airbag for cyclists

check out this groovy contraption the 'Hovding' from those clever Swedes - its an airbag (inside a collar) for cyclists, which inflates on impact around the skull and neck.  perfect for people (like me) who hate to wear helmets - tho it is quite pricey (around £260) -- i just wonder what people will think when they see one go off...like aliens have landed or something - but if it works, who cares!
i dunno about you but it kind of reminds me of something........

Santos, modelling the first prototype?!!!

sunday cycle part 2

spotted these two muppets canoodling on Station Terrace, NW10

...and then this joker 5 doors away!

lurking outside the school gates on Holland Road, NW10

 it was another red-letter day for mattresses (and sofas) as i spotted several on my sunday cycle in the sun.

'ello, 'ello, 'ello...whats going on here then...

..it must be catching, this one was literally 10 feet away on Holland Road, NW10

STOP THE CUTS!

image

just back from the March for the Alternative in London which was attended by 500,000 [mainly] peaceful people protesting against the coalition government's public spending cuts.  starting at Victoria Embankment, winding through the West End (to the confusion of many foreign tourists) and ending in Hyde Park - nurses, doctors, actors, families, pensioners, students, even the odd morris dancer, took to the streets that rang with the sound of whistles, chants and (bloody) vuvuzelas.  just a shame that a few idiot "rebels" ended up smashing windows and causing argy-bargy.  meanwhile i had my own little adventure as i ended up following some young dudes with an amp pumping wicked tunes from the back of a bicycle...i couldn't resist following the music, but sadly it turned out they were all too twisted to know where they were going and i had to leave them - but it just reminded me of the old Reclaim the Streets days - cheers for the chance to have a little bop in the streets guys!

i'm following this crowd...they have music...shame they have no clue where they are headed

we're all doomed....we're going the wrong way....

the pied piper with mini sound system strapped to the back of his bike...

aaaaaaaargh...Maggie in Soho! (image courtesy of Sharon Peppard)

i'm beginning to agree........

we have been going round in circles....away from the march....time to say goodbye to these fun fellows!

in the swim

i adore samantha french 's wonderful underwater paintings - they just make me want to strip off and dive right in!  i think if i had one of these to look at every day i wouldn't feel so fed up with living in a grey, wet, manic, jam-packed city (i love you London, really!).  you can purchase prints via her etsy store....now, how long till i give in a buy one.....

before i die...

i absolutely love this amazing and inspiring piece of street art by Candy Chang - who transformed an abandoned building in her New Orleans neighborhood and invited people to complete the phrase 'before I die I want to....' using chalk and getting creative and confessional.   

"Before I Die transforms neglected spaces into constructive ones where we can learn the hopes and aspirations of the people around us.". brilliant.

 

 

famous paintings

love David Lynch's hair compared to famous paintings - awesome - from here via the lovely miss moss and tungsta's just brilliant Undead Art series - sneakily placing the odd zombie into famous paintings.

subtle zombie pushing lady on Fragonard's swing (original of which can currently be seen at the Wallace Collection)

sunday cycle

Chevening Road, NW10

Cholmondley Road, NW10

just out for a sunday bike ride round Kilburn and spotted a couple of mattresses, foxy out on the town and even managed to find a fab old trunk to upcycle - some guy yelled "you'll never get that on yer bike"...i bloody well did!

hot pink and foxy on Kilburn High Road

strip it, paint it and maybe stick some legs on it to make a nice table

pick me up

the second pick me up contemporary graphic art fair is on at Somerset House this weekend - i popped down yesterday with Christina and we managed to bag a couple of great prints (i bought one by Jessica Hische - but could have definitely bought more if i hadn't resisted due to cash flow!).  this really is the best place to get your hands on some affordable art and one to keep on the calendar....

http://www.zarawood.com/

http://jessicahische.com/

 

http://www.revengeissweet.org/

 

late night mattress love...

magical moon over Little Venice

i went to a friend's dinner party on Friday night to see her newly refurb-ed pad - everything looked amazing (including the kitchen with a massive French range big enough to roast a beast) but i was tickled to see she had a mattress stashed away in one room - i had to snap it...

then on the way home later this beauty was waiting for me on the corner...this and the amazing moon on show at the moment (closest to the earth in 20 years) just blew me away!

Sellons Avenue, NW10

mattressland mark 2?

Werrington Street, NW1

my new office base, Camden, is fast becoming mattressland mark 2 - here's another beauty i spotted during my lunch break.  i was on my way to check out the pop up print shop Tic Toc, in an abandoned dry cleaner's shop in Pheonix Road, from EFDEAY - the lads were just setting up for their private view and offered me a beer, bless - but i had to get back to work.

tie-dye heaven

 

 

i am absolutely in love with these beautiful kaleidoscopic creations from Brooklyn based designer shabd simon-alexander.  who said tie-dye's just for hippies...this stuff is absolutely gorgeous (spotted via a cup of jo). shabd uses delicate natural fabrics in simple shades....aren't they just perfect for summer....sigh....

 

mattress match

the highly desirable Mr Fridge, Mornington Crescent NW1

i think i found miss mattress's perfect match today on my way to work...meet Mr Fridge!  also spotted another beauty on Arlington Road, which is fast becoming the Leghorn Road of Camden as i've spotted a few on this road, whilst taking my lunch break.

Arlington Road, NW1

after work i took a stroll through Regents Park and past the wetlands area where i spotted several fabulous fowl, including some red-breasted geese who were, frankly, behaving like hoodies with all their squawking and pecking of the other ducks, geese and swans.  it was a nice little walk though and i ended up exiting by Baker Street to catch my bus home.

Ambika P3 Gallery on Marylebone Road

on my way to the stop i popped into the ambika p3 gallery to view the Anthony McCall exhibition - pretty amazing - felt like going into a church and i was compelled to lower my voice to a whisper when speaking to the girl sitting in the entrance, then got totally spooked as i pushed the door into the surrounding darkness and had the feeling i was about to be abducted by aliens or suffer a laser show flashback.  once in i could have stayed for hours - so peaceful - amazing considering the busy rush hour traffic was blaring past just outside the door.

a slice of heaven...far from the madding rush hour crowd

titanic

brilliant "Overheard on the Titanic" print by Austin Kleon found via a cup of jo - from his Newspaper Blackout Poems  - he takes an article and blacks out with a sharpie...love it.

home from home (fox & mattress)

mmm...cozy....on Arlington Road, NW1

my old friend Foxy...on Delancy Street, NW1

i started a new job recently and spend my lunch breaks pootling around the back streets of Camden Town - so i was naturally delighted to have spotted a few familiar faces!

on the way to work (from the top of the 18 bus) - Harrow Road, NW10

hidden in beside a garage on Parkway, NW1