Wednesday 15 June 2016

Canal Distraction

My older daughter's decided to ignore the EU referendum, since she feels her peace of mind is worth more. The torrents of emotive words cascading from  TV, radio, emails and the internet are quite disturbing, but thank goodness most people I meet face to face are fed up of it all too, so it doesn't get discussed much.      

Exercise is a good distraction, but the weather has not smiled on us - mainly dark clouds or torrential downpours - ah, the English summer!  But one day it was sunny and we got in a bike ride from Camden Lock to Hackney Marshes via the Regents Canal.  And how nice it was! This canal has always been full of quirky things to see, and has been rapidly changing of late.

Anyway, this time, the first new thing that met my eyes at Camden Lock was Amy Winehouse and God, (I suppose), who was directing angels to carry Amy up to heaven.


She looks relieved, I'd say.


She looks happy about it, which is good.      A little further down the canal, I reached a canal bridge.  The picture below was taken in 2010, and shows the view as it was then. These evocative gasometers were seen beyond the Camley St. wildlife park, with the pinnacle of St Pancras to the right.


In 2012 the same scene looked like this (below). The gasometers were gone, they were being moved over to the other side of the river  to have - yes - luxury flats, of course,  built inside them,  


And NOW, here's the photo I took the other day showing that those flats are complete. To me they seem to make nothing of the wonderful shape of the gasometers.  
.


However, a tiny circular park has been built inside one of the gasometers.  You're not allowed to sit on the grass - well, I hope THAT will change!  and it is surrounded by mirrored pillars and a pierced roof covering the path. I quite liked it but couldn't help wondering whose job it will be to polish all the mirrors after they've been out in the rain for a few months!



It's always fun seeing the narrowboats on London canals.  A nice thing about them is how you can use the roof as a sort of garden, like this blue haired lady relaxing with her book.



Maybe she got it from the boat bookshop



It has a cosy old fashioned feel to it, inside, and the books aren't expensive.



A bit further down, there was a mini garden for mini children, their tiny shoes were neatly ranged along the side, with a washable Astroturf lawn.



These plants were growing in boots and shoes. I was trying to decide what I'd plant in the ladies shoes on the right but then discovered that I don't actually like the idea of plants growing in shoes. I don't know why, really.. 


Had to smile at these kids, it was obviously their first time on the water and they were paddling themselves into walls and into the side of bridges, and into each other, but having a great time.  



They probably came from the Pirate Castle.  (this mosaic was snapped in 2012, I hope it's still there)


Their HQ is actually shaped like a castle..


There are some fabulous mosaics along the canal, but my favourites were always the Laburnum Rd School mosaics. When I first went down the canal, they were intact and glittering.  Over the years, they fell into disrepair, and the wall on which they were mounted has started to fall to bits and get overgrown. I've searched for photos of them in their prime - I know I took some - but even though my filing system is good, I can't find them.  I felt a bit like an archaeologist  uncovering the ruins of some wonderful civilisation.  These are two of the Laburnum Road kids, still just about visible.


The mosaic pieces were particularly beautiful, all kinds of shades and mother of pearl.


Trees have grown on top of these walls, so their roots run right along the wall, looking weirdly like the trees have feet....  or tentacles


like Kang and Kodos in the Simpsons...


At Islington, the canal goes through a long tunnel. 


Two narrowboats can pass each other in the tunnel with a few inches to spare.  In the days when the boats were pulled by horses, the boy that led the horse would lead the horse to the other end of the tunnel, and the boatmen would leg it through - lying on their backs on the top of the boat, pushing at the roof and/or sides of the tunnel with their legs. 

I've always liked old forgotten places, and I'm fond of this mostly derelict group of houses as you approach Hackney.  


The bow fronts of the ones on the right show that they were once part of a bow fronted Regency terrace


It would have looked a bit like these houses (they're not in London but are built in that style..)  I think they'd have been charming in 1825. Very Jane Austen. Now the place is a coach depot. I think it's beyond rescue, though there is always hope (and pizza)


We left the Regents Canal at Victoria Park, Hackney.  It's a good park, but I'll write about the onward journey some other time.  We did spot someone settled in for the day in the park with his laptop, papers, phone and in fact entire office. He said that he preferred working in the park to being inside.



And just where we left the canal, I spotted a moorhen flying along with a large orange carrier bag in its beak. By the time I'd go the camera out, it had returned to the water. It busily dragged the bag behind a boat and left it there.  I don't suppose moorhens really have a litter patrol, so  wondered what it thought it was doing!



I'll leave you with some music by Bela Fleck. I have a really ambivalent feeling about this music. I honestly don't know if I love it or hate it, so it suits my mood of uncertainty at the moment. I'll certainly be very glad when the referendum is over, so we know what we will be living with.

66 comments:

  1. so i need a translation - what is a "gasometer"? American English misses some of the colorful words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, to the best of my knowledge it is container for town gas, contained in a tank inside that framework. The tank rises and falls depending on how much gas is in it and ot has a kind of meter on the side which tells you how much gas there is, hence the name. These days we have natural gas so gasometers do not seem to be much used as it comes in pipelines. But they are part of the landscape and Brits seem to like familiar stuff so they try to find other uses for them. Not easy IMHO!!!

      Delete
  2. Goes to show you can find some beauty in London

    ReplyDelete
  3. That was a beautiful day, i'm glad you shared the sights with us!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't envy you having to vote on that referendum but then I don't suppose you envy my presidential election cycle either, and you'd be right. Way too long...Love these photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I do not envy those who have to vote in the US presidential election and you have my sympathy with months of it to come.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for taking us on this canal tour. I'd love to spend time in the UK touring these canals.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting stroll along the canals, Jenny. Last year I lived in this area but never seen a canal. I should do!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful post, Jenny!
    I feel like I've been on vacation readying about your travels. Rain or shine, you live in a beautiful and interesting place.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lots of great stuff here. I think that (Gasometer) was rather interesting. Shame they built the luxury condos (?) around them. Worse yet not letting people sit on the grass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope that'll change otherwise not much point in having a park! :)

      Delete
  9. You've made me very curious about the canals in London, we'll have to go looking for them the next time we're there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they run across the city and are often quite different from the places they run through, which is interesting.

      Delete
  10. I have always wanted to sail down the canals and see everything.
    The mosaics are beautiful even in some disrepair.
    Why do people have to spray paint everything.
    Here in America we are all in a state of uncertainty also.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the mosaics have a kind of decaying charm I thought :)

      Delete
  11. Thank you for taking us along to the fascinating and, indeed, quirky world of the canal!
    I don't "get" the idea of plants in shoes/boots, but then I often don't get "decorative objects" in the first place.
    The bookshop looks wonderful, truly my kind of place!

    As for the referendum... I've reading a lot and watched several documentaries about the "Brexit" and what could happen one day, one week, one month, one year and 10 years after. It is all very uncertain, as you say, and I honestly do not envy you for having to make a decision. Everyone should be enabled to take an informed decision, but sadly, reliable information and hard facts are what has been lacking in both the "In" and "Out" campaigns - they have mainly been playing on people's emotions, and emotions are often as instable as they are strong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The referendum has thrown up some very dodgy things and of course the tragedy has been the death of MP Jo Cox. Today another senior politician revealed she's reported to the police threats against her kids and grandkids. Also Leave got a donation of £600,000 from a neo Nazi party, and there are various other far right elements which have put off a few people I know. By friday we'll know what the situation is, guess I'm not going to be the only one waiting with bated breath.

      Delete
  12. There is always much of interest to see walking along our canal footpaths - we like to walk our local one too. The one through Camden has so much going on - I have seen that Bookshop on another blog - it is an interesting idea. Perhaps the canal could be one of the answers to our housing problems which so many of our youngsters now have!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm glad there are at least a few breaks in the foul weather, which allow you to go outside (Tennessee seems to be rather similar to your English summers - with constant rain).

    Your journeys are always fascinating, no matter where you go. I especially liked the narrowboat with the wonderful little bookstore and the mini garden. I'm not too enthusiastic about growing plants in shoes, but it's a unique concept.

    I don't know what to think about Bela Fleck. Well, at least the music is rather soothing and doesn't get on my nerves.

    I know next to nothing about the EU referendum, but ignoring it sounds like a good idea. The politics here in America are driving me crazy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been a bit late in moderating comments Jon, and in that time it has stopped raining for several hours :D

      Delete
  14. Some fascinating views there, Jenny. I would love to wander round the bookshop and maybe have a rest in that old chair. I wonder if orange was the moorhens favourite colour?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it seemed extremely purposeful. I wish I could have snapped it flying up the canal - seemed like incredibly hard work for it dragging the bag after it. And then after it had dropped it behind the boat it swam away quite jauntily!

      Delete
  15. What a super post Jenny, so many interesting things along the canal. I love the Word on Water bookshop. Is it easy to find? I am thinking of things to do on our coming visit to London. How funny is that Kang/Kodos tree - it looks just like them! As for the 'office in the park', my HB does a bit of that when between appointments, as he travels to different towns with his business. He sends me photos of his 'office' usually overlooking the sea or some spectacular view from a park :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not sure if the bookshop is always in the same place, Patricia, which I suppose is one of the joys of a boat bookshop - but I have often seen it in the stretch of canal between Camden and Hackney so it will be somewhere around there, methinks. I think having an office in the park is a lovely idea if the weather is nice. That bloke certainly thought so, he was quite enthusiastic about it when we spoke to him!

      Delete
  16. Cool place to ride your bikes. What a strange little vignette of God and Amy WInehouse. And that looks like my sort of bookstore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't imagine who painted those cut out figures of God and Amy either. But there is always art to be seen along there.

      Delete
  17. This was an interesting and random journey. :) Yes, odd music. Not sure about it, either.
    I am trying to avoid all the political craziness going on over here, too. Till November!! Very scary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you've had months and months of it, and more to come. I think I'd just disconnect the TV :)

      Delete
  18. Love, love, love this post. That is one of my favourite spots in London. I love cycling from Little Venice to Camden and from there to the Olympic Stadium via the Regents and Hertford Union Canals. The connections to London's Greenway and as your magnificent photos bear witness to, the views are gorgeous. My next challenge is to find a way of going from Wembley to Stratford using only the canal network. There is a way (I've seen it on Google Maps) but last time I got badly lost. :-)

    have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, never even knew Wembley was on the canal. I think you go to the Paddington arm of the Grand Union, which might be the tricky bit, and then take the Regents Canal branch around Little Venice and you're on your way to the Olympic Stadium.

      Delete
    2. Exactly. You're right, Wembley is not directly on a canal route. That might explain why I got lost last summer. You still have to do a little bit of cycling in order to hook up with Regent's. But the way you described it is the way to go. Now, I've got it in my head to go from Acton in west London, where there is a proper canal route and go all the way east. That is feasible. It's only going back on the bike that is the problem! :-)

      Delete
  19. The boats are intriguing, especially the boat with a book shop. Do people live on these boats?

    And of course I'm laughing at "hope" and "pizza." Too funny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, people can live on them and often do, although the bookshop boat hasn't got accommodation since its interior space is full of books.

      Delete
  20. Love the Boat Bookhouse, I really wish I could go aboard!
    I love the photo of the children in the boats, the waves remind me of a painting by Monet! Wishing the best for Britain, whatever the vote.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kay! And I loved the design of the waves too.

      Delete
  21. A varied group of photos...all very interesting. I'll have to listen to the music a couple of times...I'm a bit like you about it...ambivalent. However, a couple of plays might make up my mind either way. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I have decided now that on the whole I don't like it... or I think not.... :)

      Delete
  22. I enjoyed your trip....and agree about the flats...what a waste of a good gasometer!
    I've just returned from visiting mother who was not too well: people I met were talking about not so much the referendum itself but their feelings of exclusion from the decisions affecting their lives - and this was not just a working class phenomenon, it seemed to be general. I don't know whether Southampton is a chatty sort of place generally, but people talked about it on the bus, in shops, over coffee...
    Differing opinions on the EU, but a feeling of relief to be able to 'have their say' on something. Looks promising for proportional representation - though the political parties will soon mess that up too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I get the impression many people have been very fed up (as I have) with the consequences of austerity, and a sort of general lack of humanity, mismanagement of immigration, etc. and they are glad to be having their say on a major issue. Sadly, the debate has been very complicated and confusing and even PhDs I know say they just can't understand it. Complicating factors were the murder of JO Cox and some really revolting neo Nazis crawling out of the woodwork, funding and supporting one of the sides. Eek! A bit like when you pull up a floorboard and find it teeming with maggots underneath. So I think everyone will be heartily glad if we reach the weekend without any more catastrophes!

      Delete
  23. An interesting trip down memory lane. As you know, I used to live in Islington and I often walked down stretches of the canal. I love the book barge - that certainly wasn't there in my time. I don't like the idea of plants growing in shoes either, though like you I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the idea that my feet might suddenly turn into plants? And I love the reflections on the water near the canoes.

    ReplyDelete
  24. My goodness, the floating bookshop is delightful! I'm imagining the memory of the boat I could conjure up every time I picked up the books I bought there.

    I also don't particularly like the idea of plants growing in shoes. Shoes aren't meant to be wet and dirty inside. (Although I also see the charm factor.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I grew plants in shoes, I'd start to feel a bit weird about the shoes I actually wear (for some reason) !

      Delete
  25. What a lovely relaxing canal journey we joined you on. I’ve always loved being beside canals and the occasional half hour peasure trip, but I’ve never had a canal holiday. Our surname is Brindley, so of course the canal designer James Brindley is on our family tree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, always nice to have someone famous in the family. Canal holidays are nice if you enjoy going slowly.

      Delete
  26. A lovely post, Jenny! You've touched my soft spot with this one, particularly as we were along the Victoria Park stretch not so long ago. We walked up from Mile end, and then along the Hertford Union to where it joins the Lea River. I loved it. Your photos capture the quirky nature of canal life beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Val! I thought you would probably know something about canals, too...

      Delete
  27. What a really interesting ride, I love the bookshop on the narrowboat. Not so sure about the luxury flats inside a gasometer though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm with you on the flats. There was a nice view FROM them, though, at least if the posters advertising them were anything to go by!

      Delete
  28. Hi Jenny,

    Another fascinating photographic trip I've had, thanks to your awesome words and accompanying notations. I've always wanted to own a canal barge.

    Wishing you a peaceful, hopeful rest of your weekend, my kind friend.

    Gary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. |Thank you, Gary, and I hope all is going well for you. I tried to comment on your blog the other day but comments were disabled.

      Delete
  29. It is always a pleasure to go on a bike ride with you - and I don't even have to pedal, LOL. I enjoyed every view. Now will you excuse me while I go back to that book boat and sit in that glorious orange chair for awhile? Pedal on!

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a great trip by the canal!
    Always tempting to spend money I don't have and buy a houseboat somewhere far from others in the country. Shame I only have tuppence. Shame also about the gasometers and the multi million pound flats not one Londoner can afford.
    Good day out in the sunshine however.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felt really lucky to be able to take advantage of the lovely weather and do something like this.

      Delete
  31. You photographs are fabulous - I just love being on a canal boat.

    ReplyDelete
  32. It was a beautiful and distracting bike ride!! I'm glad that you got some good weather.
    We have friends over from England and they are so sick of what is going on. I said the presidential race here is just as bad. It seems more like reality tv than a race.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, let's hope the US decides to vote for reality not reality TV come November.

      Delete
  33. Hello Jenny,
    I loved this post and was highly amused by the moorhen with the orange bag. A great picture.
    I can understand your feelings on the upcoming election. The media is all consumed on the issue.

    Helen xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I wish I had got it flying, though, its little feet were dragging in the water because the bag was so heavy. I still wonder what it thought it was doing! :)

      Delete
  34. I have loved to see and know about canals with its long history in your country.
    Getting to know that you have such fun boats is also curious!I like the boat bookshop too!
    Enjoy your day.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I enjoyed the trip with you – the narrative and pictures are perfect. I’d like to go and spend some time in the “Word on the Water” bookshop – I bet I could find some treasures. Although right now I am supposed to get rid of many of our books. At least your referendum is about over, but here we still have months of non-stop political ads until November.

    ReplyDelete
  36. This sounds fabulous in every way! Love the water and this is the best tour of all! The bookshop reminded me of the one in "Little Paris Bookshop." What a wonderful idea -- not that I need another book but that never stopped me before. Those mosaics are especially beautiful. Sounds like a perfect escape from politics. We should be so lucky. Thinking of you tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a great post Jenny! The few times I've been to London I haven't quite made it to those canal areas although they are usually on my list. There is always SO much to see it's hard to fit it all in. The travel bug has bitten me badly - I'm just back from the US and I already feel drawn to get back to the UK. Reading blogs like yours don't help! haha!:)
    I feel for you regarding the referendum - tumultuous times!You were wise to get out and about to take your mind off it.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dear Jenny - Now that the UK decided to leave EU, I’m not sure whether you keep peace of mind or not. Through this photo-tour, I understand how you can be away from the daily concerns to be immersed in the pleasant things happening on and along the canal. I like London Canal which is uniquely and distinctively English. Your summer looks like our rainy season, which will last till mid-July. Enjoy your mid-summer.

    Yoko

    ReplyDelete
  39. This post was so diverting, Jenny. Especially after the hooha of the referendum and its continuing aftermath. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  40. this post was so diverting, Jenny, especially after the hooha of the referendum and its continuing aftermath. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive