Everything London

One of the best things about being in this fabulous metropolis is the infinitesimal amount of people who visit, tonight we had a really special visit from Craig Foster. If you saw My Octopus Teacher on Netflix, then you know who Craig Foster is, the man who took us on those early morning freezing swims in the ocean kelp forest of South Africa. There, we see the plethora of connection, the bio diversity and the unavoidable emotional connection this man has found in the midst of utter burn out, with the eight-legged pink invertebrate of the ocean. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat. If you have, then his new book, which is why he’s in London, has a QR code that links to 27 more episodes. Reason enough there to buy it possibly. We were treated to a short film of an octopus taking Foster’s camera and turning it on him within the talk, we actually see from the octopus’s point of view, and see Craig Fosters knees knocking in the water looking back at the camera, held by ...

Sometimes, just sometimes magic happens. By absolute chance I came across this free exhibition on the walkway in an area thats been pedestrianised, by Kings College London and Somerset House. It really spoke to me because it is quite literally what I've been thinking about for some time now, and I love stories, fantasy and fiction too, the idea of creating other worlds and other realms, it's magical. The Quiet Enchanting. And it was. Quietly there on the wall, almost, out-of-the-way, not shouting out, not in the bustle of walkways or near the road; you might miss it if you didn't look up. Enchanting with the images, the stark questions on the walls with imagery to suit something from dreams. I just submitted a story to Hodder & Stoughton yesterday, fantasy fiction about the world we live in and people's intentions based on my observations when I worked at the UK Department for International Development, now defunct, and got rid of by the current UK government. S...

The debut of 5 writers hit the Kiln stage tonight. Each 15-minute play dealt with issues of our time: identifying as transgender, Hindu grief rituals and a painful realisation of the deceased double life, of Irish related, cultural identity in Kilburn, OCD or germ fallout from the pandemic, and mental illness. A call had been made for 16-30 year olds to submit their plays, from across the ‘borough’ although it wasn’t clear if it was Camden or Brent, and the best 10 writers were selected and offered the paid opportunity to develop their writing and have it develop and produced into tonight’s offering, and 5 others earlier in the week. The 6 actors reading the scenes, changing roles for each play, and an actor reading directions, ensured the sparse stage was filled with talent, from the drama and sometimes great humour from the writers, all in the professional delivery from the actors. It was free for locals to attend, at The Kiln in Kilburn, London.

It’s no secret that we, at Everything London, love some dumplings! Din Tai Fung, Covent Garden   When Art Sagiryan 'Ping Pong' arrived in London, founded in 2005, it was the most accessible all-day dumpling place my friends and I would love to visit. Now with branches all over London, you no longer have to suffer those awful queues to eat.  Make room for Din Tai Fung! We visited the one in Covent Garden, where that infamous long line has returned, but fear not, unlike a lot of other places they take reservations in advance, if you're just walking up by chance, they'll take your phone number to call you when your table's ready, or for us, they let us order boba tea and sit by the bar. The site is where the very huge 'Henry's' bar used to stand, and before that a Mexican restaurant, its refurb though wipes out all memory of those old haunts. You are greeted by their very open kitchen with staff huddled making the dim sum, and sha...

This week I rushed to the Kings Fund to see "Open wounds” Created and developed by Tottenham Rights, the exhibition explores the connections between health, racism and inequalities, and how this has affected generations of Black people. It does so through the eyes of the Black community themselves.  I'm currently looking into digital health inequalities, and I've heard from AgeUK, ABILITY and some ground roots agencies from a House of Lords inquiry, so it seemed appropriate to hear the experience of the Black community, in a specifically curated exhibition by Tottenham Rights. OPEN WOUNDS exhibit I was impressed by the boards and it's very plain speaking from slavery and the dismissal that Black people were even human, and the cheap labour their lives represented, which informed from a very early time, that Black people could be mistreated, weren't as smart, or not as valuable a human as their white counterparts. Dehumanising Black people sav...

I know it seems cliché.  We have Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day etc, a way to make money, a corporate, marketing gimmick to make us feel like we should do something for those who are significant in our lives, and guilty if we don't regardless of what the personal situation is. Call me cynical. Many avoid. But it seems to me World Earth Day on 22nd April , is a good and necessary day when we can love and appreciate our planet, and as a globe we still muster through the Coronavirus pandemic, we must love and appreciate our planet more than ever, today and every day. Call me a dreamer. When I was in NYC they lit up their iconic buildings in green, and turned off all unnecessary lights, which was a good reminder as we were all out and about. However, this year the pandemic might mean you're still in lockdown, not able to travel far, or just not sure how to celebrate the day. Well I've a small suggestion, and its free and its green, literally, and it re...

We're facing the third lockdown, and I don't know about you but after books and reading, I've probably watched as much TV, Netflix and Prime as I can take. Then scrolling through Twitter last month- a habit I have incurred during the pandemic - I saw The Kiln theatre offering tickets to see " The Invisible Hand" a live-streamed, rehearsed reading. Written by a Pulitzer Prize winner Ayhad Aktar, it consists simply of four male characters. A kidnapped American broker set in Pakistan, and three of his captors. As you'd expect there are power dynamics, yet there are nuances within it which reveal so much more. The banking / financing system, the disaffection of UK born Pakistanis. A particular line struck me hard - the young very angry captor shouts at his prey, offloading experiences of why he was made to feel different and unable to be accepted into Hounslow- the part of London where he grew up - right by the airport, and that they- white English "made hi...

"Rub ma belly"   Autumn. The leaves are falling. Its grey and raining. We're a long time past March's lockdown and yet coronavirus is still here and we still need to keep our distance. But we have a silver lining! A pick me up proven uplift opens on the 31st October, in the shape of nine cats roaming, ready for petting and belly rubs at the new Java Whiskers cat café at 105, Great Portland Street, in London! You book your time slot, 1-2 hours per person over 10 years of age, arrive 15 minutes early and kick off your shoes! Order some sandwiches, salads and pastries, with vegan options and gluten-free option and then enjoy the kitties as they come a paw-ing. There are rules though to protect the cats, while there are toys to lure in a feline friend, you aren't allowed to force them, pick them up or 'force hold' them, and the cats are free to retreat to downstairs if they decide they're done with human company for a while, so these cat kings and queens ...

Camden Council offering a variety of options with  #tryabike It's been a long London Council initiative to make bike hire free for at least 30 days- 4 weeks, with "try a bike"the idea is to reduce pollution and to create an opportunity to see if a bike is right for you, before investing in buying your own. The benefits of using a bike at this time are insurmountable, and especially for those at risk of infection but required to attend a job they can't do from home. Using a bike helps all our shop staff, post office workers, cleaners and of course the vital medics and allied professionals to avoid all public transport, which as we all know has been increasingly packed due to the reduced services on tubes and buses in waiting in the brisk the cold spring sunshine and occasional rain,  minimising workers’ disruption and possibilities of being infected as they travel to attend to crucial work in the COVID-19 epidemic. Free ebikes.. There are regular bikes c...

I probably don't need to reiterate it's a hard and uncertain time for everyone right now, how desolate the streets of London are in the midst of corona virus pandemic. So I won't, instead I want to turn your attention to goats, pygmy goats to be exact. At London Zoo, the pygmy goats enclosure is where all animal loving kids, and lets face it adults too, get to interact with the zoo animals -  and it turns out they're missing us! Seriously, they line up at the gate of their enclosure in the mornings waiting for the visitors, because they're waiting for massage and attention and they get lots of love! No social distancing for them - their keepers are on site and on hand to make up for the shortfall, though I'm not sure they are anything close to the numbers the pygmy goats miss. Its adorable and a real reminder of how we all love cuddles, even if we can't really see our friends and families in person. #staysafestayhome When this is all over mayb...

The Wellcome collection on Euston Road shows many a wonderful exhibition for the 'incurably curious' they say.  Since November 2017 has curated " Ayruvedic Man: Encounters with Indian Medicine"   an exhibition which runs for one more month to April 8th 2018. Ayurveda translates roughly in English to 'the knowledge of long life'. The knowledge of which Dr. Paira Mall was sent in 1911 by Wellcome to gather from India for the use of the pharmaceutical giant. It's complicated and layered story is put together in a very simply put together in a darkened room with many different types of media, photo's, film, song, and text, and you can move through the myriad of information relatively easily and without too much of a crowd. Dr. Paira Mall Dr Mall, an Anglo-Indian bought up by an 'English lady' who was raised to be a missionary, but 'preferred' medicine, and so continued his medical studies, he served as a surgeon in the A...

If you’re one of the many people who, when confronted with your internet usage and the privacy of your data say “I’ve nothing to hide”, and my articles have done nothing to dissuade you or convince you then you MUST get down to Charing Cross Road, London to “The Glass room" exhibit.  “You’re invited to experiment and reconsider the idea that even if we think we might have nothing to hide, we should at least understand what we’re not hiding. Many of the exhibits are innocuous 3 minute looking videos on an tablet with an attached set of headphones, but some are large digital display screens, on these you’ll be able to see in real time, how your very own mobile phone is ‘pinging’ all the time, how you appear in a display tracked, and then, even, see where you go after you’ve visited- many people were displayed as having gone to McDonalds... should I really know where to find thos...