Wildflowers

Wood End Road

They are complex flowers, very beautiful, and there are lots growing wild round here. Can you identify them?*

* Love in a Mist! Thanks Nigella. Ed

Singapore London Property for sale: The Library at London Willesden Green

SingaporePropertyHunt.com says:

QUOTE:

for Sale: The Library at London Willesden Green*

"a good time for investment both for capital appreciation and currency appreciation London properties are worthy investment as investors can also look forward to reaping good yields ... a rare opportunity to own a piece of heritage London in a much sort [sic] after north west London Borough of Brent."

Note: "The Library" now means the investment apartments. The former library becomes "a cultural centre". Doesn't it make your blood boil? Ed.

Meanwhile this: Anti-Homeless Spikes Outside London Flats (The Independent)

More of the different

London Plane, Greenford Road near the Kellogg Tower

Elm? Lime? Whitton Avenue West

Another? Whitton Avenue West

Again? Whitton Avenue West, corner of Wood End Lane

?. Wood End Lane, very tall tree. Lollipop?

Willesden Library Centre redevelopment

 

We're to have a Stalinist patronising "Cultural Centre" instead of the library centre and several blocks of flats advertised for sale in Singapore, guaranteed to contain "no affordable housing" and "no key worker housing". And Willesden Green now has no car park.

Brondesbury Park, Willesden

London Plane

Edgware Community Hospital

Douglas Pine? 

Ash

Willow

Horse Chestnut

Horse Chestnut (same) 

Silk Stream

Ornamental Plum and Whitebeam, Harrow

Ornamental Plum. 2 June

Whitebeam. 3 June

Back in the world again

David Gray on the Late Late Show live from Dublin. WH had a couple of spies in the audience for this and it was pretty cool. Also spotted the man himself and his band at the RTÉ canteen earlier in the evening. Did you know that his album White Ladder is the best selling album ever in Ireland?

Sing along...

...if you can keep up.

East London from the air

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Samuel Johnson

Video by Honey Worth
"#eastlondonair @honeyworth @standaloneuk
A unique and fascinating look at East London from the air.
Music 'Stratosphere' kindly donated by David O'Brien / Gareth Johnson."

Phoenix Park, Dublin

Oak 1

Oak 2a

Oak 2b

I took these on the way in to Bloom in the Park yesterday (Phoenix Park, Dublin).

Harry Lemon

Drumcondra, Dublin

Sycamore?

This is a funny one

Maradonna's "hand of God" goal, recreated with Lego

What's really funny is the players arguing with the ref. at the end.

This evening

View from Wood End Road

Local election results Brent and Harrow 2014

Brent

The Brent results are in. It stays under Labour control. But the LibDems have been all but wiped out, down from 16 to 1 councillor. Conservatives are down 1 to 6 and Labour are up 16 to 56. No other parties won a seat and therefore Labour has an overall majority of 56 to 7. It seems nobody cares that half of the libraries were closed and sold off to developers to build flats for overseas buyers.

Harrow

In Harrow the breakaway Independent Labour 9 councillors have been wiped out and official Labour is up 9. The split was about some perceived racism in the local party. I don't know how true it can be as two of the three official Labour candidates here in the Harrow-on-the-Hill ward (home of the new Herald House) were Asian. We also had a UKIP councillor, switched from Independent, in Harrow but he lost his seat this time. So it's UKIP minus 1 here and Conservatives plus 1. So much for "the UKIP surge". Totals: Labour 34, Conservatives 26, LibDems 1 (no change) and Independent 2. So official Labour has taken back the council from "no overall control" to an overall majority of 5.

Complete national results: Guardian
London facts and figures: Diamond Geezer

Zadie on storytelling

Zadie Smith accepts the 2014 Moth Award at the annual Moth Ball Gala, held at Capitale in NYC

"The unlikeliest story of my life is the one about the girl from Willesden who found readers in the United States." Follow the link for the complete talk. It contains among other things a marvellous memoir of her school days.

South Vale, Harrow

Ash

Oak

Hawthorn

Laburnum

Sunday evening

Oak canopy over South Vale road

This evening

Cavendish Avenue

Wood End Road

Reprise - alternative Eurovision entries by country

Back by absolutely no popular demand whatsoever, the Willesden Herald alternative Eurovision entries wishlist by country. It's supposed to contain Russia, Portugal, France, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Spain, Austria, Germany, Royaume Uni but some of them might skip. Portugal was Ana Carolina and Seu Jorge singing that translation of The Blower's Daughter (it's better than that makes it sound). Why are Brazil representing Portugal? Just because.

Fresh Guacamole - brilliant animation

"The 2013 Academy Award Nominated film by PES. Fresh Guacamole is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar."

Brent Council upside down sign

doɥs doʇs əuo, Brent Council Reception, Brent House

I can only assume that this is Brent Council's one stop shop sign for people who walk on their hands.

Kensal Rise Library planning - last day for comments

From the Friends of Kensal Rise Library

Last update before planning comments close......

1. Thank you to all of you that have contacted Brent planning expressing your support for FKRL and those who have signed letters of support.

To those of you who have not yet sent your comments you have until the end of Monday 28th April to do so.
The link is:
https://forms.brent.gov.uk/servlet/ep.ext?extId=101150&reference=115466&st=PL

For the best chance of retaining a library for the community, FKRL are supporting the application in the following way by stating:
Support planning application 14/0846
I give my support re Planning Application 14/0846:
1. For D1 community library and space
2. For FKRL to be tenants of the space
You can do the same and add your own words.

3. We have had emails of support from councillors from all three wards surrounding the library, Brondesbury, Kensal Green and Queens Park. Thank you to all those councillors for your support.
We have had a further email of support from Maggie Gee and her husband Nick Rankin who earlier in the week sent a statement of support. Both supporters and campaigners for the library since 1988. Thank you both for keeping Kensal Rise in your hearts.

4. We have also had support from Marika Giles Samson who some of you may remember was a very active campaigner until her move to Canada - and here is an excerpt:

Does anyone genuinely believe that FKRL has not done all that they have other than for the benefit of the community that they love? Does anyone really think that the decision that we are asked to support is motivated by anything other than a genuine  belief that it is in the best interest of the community? As far as I am concerned, the trustees of FKRL and the members of the campaign have earned all the credibility that they need to make this decision on the community’s behalf. We have no reason not to trust them, and every reason to support them.

Marika Giles Samson

Montréal, Canada

Formerly of 35 Bathust Gardens

5. Yes we have had to compromise but we are hoping that we will manage to have 2/3 of the ground floor (which is about 66% of the previous library space for those of you that like figures).

6. Looking forward to the day when our energies can go into planning an actual library and community space.

Regards and many thanks to the most important support of all - the residents of Kensal Rise and Kensal Green.

Margaret Bailey

Friends of Kensal Rise Library

Playlist for the results event

View from the back at the results event/launch

British Pathé's entire newsreel archive online

This is just one of nearly 90,000 newsreel films, recently uploaded to YouTube by British Pathé. It shows the aftermath of a V1 bomb attack in Walthamstow, 1944. This one is silent, unlike most of the films (I think).