Installation review: Underscore

A quick post about last weekend before the Queen's Jubilee mega-bash takes over.

Last Sunday, when the sun still shone over London town, there was an installation in Wandsworth Park on the Thames opposite the Hurlingham, called Underscore.

It allowed you to follow the route of this weekend's pageant, but underwater, with your ears.

As you walked along a curly path under those pregnantly green trees you passed by wooden boxes with names like Kew Bridge, Embankment and Thames Gateway, on which stood monochrome clothed artists with megaphones.

They performed sounds that had been recorded at those places along the way, animalistic croaks and machine like thuds.

I enjoyed the aural walk under Thames so much I did it many times, both upstream and down, then went for an ice cream.

It was a good afternoon.

Queen's Jubilee: Charge of the narrow boats

More preparations for the Queen's Jubilee Pageant, this time for the narrow boats.

Unlike the animals on Noah's arc these came three by three:

Despite the number of boats not being a multiple of three the organisers seem to have it better under control than the last rehearsal:

Clipboard and a megaphone - good to see the keep it simple spirit of blighty still alive.

Rowing into the sunset

Yesterday was a lovely evening and I enjoyed watching this historic rowing boat out for a practice session, quite likely for the Queen's Jubilee pageant.

Maybe someone knows her background?

Victoria's London vs. Elizabeth's London

This year is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; Liz's that is, not Vicki's.

Queen Victoria had her Diamond Jubilee back in 1897 and London has changed quite a bit since then - or at least parts of it have.

But not all, as can be seen by the two photos above. Greenwich has survived mostly unchanged, though of course the river traffic is very different: faster but less elegant.

More in a new book called The Queen's London.


Picture from: The Telegraph here.

The Thames Rowing Club

I was walking the Thames path recently when I heard a familiar voice barking orders out on the river.

It was a cox of a woman's eight, out doing their training. The question was - as I don't actually know any coxes, how could it be familiar?

The answer was I'd recently seen this video of the Thames Rowing Club's women's eight winning the Head of River Race (HORR). But how could I be sure it really was the same person?

Then she used the catch phrase "stand up!" - which if you watch the video you'll recognise.

The TRC has also been getting the attention of the likes of the Telegraph and the Nautica marketing team, as in this article.

The article talks about getting up at 5 am and how the club includes Olympic rowers.

Maybe all that helps explain the HORR win.


Picture from: the Telegraph here.

Preparations for the Queen's Jubilee Pageant

You have to treat rivers and seas with respect.

There's not just the sad story over on Never Sea Land of the deaths in an offshore sailing race, as you could drown right here in Thames. Of course there are things you can do to make the sport safer - like clip on or not drink over six units of alcohol, as in this collision report.

That's a valuable lesson for the Queen's Jubilee Pageant (blogged earlier) where there's going to be a 1,000 strong flotilla of boats packed into the narrow waters of the Thames.

It helps that of course they'll mostly be going the same direction (one hopes) but still I can see why the PLA would want to do a bit of rehearsals. At least that's what I think they were doing last weekend when there were 40 - 50 boats churning up the waters.

Most in the first of two bunches of boats were plastic production line models but there were a few more interesting ones in the second (above).

Further preparations can be seen towards Hammersmith Bridge where the first of the buoys have been laid:

BTW, the vacant lot across the river in this photo is where they're going to build the exclusive riverside development "Fulham Reach" with decoration allegedly inspired by Oscar Wilde as blogged here.

Buff Staysail admits "I was the second swimmer"

G'day all! Buff Staysail here! Buff by name and Buff by nature!

Well there's been all these rumours about me and the swimming incident so lets get it all out in the open.

I was enjoying a quiet pint or four (maybe five) with my new chums Oz Clarke and James May (above) at the Dove pub, discussing our lives as leading journos slash media experts, waiting for the 158th University Boat Race to start.

They were very supportive and over the sixth pint kept encouraging me to be ready to report for Queensland Community TV - indeed I think Oz said "I really think you should go now" - when James bet me a bottle of bubbly I couldn't swim out to the boats as they rowed passed and interview the crews.

Yours truly of course rose to the challenge: after all, how difficult could it be?

So I pushed through the crowds to get to the waterline just in time to see the Oxford and Cambridge crews flash by - 'strewth they can sure motor!!

Fortunately there was that incident with the other swimmer so they stopped the race which gave me the chance I needed. Quickly I stripped down to my custom "Total BS" boxers and was down the landing ramp, into the water, ready to ask them "how do you think its going so far?"

Unfortunately due to some obscure health and safety issue at this point the local coppers came forward and said something on the lines of "you're nicked sunshine" and before I had time to get that scoop found myself sped away in the police boat.

I of course explained I was a famous journo, friend of the likes of Oz Clarke and James May, at which point this really scary lawyer from the BBC appeared who found some typo in the arrest warrant then made me sign something called a non-disclosure agreement, which I think means this story is a genuine exclusive!!

And that's all there is to it.

I'm sure many hacks were jealous that they hadn't come up with the idea of interviewing the crews mid race by swimming out into the Thames so refused to cover this story.

But I of course know the truth!

This is Buff Staysail with a boat race EXCLUSIVE, over and out.

Boat race day

It's boat race day and all eyes will be on Putney at 14:15 BST today.

Above you can see the paps getting their shots of the Cambridge crew yesterday though the papers this morning suggest that the other place are the favourites.

More all over the place but you might like to watch this guide to the course or Oz Clarke and James May's guide to eating and drinking (mostly drinking) between Putney and Mortlake.

This year the prize will be handed out by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. As Boris was at that other place I'm hoping he's going to be disappointed.

Good luck Cambridge!

HORR 2012 Video

My latest rowing blog find is "Something about rowing..." which apart from being very funny and illustrated with great stick people cartoons was written by a member of the Cambridge women's rowing team - go Cambridge! - and also as a NatSci / astrophysicist.

In a recent post about their recent win over Oxford (yeh!) she embedded this great video of what its like to row in the HORR race.

Very impressive rowing from the Thames Rowing Club, based here in Putney, as they power their way to victory. Good line the cox took - avoiding the trap of cutting the corners but losing the current.

Lots of familiar landmarks there for a stretch of the Thames that I have walked, ran, biked, sailed, kayaked, canoed and, at least in part, swum.

Finding things - updated

The weather's been great recently and along with what felt like most of SW London I've been pounding along the Thames path.... and yet again found something interesting.

I'm not that observant, honest, and have even run past friends who swear they yelled out. But lets add up the list: a gun, two mobile phones, a cashpoint card, some cash and a watch.

This time it was something Apple related, so I thought they must know who registered it and have an email, so I booked a tech support call. Alas they regretted that they couldn't help and suggested the local police.

Fair point, so I turned up on Saturday morning at the local Police Station, to find it was closed. This being the 21st C. the Met. have an email system so off flew a little message.

No reply.

I also did a Google of the device name and found a sport club which denied all knowledge.

So if you've lost an iSomething on the tow path email me! Just say what type, model, size, colour and your name and a confess to a couple of the more embarrassing tracks asap.

Though why Apple don't have a return to owner option on their web site escapes me.

The kayaker and the speaking rucksack

T-shirts and sun glasses at dawn, JP's been paddling!

Ok, got to get these things right, preparation is key:

• Passage plan: it might not be a LAT but the range at Chelsea was over 6m and anyone on the Thames in London must think tidal. Headed downstream with the outgoing tide and then came back up near slack.


• Clothing: short, boots and t-shirt (ok, plus something long sleaved) and of course life jacket


• Equipment: water bottle, VHF radio, waterproof camera and some rope just in case. Oh and shades.

The VHF radio was set to listen in to channel 14 and then stuffed into my rucksack behind me. 

I then kept hearing these voices from it on the lines of "This is London VTS: proceed through span Delta" which was at first disconcerting but also useful as there were updates on river status including tide at 15 and 45 minute past the hour.

All in all a good first paddle to add to those two day sails - though the camera, alas, is now looking rather battered.

The boat races and the fishy fish

Two stories from Putney to end the week.

First up the news that from 2015 Putney will no longer be the start of a University Boat Race - rather there will be two University Boat Races, one for men and another for women. About time too, many will say.

The second news is from the soar-away Sun about the record 10 lb rainbow trout caught by an angler on Putney Embankment.

However today doubts have been raised, with an expert pointing out that the rainbow trout is not indigenous to the Thames and that it had marks that could be signs of it being frozen.

Hmmmm...... something smells not right about that story.

Ah well, at least now have a whole weekend to ponder about there being a tide in history etc.


Picture from: The Telegraph here.

Fulham Reach and Oscar Wilde

Yesterday's post about Oscar Wilde's Impression du Matin brought a number of comments which raised issues such as artistic references and the character of the young woman he described, but no one mentioned exclusive riverside properties.

It was on the way back from Geneva in the BA in-flight magazine that I saw an advert for the Fulham Reach development and soon googled its web site. It is what an ex of mine would call "fancy": facilities include not just a gym but also swimming pool, spa (with sauna, steam room, treatment room), screening room, virtual golf and a wine cellar (obviously).

There is even a movie you can watch, but note on the page about the apartments the interior designs were apparently inspired by "Oscar Wilde's evocative poem about the River Thames, 'Impression du Matin".

Hmmmm..... lets look in more detail about the images in the poem. The yellow fog for example - this reference suggests the yellow could be associated with decay. Another article takes a more chemical approach considering how the yellow could be associated with tar soluble in fog water - in other words, industrial pollution.

The young lady is in many articles described as... well, shall we say lady of the night? She could have political overtones, for at the time a contentious issue was the contagious diseases act that attempted to prevent the spread of VD but the approach outraged many as an insult on working women.

In summary, as this article put it, this is not a "stop and smell the roses" poem. It promises sparkly water but gives the reader a glimpse of London's dark underbelly.

Not what one would usually associate with an upmarket property development, I'd fancy.


Picture from: Fulham Reach web site

Oscar Wilde's Impression du Matin

THE Thames nocturne of blue and gold  

  Changed to a harmony in grey;  

  A barge with ochre-coloured hay  

Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold  

  

The yellow fog came creeping down

  The bridges, till the houses' walls  

  Seemed changed to shadows, and St. Paul's  

Loomed like a bubble o'er the town.  

  

Then suddenly arose the clang  

  Of waking life; the streets were stirred

  With country waggons; and a bird  

Flew to the glistening roofs and sang.  

  

But one pale woman all alone,  

  The daylight kissing her wan hair,  

  Loitered beneath the gas lamps' flare,

With lips of flame and heart of stone

Impressions? Interpretations? References?

Reprieve for the Putney River Bus

Some good news for the new year - the Putney River bus has had a reprieve. Due to contract re-negotiation brouhaha (see here) the commuter river bus between Putney and central London was due to end along with 2011.

However fortunately an alternative bid was submitted and just before Christmas it was announced that Complete Pleasure Boats Ltd had been awarded an operating licence.

They will be running the Henley (above in autumnal morning mists) and Viscount boats providing commuters with free tea, coffee and toast!

Huzzah, hurrah!


p.s. The news story referenced is on the BYM web site, and Tillerman might like this image on their home page, which is from the Laser Masters 2011

MONSTER lurking in Olympic river

Der-dum, der-dum, der-dum!!!

London's geese have another thing to worry about on top of it being the season to roast them. An unknown KILLER is on the loose on the river Lea and it is grabbing geese and pulling them underwater to their DEATH.

The River Lea seemed placid enough when I saw it where it joins the Thames at Trinity Wharf but before that it goes through east London, looping round the Olympic site, and that's where the ATTACKS occur.

So what is the aquatic fiend? Could the MONSTER be an ALLIGATOR or a CROCODILE - or even an escaped PYTHON? Or maybe its a giant pike, terrapin or mink?

Truth is no one knows so watch the skys waters!

Der-dum, der-dum, der-dum!!

Save the Putney River Bus!

Oh no!

I read a sad story in today's Evening Standard: there's a serious danger that the river bus that connects Putney to central London will be closed.

For those that haven't had the joy of commuting by river bus (as above in the morning mist) it is by far the best way to get to central London during rush hours. You always get a seat and a great view with free coffee thrown in, and arrived feeling you've had a treat rather than been squashed in a sardine tin.

But it's quite expensive as its not subsidised and when the contract went up for renewal the present owners, Thames Executive Charters lost to Thames Clipper. Now this wasn't necessarily bad news as the clippers are a faster fleet of newish catamarans but alas they decided to send them only as far as Vauxhall.

A new pressure group has been formed with web site here that points out that the present service takes 3 million passengers per year.

Save the Putney River Bus!

The Hurlingham Club

This is arguably the best address on the tidal Thames. It's the Hurlingham in Fulham, a private member's club based in this stately house on the banks of the River.

It goes back to Victorian era where it was founded as a place to shoot pigeons, and at its height hundreds would be blasted from the sky by the likes of the Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.

It hosted the polo Olympics the first time the games were in London, way back in 1908 (we won - ok all three teams for some reason seemed to come from Britain). Now offers its well healed members some of London's best dinning and sporting facilities including tennis and croquet.

Back in September there was an open day in which non-members were shown round, but even then it was exclusive, with just the two tour times. It was very impressive, but I did feel it wasn't for the likes of me, which was just as well as the waiting list is estimated as 15 years.

But they keep a part of the river bank green and free from developers which is definitely a big plus.

Fireworks night

I love a good fireworks show.

Tonight London smells of gunpowder on an evening dry and brrr! cold - but I've just had home made apple crumble fresh from the oven.

That was pretty good too.

Season of mists on the Thames

Its the season where you seem to get all sorts of weather in quick succession.

One day you need coat and umbrella, the next the skies are blue and the talk is of Indian summers. Its also seems to be the time of year when mists roll down the Thames along with the tide.

Its rather poetic, as the bridges at Putney dramatically rise from the clouds (above). Lighters are unmasked, glimpsed briefly and then the curtain is drawn across again:

Wraiths, columns of air and suspended microscopic droplets of water, stalk down river.

Then the sun bursts through, evaporating these apparitions and imaginations, and it is time to get back to work.