Berlin, Paris, Netley

Fresh Ink

Welcome to my life, tattoo

We've a long time together me and you

 Berlin wall, today

he sounds a little hoarse

Berlin Wall

Loses something in translation

Villebon, Paris

Wu Tang Clan  

 Villebon, Paris

Devil in the detail 

Villebon, Paris

What's your name?

 Pinacotheque, Paris

No, what's your real name

 Pinacotheque, Paris

So long ago I don't remember

Klimt Exhibition, Pinacotheque, Paris

Grand Passion

Telegraph online

 Corn Poppy, Berlin

“If you are a troublemaker... it’s our job to politically destroy you... Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac.”

Lee Kuan Yew

 Corn Poppy, Weston

“We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.”

Lee Kuan Yew

Corn Poppy, Netley

Remember

most of the blunders of history were made this way

thanks to our Berlin Correspondents and thanks to our Paris Correspondent

Danke Dan & Abi

Merci  Mme Akriche

every grain of sand

and the sun comes up without her

It just doesn't know she's gone

every hair on your head is counted

you are worth hundreds of sparrows

Lord Chancellor

The chairman of the Bar, Alistair MacDonald QC, addressed the audience at the ceremony. He said: “It is an honour and a privilege to represent the Bar of England and Wales in welcoming into office a new Lord Chancellor.  The office of Lord Chancellor of England is thought, by some, to go back to the year 605.  It was certainly in existence by the time of the Norman Conquest and has been occupied ever since.  It even survived its own abolition in 2003. 

“Though the woolsack and tricorne hats are things of the past seen, no doubt and saving the blushes of Her Majesty’s Remembrancer, as merely quaint traditions without utility, other more important traditions remain.  The Lord Chancellor was keeper of the King’s conscience, emphasising the centrality of his great office of state to the concepts of equity and fairness, themselves so vital to the maintenance of the rule of law in this the country, which was the cradle of that concept.  It is particularly apt to draw attention to that point as the new Lord Chancellor will be in office on the very day when we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta.  One thing I am able to promise the Lord Chancellor is that, despite the fact that he has missed 5 months of that celebratory year, taking into account the number of Magna Carta celebrations still to take place, he will become an authority on that great historical subject. 

“The position of Lord Chancellor retains great prestige and, in the order of precedence, he ranks higher even than the Prime Minister as an officer of state.  This emphasises the critical importance of the law in our national consciousness and this great office to the maintenance of a stable, prosperous and equitable civil state.  It was so in Norman times and it remains so today. 

“As the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution recognised in what is a short but central passage of their report published as recently as December of last year concerning the Office of Lord Chancellor: “Despite significant changes to the Office of Lord Chancellor, it still retains important constitutional duties and responsibilities that go beyond that of other ministers.”

“They went on: “The Lord Chancellor should be a politician with significant ministerial or other experience to ensure that they have sufficient authority and seniority to uphold the rule of law in Cabinet, and in dealings with ministerial colleagues.”

“My Lord, we are confident that, in the person of Mr Gove, we have someone who eminently fulfils the requirements identified by the Constitution Committee and we look forward very much to working with the new Lord Chancellor in order to assist him in performing his many heavy responsibilities of state.”

Mr Gove replied by abolishing the Human Rights Act

Not So Invisible

Betty Boop, Gary West

Eastleigh is a strange town, a railway town, but a passing through kind of place, not a terminus.

Dandelion, Gary West

The Borough of Eastleigh includes the Rose Bowl, the Home of Hampshire's cricket team; the Borough includes the village of Hamble, the Home of British Yots and Yotties; the southern parishes - Hamble, Bursledon, Netley and Botley are all well worth a visit; the Borough has quite a lot going for it.

Eastleigh, Gary West

The town on the other hand, not so much.  Not exactly a cultural desert but its greatest contribution to the world of the arts is the second rate much loved comedian Benny Hill.

Ernie, Benny Hill, c. EMI Records

There is an arts venue, The Point, and at The Point right now there's an exhibition of photos by Gary West.

Not So Invisible exhibition, The Point, Eastleigh, 2015

Gary is a local photographer who takes photos of what others might see as mundane, where he sees a twist, humour, surreality.  He works mainly in black and white (with a touch of red).  He says

I think people are going to expect to see sunsets and sunrises - that’s not gonna happen with me

Poppycock, Gary West, 2014

Poppies, Gary West

 home made Baileys, Gary West, 2015

kitchen sink drama, Gary West on the left

Reserved, Gary West

watch this video

visit this exhibition

High Street

Please take care getting out at level 1

 

Become tobacco free sounds like good advice.  However this is a window display encouraging you to vape.  There is only one good reason to smoke.   Most reasons for smoking (destroyed lungs, cancer, smelling like an ashtray) are not good reasons.  But James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Jimi Hendrix all looked cool when smoking. So that's a reason to smoke - looking cool.  On the other hand the cool quotient is outweighed by the fact that cigarettes will kill you.  So what about vaping?  There is not a single reason in the world to vape.  Nobody ever looked cool vaping, not even Rob Delaney.  Become tobacco free, stay nicotine free.  Grow up and quit smoking; evolve, don't vape.

There is probably a formula whose factors include the number of charity shops in a High Street plus money lenders and cash converters, number of empty or boarded up shops, number of food bank users, the working population etc to give a numerical value to how hard the Austerity budget is biting.  This High Street in the supposedly wealthy South UK would suggest it's hitting hard.

 hard

It's not all doom and gloom, 

there's always room for Candy

(In Candy's room there are pictures of her heroes on the wall)

I visited a dyslexic acupuncturist once.  He stuck all these noodles in me.

[insert witty caption here]

  underpaid elf (anag. 3,5,4)

 Look back in Anga

Church of Mammon

Church (converted for housing)

Selfless ethical

What would John Paul George and Ringo say?

 Across the Universe

 Act Naturally

 Ain't she sweet

  All I've got to do

 All my loving

 All things must pass

 I'm looking through you

 All you need is love

 it's all too much

 In spite of all the danger

 My sweet Lord

And my bird can sing

The end