MYLDN 1823

Where there are coloured brick houses there are photo shoots..people (mostly females) come from far and wide for quality eye candy backdrop like these. And let’s face it, those feeds ain’t gonna feed themselves…

Happy Whatever!

My favourite steel drum playing Santa was out again this year and was delighted as he has provided me with my xmas post for many years as sure many of you will recognise him. Even though he doesn’t ever look super happy and a little light on xmas cheer I am always very happy to see him.

Seasons greetings to you all, wishing you a merry whatever and a glorious new year…

…see you in 2023!

MYLDN 1738

#MYCARNiVAL22

This was probably my favourite moment of the weekend ..definitely worth a zoom in. Got a lot of shots to come but might take me a little while to go thru..plus I need to recover too..please bear with…

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This week I have featured people who I have taken multiple shots of over the years. I rarely take more than one picture of someone but there are some who I have continued to capture over the years as find them particularly interesting to photograph but also because I see them regularly. After I posted shots on Monday of Christine (bless her) it made me realise that there were others who I have collections of too…

I know it all sounds a bit stalkery but I’m not following these people I promise. I just run into them a lot. And they all seem to have a story. There are many locals who I have seen over the years and never spoken to but have always wondered who they were and what they were like. But it’s difficult to bowl up to people and say, seen you around..how’s life? Wanna spill your story? It just doesn’t really happen.

I have been in this hood a long time and have pottered up and down Portobello Rd for decades so have seen a lot of the same people day in day out. As a result I am on nodding terms with tons of them, smiling terms with many, stop and chats with a handful and those I would call friends just a few.

This guy for example I have just seen around a lot and think he has a great look and seems very cool. I will call him Monsieur Moustachio..because I can. On appearance he looks French or Italian, could easily work in fashion, probably moved to London so he could be himself and loves Krautrock and tangfastics. This is obvs entirely made up and I really have no idea who he is or what his story is. I just observe and project. I imagine what people’s lives might consist of, yet know full well that my assumptions are just fiction and probably nowhere near an actual fact. Still as I often quote the great Herzog..”the truth should never get in the way of a great story”. Here’s to the mind machinations of the imagination and all that they bring.

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Summer is here and love is definitely in the air. Heat triggers hormones and the primary drive is initiated. If that sounds a bit too biological and sciencey I am actually an old romantic at heart. There is nothing more positive than seeing young love in blossom. It brings a sense of hope and optimism, which are in short shrift these days.

And for the record, ‘young’ love isn’t exclusive to young people and isn’t even necessarily love in the early stages of a relationship. It can still exist beyond the confines of the honeymoon phase. It will survive intact for as long as you continue to feel it unconditionally and without reserve. Time only eats it away if you let it. Keep fanning the flames and it will burn bright forever.

In all honesty I’m not sure what else there is to say about love that hasn’t already been said in a billion (not accurate calculation) poems, songs, novels and works of art, all who have attempted to explain this all encompassing feeling. Truth is, it’s really not that complicated. It’s actually very simple, possibly the simplest experience on Earth. You love someone. And they either love you or don’t love you back. That’s it. What else is there to know?

And yet we feel compelled to try and understand it so we can hopefully control it. But that is a futile and ultimately impossible endeavour. Many of the shots feature couples holding hands and it does sometimes feel like this public display of affection goes beyond just wanting to touch and be connected, they are actually gripping on to them so they don’t fly off. They want them tethered. There is also a sense of ownership attached to this innocent act, a display to any interested parties to show they are not available. I’m not personally a fan of holding hands but having said all that I try not to be cynical when I see it in others. It’s sweet really, especially when you see it with older couples.

Maybe they are all holding on with all their might because love is a bumpy ride. It’s a bucking bronco, a rollercoaster, a whirling dervish. (I actually don’t really know what one of those is, but it popped out of my brain and it sounds good. Yes I guess I could look it up but where’s the fun in that?)

What I am curious about though is not really the mechanics of love but when did it begin? Love is a construct. The concept was created at some point. Apparently around the 12th century. But who was it? Who invented love? And did they brag about it? Yeah, love, that was me. I did that. And what did couples do before then? What did they say to reassure each other they still felt it when there wasn’t a word for it? But babe, of course I still…umm…you know..no, what? You still what? Actually I don’t know either…

Did labelling it enhance the experience? Or did it allow people to hide behind the word? You can say it when you don’t necessarily mean it. Top tip: Always look in the eyes. Eyes don’t lie but mouths do. I also think the relentless overuse of the “I love you” phrase makes it lose its potency and power. You gotta hold it back. Make that shit count.

I was watching an episode of the new Star Trek series the other night (don’t judge I’m a Sci-fi nerd) and one of the characters said “Love is the only thing that makes the coldness of space bearable”. But I think the same is true here on Earth. Although there is also another saying: “Couples are so boring, everybody knows it” and that’s also difficult to argue with.

And I know I said everything had been said but it turns out that didn’t stop me from chucking in my 10 pence worth…what a surprise.

Love you. Babycakes

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..and so I’m back..from outer space, well, no, not really. I’ve been staring into space. Not sure that’s quite the same thing. Anyways, had been waitin till I felt A-OK to resume service but if I do that I ain’t ever gonna get rollin so like I said before, if I disappear again at least you know where I went…you can’t blame a guy for tryin..hopefully you are slightly happier to see me than this guy is…

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All shots this week from Portobello Road. I know, that’s not that unusual for me as most of my shots come from there but I explain that a bit later..

What I most love about this street is the variety of people you see. You’ve still got the old school locals but you also now have the new Notting Hillbillies, and the posho Europeans who moved here, and the tourists and the Rastas and the West London fashionistas and an entire mix of cultures and communities all rubbing shoulders. There maybe a few less characters around than there used to be but it is very rare I do not spot someone on my daily walk that is not worth capturing.

As I have walked down Portobello almost every day for the last 20 years and taken squillions of shots ( yes, I know, it’s a lot) I am starting to think has anyone taken more photos along this one road for a longer period than me? Maybe I’m the Portobello photo guy?

This guy who you see with the old fashioned camera in the shot above possibly thinks that as well. In a somewhat ironic moment he actually stopped me and asked if he could take my picture. I said, sure, I just took yours.

Last year when I was ill I had to stay local so my neighbourhood became my world. I could just about get to Portobello and back and I remember thinking, well if this is it and I can’t get further than this one road, it might as well be this one.

Portobello has a vibe and an energy to it unlike any other street I know and although it’s not as busy as it used to be and the demographic of the people who frequent it has massively changed since I have been here it still has a real buzz to it, especially on Saturdays which feels like a mini festival every weekend.

Additional:

I wrote this before the Ukrainian invasion yesterday and now when I look at these shots today I just see people going about their daily lives, going shopping, going to work, hanging out, living a normal life, just as they would have been doing over there, and then in a single instant they are plunged into total chaos and horror. Their lives are now under threat and they will have to fight for their very survival. It is no different to if it happened here to us. We must see that. We must support them. We cannot abandon them to this fate.

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shit, late again! I keep forgetting it’s a daily blog so I have to do it every day. I might have to start setting an alarm. Like I do for everything these days. Brain fog has lifted but there is still a deep mist in the air…

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Ok, so back statements this week. (bada bing) Be a walking billboard for your own opinion. Well, not yours to be fair, the fashion designer who thought of it. You’re just wearing it. But we do always tend to take more credit than we should for what we choose to be seen in. When someone compliments you on an item of clothing, you thank them profusely as if it was actually you who created it.

Literal fashion statements seem to be everywhere. Why wear something that says nothing when you can wear something that says something? We want people to know how we feel without having to open up our gobs so guess this is the easiest way. In these polarising times heaven forbid someone might walk past you and have no idea what you stand for.

This guy in the picture above however is kinda unique. He had stopped dead in the street as I approached which was great for the shot and presumed he was just engrossed in his phone and had been turned into a temporary statue like so many street texters are, oblivious to the world around them as they try to find a suitable emoji that will convey both interest and nonchalance.

But this guy was different. He was finding his soundtrack to bowl down the street to. But not just for him. For everyone to hear. As I got closer ‘The Wanderer’ by Dion started blaring out from his phone. To match his jacket. And he proceeded to loudly sing along “I’m the wanderer, ooh yeah the wanderer”. So turns out he really was ‘The Wanderer’ and he just wanted everyone to know it.

I guess it just threw me because I’ve never witnessed anyone accessorise their clothing with a bit of music before…

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I’m thinking she might be a lil bit anti-vuitton, whadya reckon?

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…last word is fondlers just if you can’t make it out.

#MYLDN (1625)

i have been locked and lost in my own little world for a very long time so it’s so friggin good to be out again observing and interacting with people.  Although ironically what I am noticing is that everyone seems to be lost in their own little worlds. There is this bigger reality that we are all apart of but that no-one seems to want or be capable of dealing with so we withdraw into ourselves rather than confront it.

And yet not only does this mean we are ignoring what we should categorically not be ignored but it’s also just not that healthy And unfortunately, the further we look inwards the more narcissistic our gaze becomes.

We essentially have the same approach as ostriches, only instead of burying our heads in the sand, we bury them so far up our own arses all we can see are ourselves. 

The 90s (if you were alive then or can remember that far back) were a decade which revelled in the nuances of personal choices. We were all delighted with our own brand of specificness which we would happily recounted in great detail to anyone who would stop talking about themselves long enough to listen (I know, not much has changed).

This was probably best personified by the comedy series Seinfeld which correctly observed to much hilarity that we are all highly self-obsessed. In the relatively carefree and calm 90s this seemed like an acceptable way to live but we can no longer indulge this approach. In these more troubled times we have to pay attention. We cannot ignore shit any longer…and yet the worse it gets the harder it is to cope with. And the more we need to ignore it. Yup, a good ole Catch Twenty Fucking Two.

And if you do try to take it all on board it’s utterly paralysing and renders you useless so what’s the point of that? Being back on the streets I can feel the strain and tension a lot of people are under. Our only hope is to share the load. To confide in each other. To not pretend like everything is ok when it clearly isn’t. That will bring strength and unity and an ability to cope and to take action. That will get us through this…

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