. Thank you for your custom."

Interior 1

Interior 2

My other beautiful launderette is a laundrette.

London builders: "Mayo for Sam"

Cavendish Avenue, Harrow

"Mayo for Sam"

And who do we turn to for a commentary on this? Why none other than the Belfast Telegraph: Dublin v Mayo All-Ireland final: will it be east or west?

Blood on the street (not?)

Greenford Road near Sudbury Hill station, last night

Update: I think it's not blood, it's paan spit marks. Disgusting. At least blood has dignity to it.

Sudbury Hill station last night

"Service information" noticeboard with amusing text

Roddy Doyle's Singing Rabbitte

Roddy Doyle's Singing Rabbitte » Sabotage Times

"The Commitments show begins its residency at the Palace Theatre this month, capping off a surreal and emotional journey for its writer."

Part 2: The Problem With Hindsight

"I went to have a look at the Black Market Clash exhibition on Berwick Street a few nights ago, during a break in rehearsals in the Palace Theatre. I didn't have much time, but I didn't need much. It's a quick, witty charge through images and sound - a bit like a Clash song. But it got me thinking about the past and the present and the music we take with us from then to now."

More: Roddy Doyle's The Commitments website

Sudbury Hill / North Greenford common land?

Behind Kellogg Tower, Greenford Road

It's between Kellogg Tower, Greenford Road and the David Lloyd sports centre. You can reach it via the lane leading from the parade of shops and you'll most likely pass a couple of groups of Polish (?) lads standing in the trees, talking and drinking. There are a few empty bottles strewn by the road. There were no dog walkers around when your reporter ventured down the lane, only a couple of hardy souls walking to and from the sports centre. Most of its patrons swish by in cars. There's an open field with a wooded area behind and to one side of it. Nearer the sports centre there is a hilly clearing (see above), with tracks and a couple of benches. So the question remains, is this common land? Google maps is no help on the question.

Update 29 July 2014: It's called Grove Farm Nature Reserve. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grove_Farm,_Ealing: Grove Farm is an 8 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Greenford in theLondon Borough of Ealing. It was declared an LNR in 2002 by Ealing Council, which owns and manages the site.^[1][2]
The site has ancient woodland, and woodland flower species, while trees include thewild service tree. Plant species include welted thistle, hairy violet, pepper saxifrageand adders tongue fern.^[1][3]
There is a circular path, and there is access from Whitton Avenue West, Dimmock Drive and Lilian Board Way.^[3]

Seamus Heaney: Out of the Marvellous

"An intimate and original look at Seamus Heaney, the man and the artist. The film explores the key personal relationship in Heaney's life, that with his wife Marie, and follows him to Harvard, New York and London, to readings, signings and public interviews." Video: RTÉ Player. Available till 21 September 2013.

Competition update - good news

We have upgraded the prize for first place in this year's short story competition to include one week at a writing retreat in Knighton/Tref-y-Clawdd, Wales, which is set "in the lush, rolling countryside of the Welsh Marches", half board, not including travel expenses. Pretty cool, no?

What's on

Noticeboard, Greenford Road

Testing 1, 2, 3, thingy

Simon here. Well it looks like it's working. We've cranked up the old AudioBlagger™. Steams to work okay. Are you reading meat red?

Hello. Hello. What the foot?

I'm just sane the old AudioBlagger™ steams to be working okay here at the sud berry press.

Hello? Is that you Simon?

Yes.

Come again?

Yes. It's meat.

Tell free gal to see me in my office ass sap. I've got a tip, I mean a policy up date to disgust with him. Where is he, the lazy bar starred?

Careful red, this is all going instantly online.

Oh for fox sake. Turn it off you gob daw. ... Is it off now? ... Hello? Hello?

Going, going, gone

Grange Road

Willesden library centre has disappeared.

Brondesbury Park

The old Victorian library

Clouds of leaving

Last shots from Herald House on the old Minolta dImage camera with which this blog started. No idea as yet what Sudbury will look like. Looking forward to exploring, perhaps as far as Horsenden Hill on Sundays and Horsenden Wood but more likely only as far as the local playing fields most days. Willesden Herald days: April 2003 to August 2013, ten years of utter banality.

Sid Kay sings The Nearness of You

Live Music and Singer's Night at The Prince of Wales, Kilburn. Free entry every Thursday with musicians Mick the Sax, Bobby on Bongos Congas Percussion, Miss Budapest on Keys and Friends. The video features Sid Kay, who is not far off 90, in a beautiful, smooth performance but also with a bit of humour.

"The greatness of a man"

Quote from Bob Marley

Corner of Walm Lane & Willesden Lane

Nearly gone - Willesden library centre & bookshop

Brondesbury Park

Vulture / Moon

Grange Road this evening

As good a time as any to tell you that The Willesden Herald is moving, decentralising from the rebel capital of Brent, across the border to Harrow. But Red Woodward would like to assure our many subscriber that we will continue to broadcast on Radio Free Willesden and publish The Willesden Herald "until the Mahamanvantara be done". We will be moving in with the Sudbury Hill Times. There will be no compulsory redundancies. Instead we will be issuing everyone with new zero hour contracts and applying to the Department for Unemployment to provide us with free labour. Here's to the next 10 years. Sláinte mhaith! 

Occam's razor

Ridley's Believe it or Not

Ancient philosopher Occam's razor was so tiny that it took him hours to shave his face. It was said that by the time he'd finished shaving one side, the stubble had regrown on the other. When friends urged him to use a bigger razor, Occam insisted that it was best to use the minimum size of razor with which it was possible to shave. As a result Occam spent the best part of his waking hours shaving.

Demolishing the library centre

Brondesbury Park

Demolition of the library centre in progress

View from Grange Road this morning

Demolition: A digger biting and water being sprayed over it

Urban bees thriving

Sidmouth Road

I estimated there were about 30 bees on this one lavender plant alone, and the rest of the plants along the front of the flats on Sidmouth Road all just as busy. According to BBC Horizon's recent program, urban bees are flourishing while country bees are dying out. Well it can't be anything to do with mobile phone signals can it then? It must be those pesticides, the nicotinoids probably.

Ossian

Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan's lost 1970 gem (premiere)

Pretty Saro (trad.) - Bob Dylan (via Rolling Stone)

Nursery Education Grants in Brent (poster)

Details: http://www.brent.gov.uk/neg2

Sequel to "Last Night's Dream Corrected"

This is a new poetry anthology being put together by the same publisher and editors behind Last Night's Dream Corrected (Pretend Genius, 2006). The project was inspired by the picture and caption below but the book might not be called "Half price sale at the geranium shop for the blind" (see previous post). I am in discussions with the charity about it.* So the title is to be advised. If you would like to submit something for this slim volume, please send something to pgLondonOffice at ntlworld dot com. The previous working title and the title and some of the contents of the previous volume are probably the best guide to what might fly. Contributors will each receive one copy of the book.

Ossian

*Update: They have told us not to use their name.