The magic inbetween.

 I was thinking about magnets today. 

Yeah, I know - meme time, right?

But anyway - thinking about how you can't see the magic, the actual stuff that boggles your mind. Magnetism is the magic you can't see, that happens between the magnets that you can see. The space in between, that contains all of the wonders, and the indefinable things that occur in the distance between a blink of the eyes, and the drawing of a breath.

All of this hit me when I was walking across Waterloo Bridge, on my way to lunch with two of my oldest friends and companions. Back in London, for the first time in well over a year. Back in the city I love, in the city that raised me. I looked all around, and suddenly saw everything that happened in that space. I could see myself, in cabs, crossing the rainy streets of the embankment at dawn. Walking arm in arm with a lover, along the pavement. Running through these back streets and alleys, catching trains and tubes. On my way to meetings, to a job, to a photo session, to meet friends, or just to kill time.

Now, that time was reversing, and coming right back at me: the memories tumbled back through my mind, so fast and intensely that I actually gasped. I could see everything I was then, everything I was now. Both parts of my life, happening at the same time. I've always thought that time isn't linear, it's like a ripple. We're not on a straight path, from birth to death - our entire existence surrounds us, constantly. What has been, and what will be, circling ourselves in the present. I was momentarily lost in the wonder of it all. To be encircled by your life, to see it all laid out like that was hugely moving. And it wasn't maudlin, either: no weeping for what was past, only a sense of gratitude for a life lived, and for the experience and knowledge that it imparts. 

I walked over the bridge and headed towards the Strand, full of life, and love, and London. 

17lbs and 13 ounces.

Five months in and she's doing just fine.
Yesterday was spent tasting the food for the upcoming nuptials, at the venue on the King's Road. Walking down the length of the King's Road, I couldn't help feel a slight sense of nostalgia for what it used to be like - the Goth T-shirts, the hair dyes, the stalls piled high with cheap leather jackets, DM's.....edgy, cheap, fun fashion, constantly changing and renewing. It's not like that now - all you have is a never-ending cavalcade of big-name stores, coffee shops and designer boutiques. The crowds are still there, but the fun, and the zeitgeist has long gone. I'm just praying that the same fate doesn't befall the Portobello Road.

Aargh, still no news.

So, I'm going to make myself busy today. Off to Portobello Road in a bit, to pick up an Aidan Moffat album from Rough Trade, and do some shopping in the market. It's a mild winter's day, so I'll take the scenic route - over the Grand Union at Harrow road, then down the back streets. Lovely.
Philippa's got to go the Acupuncturist later, so we're going to explore Kensal Rise as well, there's some new shops that need to be checked out. And after all of that? A Spotify session in the evening, maybe. Was fooling around with it last night, genuinely impressed by the range of old Reggae/Rocksteady stuff.

Humpday!

I'm sitting in the loft room, listening to "Shivers" by The Boys Next Door, getting ready for work. No news on the baby front *sighs* - wonder how long it's going to take? It's such a weird form of limbo....
Off to the Bakerloo line soon, and quite probably a stroll through the back streets of Waterloo/Borough. I *could* go to Southwark station, but there;s something nice about wandering down Theed Street and clearing my head in preparation for another day on air.

Skating again...

And I love it. I crept out of the house early this morning, around 6.45. Swished silently through the Queens Park Estate, hopped a passing 452 to Kensal Rise, then it was a languorous carving rush down Keslake Road, a slight squiggle through some back streets, then powering down the side of Queens Park itself. That early in the morning, you can dodge the traffic (what there is of it) fairly easily, and you can stretch out and enjoy the tarmac as it rushes beneath your wheels. Can't think of a better way to start the day.

New house, new tarmac.

So, I'm moving on. Brighton is no longer my home town, and all my possessions are beginning their trek back up the M23 (or at least the process has started, the mother lode should arrive back in London by the end of the month)
It makes me look back, ruefully, on the happy times I had on the South coast, and above all, the feeling of release I used to get from leaving the city behind and heading to the calm and quirky charm that only Brighton can give you. I packed up my vinyl yesterday, into the same boxes which it travelled down to Brighton in, all those years ago. A very odd sensation. So, I've rented out my flat in Shepherd's Bush, and have travelled a few miles up the road, to Queen's Park. It means I'm still near the bright lights of Westfield, still near the Jez for beers, still near to the Westway!
And it means there's new delights as far as skating goes. The streets around my new place are smooth and quiet, so I broke out the longboard this morning, for a quick skate. Wonderful. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but if I don't skate for a while, I start dreaming about it, so this should have stopped the dreams for a bit. The board is quicker than ever: put Bones Swiss into the wheels, and it's as fast as hell. However, still getting a bit of "bearing peel" with the wheels (Krypto classic 70's) Anyone else get this? Obviously, I'm using it for some pretty intense pumping carves, so the cores on the wheels aren't doing their job, but what other wheels could I use? Suggestions?

Summer's Here.....

Or at least, it was at the weekend. Seems to have abated somewhat, damn. Spent a lot of it cooking (as ever) with Xacuti curry being top of the pile. Finally got a chance to use the spices I brought back from Goa!
Also managed to squeeze in a trip to Islington to see Spear Of Destiny. Great to see Kirk again, he was on fine form, and the band were as tight as I've seen them, playing "One Eyed Jacks" in its entirety. However the icing on the cake for me had to be seeing Elizabeth from Westworld doing backing vocals! It's been years since I saw her on a stage (1988, I think) and her voice was as wonderful as ever. I'm going to have to dust off my copy of "Where The Action Is" later.
While I'm obsessing about Westworld, here's the video for the title track off the aforementioned album - filmed around the Westway! Ah, I love it when everything dovetails together.....

More posts about buildings and food.

The building in question being my flat in Shepherds Bush. I've spent the last week tidying it, and having it painted. It now looks AWESOME. Nothing like a lick of white paint and some gleaming windows to raise the spirits. I looked out over West London today, and realised what a truly magical place it is. I'm happy to be up here permanently now; it's been a slightly tortuous few months, but there is happiness around the corner. Life's good.
And the food? Pork tenderloin, rolled in finely chopped fresh herbs and garlic, flash-fried then roasted in a hot oven, with purple sprouting broccoli and new potatoes. Simple, tasty, perfect.

Slightly jaded today.....

Due to an unexpected RAGING FULL-ON night of bad behaviour in Ladbroke Grove. How did that happen? I've no idea, but it was great fun. I'm paying for it today, mind you.
Today has also been notable for it's lack of Twitter activity. Could this be linked to the hangover? It's possible.
Need some comforting food tonight, that's for sure. Steak and Salad, I think. That should do it.

Just a wonderful day....

Really sunny, crisp, fresh and beautiful.
The blossom is out on the trees, the daffodils and crocuses are in bloom, the air smells sweet and clean. I walked through the streets to the north of Golborne Road, dropped down along the Portobello Road, then cut through Pembridge Crescent to Notting Hill Gate, to meet Jeff for a Sunday Lunch, then a leisurely exploration of the bargain basements of the Record & Tape branches, seeking out weird and wonderful vinyl. We had a pint in the Castle, flicked through the racks of sevens in Rough Trade, and checked out Intoxica. I came back with a Stupids album,and a repress of the first ever Studio One album.
As soon as I got back home, this was on the stereo:

It's been a weekend of cooking too - vegetable soup, meatballs in tomato sauce, home-made bread - I've been slaving over a hot stove, and I've loved every second.

Still dazzled by the sunshine....

I'm blinking my eyes and looking out over West London, even loving the smell of Diesel from the buses nine floors beneath me - today is just one of those days when everything seems OK. Well, there's plenty of time for that to unravel, I guess, but for now - all's good.
I'm just about to head off to do more voiceovers for the Travel Channel, which is always fun. If you want to hear what I sound like, check this out. Then it's off to Southwark for the final radio show of the week, then some leisurely cooking to round off the day. I love how the promise of a day can put a smile on your face.
The weekend should be good too, Jeff's over from Cleveland, so there will be pints in the Portobello road, and some leisurely shopping for bargains in the basement of Record & Tape. Life doesn't get much better than ale and vinyl. Musically, today is soundtracked by the wonderful First Aid Kit.

Quick round-up of the weekend...

Started off with a trip down to Brighton to see Kirk DJ (for the first time!) which was very odd indeed. Since my divorce, I've only been down to Brighton a handful of times, and it feels very strange indeed going back to somewhere which once was home. But is home no longer.
Anyway, was great to see Kirk again, and hilarious to see him embracing the art of the DJ. He played loads of FANTASTIC rockabilly, which (nothing to do with the beer, honest) blew my mind, and had me thinking about buying a pair of brothel creepers for the first time in 20 years.

Saturday saw me DJ-ing again at the Indigo, after the Snow Patrol gig. It's always fun to play out, and it's always interesting to see how the crowds differ from gig to gig. Last night they wanted the obvious tunes: all killer no filler. Nothing wrong with that - but it keeps you on your toes. Caught a cab back to West London at 2am, marvelling at how beautiful the city is at night.

And today? Well, a trip to the supermarket, then off to the footy (Chelsea Vs. Man City, we won 1-0) and a quick pint afterwards with The Jez. Life is good today, and I raise a glass to you all :)

London by night.

See the Centre Point tower? That's where I was last night. There's a new member's club on the 32nd floor, Paramount, and I was up there for a friend's leaving drinks. The view is simply incredible - the whole of London laid out in front of you, in all its twinkling, late-night beauty. The London Eye, the marvellous roof of The British Museum, the Post Office Tower (it'll always be that for me - never the "BT Tower" - pah!) ......
You can walk all the way around the tower, watching planes drift overhead on their slow descent into Heathrow, see snaking lines of buses crawl along Oxford Street, see the spoke-like roads of Seven Dials bursting out into Covent Garden. It made me proud to live here, happy to recognise so many wonderful places, wistful at the memories that the views brought to mind.

Anyone who's in Camden tonight....

I'll be DJ-ing at I Love The 90's at Bar Monsta (facebook link) so if anyone has enquiries about guest list, email me! (or direct message me via Twitter)

Just to prove that I hadn't died.....

I've been busy doing loads of things over the last week or so, but I still managed to make it onto the pages of the Guardian Blog, which was quite cool....
I also went to see Turin Brakes at the Forum in Kentish Town, at which i was somewhat haunted by the ghosts of my past. As I sat in the balcony, watching the gig (very good, as it happens) all I could think of were the myriad occasions I'd been through the venues doors over the years. I can remember sneaking in to watch Tackhead, still sweating from a Jesus Jones gig at the Bull & Gate next door, moshing to the Pixies on a wave of almost pure euphoria in 1987, watching Coldplay play a Xmas gig there and thinking "Next year they'll be the biggest band in the world" (and next year, they were)...Seeing the Wonderstuff, the Voice Of The Beehive....so many gigs....
And, of course, all the times that we played there. We sold out a couple of nights in 1989, and held both the merchandise record and the bar record, which was rather cool. I think the merch record stood for about 10 years, the bar record for about 7 :)
The first floor bar is just across from the old Tea room, where we had a presentation to award us with gold and silver discs for "Doubt" and silver discs for "Liquidiser" . I can remember hitching a lift home with my mate Paul, in his old Renault van later on that night, and everyone had a disc on their lap, as we swerved round the roads of North London....

For those of you out there who remain unconvinced by Twitter...

Today was a really rather remarkable day. We managed to have the first London Mornington Crescent game on Twitter, and highly enjoyable it was too; though I suspect productivity in a number of offices across the capital may have suddenly experienced a marked downturn in productivity.
Hey ho.
:)
Confused? More info here.

It's been a hectic couple of days!

But it's been really satisfying. I've created and updated the look of the Shadowglobe forum, and worked on all the other "satellite" areas of our Internet footprint. There's a Facebook group and a Twitter page, please feel free to add us!
Also today is tinged with sadness: RIP George Melly. I have fond memories of seeing him here in Soho, just standing on the pavement, outside a selection of classic Soho watering-holes, chatting to passing tourists and fans, all the time waving to all the cabbies who would pass by, leaning out of their windows to bellow "AWRIGHT GEORGE?"
He looked like he loved being here, but more than that, he looked like he belonged here, like he was a part of the city. London will be a little bit quieter without him (and sales of garish suits will fall as well, which is a great pity)
.

One of the wonderful things about the new job...

Is its location: I absolutely LOVE being in Soho. Popped out for lunch today, past The Blue Posts, the market traders furtively playing poker outside Yauatcha, the brothel madams on the pavements of Berwick Street, having a crafty cigarette in the sun, dripping in cheap gold and sporting battered slingbacks and velour tracky bottoms: there are children playing in the school yards, people practising Tai-Chi in the grounds of St.Anns church....
I'm loving London, and loving life.

I love it when people fire off a great rant.......

Even more so when it's pertinent, well thought out and debunks every myth about having to buy new technology just for the sake of it.
Stop buying products that serve any other master than you.
Related: Don't bother with the iphone, either.
Today has been, if I'm honest, a singularly depressing sort of a day. The weather is closing in over my head; slate-grey and silver clouds teem with fat droplets of dirty rain, the roads are like shiny black snakes, squirming their oily curves beneath the river of cars trying to avoid the western limits of the congestion zone. Work is a tightrope walk between the technical back-end and the brand-management of the on-air strategy and I'm finding it hard to stifle my sighs.