The bended bar - photo by Mangi press

Per anni abbiamo creduto che la maledizione di Casapiddu riguardasse la sfera sentimentale, chiunque metteva piede dentro quella casa, infatti, veniva regolarmente abbandonato dal proprio partner. Solo La Sguattera si salvò, ed è arrivata addirittura al matrimonio; in quel caso però la maledizione sembrava solo cambiata nella forma, infatti la cerimonia si è svolta in una domenica di agosto con la temperatura esterna intorno ai 40 gradi. Il tempo ha però fatto il suo corso, e finalmente la maledizione di Casapiddu si è manifestata nella sua totalità. L’occasione è stata l’ultima avventura pidduista, una trasferta a londra per iniziare la promozione del libro che celebra l’epopea della casa di San Donnino, a breve in uscita. Dopo due giorni nella capitale londinese, i pidduisti hanno finalmente scoperto la verità, la vera ed unica maledizione che pende su di loro:

Ovunque andrai, tribolerai.

La reunion pidduista in quel di Londra è favorita dalla presenza di Jorgio nella swingin city, dopo la laurea se ne è andato lassù a lavorare in una non meglio precisata software house. La sua camera nei pressi di Hyde Park è pronta ad accogliere i tre italici Rambo, Mangi e Ragazzo Strambo, che partono dall’aereoporto di Pisa in una fumoso venerdì sera. L’aggettivo fumoso è d’obbligo quando si scrive di viaggi a Londra.
Appena messo piede nell’aereoporto una signorina chiede agli indomiti quale sia la loro compagnia di viaggio, disinteressandosi poi alla risposta e comunicandogli la volontà di regalare loro un viaggio. Il Mangi tira dritto, Rambo risponde “Che culo!” e il Ragazzo Strambo, altresì noto come Lord di Blackmount, liquida la signorina con un “grazie, non siamo interessati”.
Pronti per il check in, Rambo passa sotto al metal detector che suona senza pietà: le sue tasche erano piene di chiavi, monete e oggetti metallici qualsiasi. Risolto lo spiacevole equivoco, ad una prima misura la sua valigia sembra essere troppo grande per essere portata come bagaglio a mano. La truppa decide di ignorare e tentare di fottere il sistema.
Controllo passaporti, tutti in fila di fronte ad una sbirra traccagnotta, il Ragazzo Strambo, per stemperare la tensione, inizia ad intonare “Booooomba”, ma i viaggiatori in coda non si uniscono al movimiento sexy e la poliziotta sceglie proprio lui per la perquisizione a campione. Finita la procedura, lo Strambo dichiarerà: “è stato degradante.”
Una volta imbarcati tutti i passeggeri, le hostess iniziano a sistemare le valigie negli scompartimenti, ma ce ne sono troppe che eccedono i limiti e rendono impossibile la chiusura degli sportelli, ivi compresa quella del Guerrazzi, sistemata lontana dal sedile. La tattica decisa dalla truppa pidduista è quella del nascondersi indifferenti. Quando la signorina inizia a gridare “di chi è questa valigia blu?”, Rambo e gli altri si concentrano sul libro aperto sotto i loro occhi, una sorta di zaino in cui fingere di rovistare mentre la hostess sceglie chi interrogare. La paura è alle stelle, quando l’ufficiale di bordo legge il nome scritto sulla valigia, il Guerrazzi non resiste e confessa. La condanna è mite: valigia sistemata in stiva, senza sovraprezzo.
Immancabile l’applauso degli italiani dopo l’atterraggio, i pidduisti scendono dalla scaletta dell’aereo sentendosi come i Beatles. Non mancano di salutare la folla, che momentaneamente è assente, e continuano a salutare anche quando arrivano al terminal dell’aereporto di Stansted. Lì la folla c’era, ma erano i parenti ed amici in attesa dei propri cari.
Alla stazione londinese di Liverpool Street, dopo 3 mesi, quelli che furono gli abitanti di Casapiddu sono di nuovo riuniti. Manca la Sguattera, ma sono le undici di sera e sarà in casa di fronte alla tv; nulla è cambiato, insomma. Affamati come lupi, i boys from San Donnino vanno alla ricerca di un qualcosa di commestibile, ma l’ora e il luogo rendono impossibile l’impresa. Si ripiega su Burger king e poi via per una capatina nel West End, a godersi il venerdì sera di Piccadilly. I pub sono però chiusi, e la gioventù londinese affolla gli ingressi delle discoteche intorno Soho, ormai non più un quartiere a luci rosse. La cosa più perversa intravista è stata una ragazzona inglese, bianca come la morte e vestita come Madonna quando sbaglia lavaggio, intenta ad orinare lungo un marciapiede.
La truppa è stanca, e torna a casa verso le due di notte. Prima di entrare nel palazzo in cui abita Jorgio, un rumore sinistro preoccupa i Nostri: girato l’angolo tirano però un sospiro di sollievo, è solo un Suv con una ruota completamente a terra, che a passo d’uomo e guidato da una donna, cerca la via di casa.

L’appartamento in cui vive il pidduista emigrato è quanto di più lontano dagli standard minimi che un italiano richiede. Tutta moquette, vernice puzzolente acrilica, bagno diviso in due stanzine, uno con la tazza ed uno con il lavandino. Le stanze da letto sono quattro, insieme a Jorgio vivono una ragazza di Bettona, una coppia di spagnoli e una coppia di lituani. Questi ultimi sono soprannominati Barbie e Ken, e forse sono proprio loro: lui è castano, burbero e palestratissimo, lei è bionda, occhi azzurri e se occupa il bagno non lo libera in meno di due ore. Non il bagno con il cesso ma l’altro, ovviamente. Ogni appartamento ha il suo ingresso indipendente, l’ascensore dà direttamente sull’esterno ed il vialetto di fronte alle porte scorrevole è delimitato da due tubi di ferro simil corrimano, alti però una trentina di centimetri. Jorgio ci fa notare come il tubo di sinistra sia visibilmente piegato verso il basso, e ci racconta che quel danno è stato arrecato dal corpo di John Smith, che nel luglio precedente si è buttato dal nono piano ricadendo sul tubo. Nei giorni successivi Rambo Guerrazzi non nasconderà l’intenzione di volere piegare alla stessa maniera il tubo rimasto ancora diritto.

BAYSWATER CONDO GOOD LOCATION

- 3 ROOMS
- HAVE KITCHEN CABINET PARTLY RENO
- NOW TENANTED
- HIGH FLOOR
- 1302SF
- 550K NEG

PHILIP
012-5590665 // 016-477 6047

On 19 November, the Irish artist Conrad Frankel’s debut UK exhibition “The First People” opened at Art Work Space gallery in London.

The basement of a Bayswater hotel is a very unlikely place to find an art gallery. The Hempel Hotel is tucked away in Craven Gardens and is a pig of a place to find if you have not been there before – especially on a windy night in November. But Naomi Murtagh, partner of Bottle Apostle’s Andrew Eakin, has found a very striking venue in which to showcase art.

“The First People” showcases 17 of Conrad Frankel’s oil on canvas works based on nineteenth century portrait photographs. The combination of forensic draughtsmanship and a varnish finish makes the paintings look from a distance as if they really are photographs.

The thousand yard – or rather, five second exposure – stare of the subjects gives them a slightly unnerving tone. Some of the portraits have a very subtle hint of flesh tones on the cheeks, barely discernible except up close.

Conrad Frankel, "Twins", oil on canvas, varnished, 60" x 48"

Prices for the Frankel canvases range from £500 for the 3.75″ x 4.25″ Tiny Sisters to £5,500 for 60″ x 48″ pictures.

The exhibition runs until 14 January 2010.

Bayswater liegt zwischen Notting Hill und Paddington, und zeichnet sich durch seine ruhigen urbanen Strassenzüge, die von seht viel Grün durchzogen sind, und seine lebhaftigkeit, speziell rund um Queensway und Westbourne Grove, aus.

Besonders beliebt ist diese Gegend durch seine unzähligen Restaurants und dem ältesten ‘Department Store’ der Stadt, Whiteleys, welcher jedoch zu einer Shopping Mall umgebaut wurde Dieser Stadtteil hat sogar die höchste Dichte an Restaurants ausserhalb Central London. Ebenso gibt es hier das Queens. Londons einziger Indoor Eislaufplatz und 10 Pin Bowlingbahn, welche durch ihre Lage zwischen zwei U-Bahn Stationen (Queensway / Bayswater) ein beliebter Treffpunkt für Leute aus ganz West London ist.

Ganz besonders sehenswert ist das Einkaufszentrum Whiteleys zur Weihnachtszeit. Wer schon mal den Film ‘Love Actually (Tatsächlich Liebe)’ gesehen hat, weiss wovon ich spreche. Es steht ein riesengrosser Weihnachtsbaum inmitten dieses überdachten Arkadenhofes, und der Treppenaufgang führt links und rechts daran in den ersten Stock. Ausserdem ist dieser Einkaufstempel bei weitem nicht so überdimensioniert wie viele Andere, und zum Glück auch nicht so überlaufen. Definitiv einer meiner Lieblingsplätze um shoppen zu gehen. Es gibt hier einfach alles, was man so braucht. Juwelier, HMV, Buchhandlung, M&S, Next, H&M, Zara, MUJI, GAP, JD Sports,… und natürlich verschiedenste Restaurants (Chinesisch, Französisch, Japanisch,…), und ein ODEON Kino. Was braucht man mehr!?

Zu erreichen ist dieser Teil der Stadt am besten mit der Central Line (Queensway) und Circle & District Line (Bayswater).

More great fashionnews!

Mulberry and Apple are collaborating in a new bag collection. It is thé ultimate combination. The plan? A Mulberry bag that is specially designed for you Apple gadgets. So that means a place for your iPhone and your MACbook. Oh and there is even a hole in the bag for the earplugs of your iPod. It’s genius. You can get the bags from the 1st of December.
Santa, if you’re reading this, I really love the Mulberry Bayswater…

OMG, never let women go into the friggin car jacking business for goodness sakes, it will always end in tears! Three dumbass women decide to car jack some poor unsuspecting woman in Bayswater, Western Australia. They dragged her out by the hair and jumped into the car. The hapless three only managed to bunny hop 150m up the road because the designated driver couldn’t use the gears in a manual car. Friggin jerks!

I spent Saturday afternoon on an 8 mile Films on Foot Walk through the Notting Hill, Kensington, and Bayswater areas:

This walk has been timed to coincide with the BFI London Film Festival. This is a walk of contrasts taking in the elegant streets of ‘Notting Hill’ so popular with British romantic comedy film makers, as well as the green space of Kensington Gardens and the seedy streets around Bayswater used in films such as ‘Trainspotting’. Pub stop en route at a pub used in a film. We’ll end at the Prince Alfred Pub near Queensway/ Bayswater for food / drinks (sitting upstairs).

A huge group of about 100 people showed up at the Royal Oak tube station to begin the walk.  Here are some of the sights we scouted — I tried my best to capture and keep track of them all, but it was definitely a tricky task!

Besides getting to see all of the locations, the walk was great for meeting other people.  As we strolled along everyone was open and willing to chat, and the walk definitely drew a diverse crowd.  I had the opportunity to connect with several people, including a native Londoner who is a member of the Metropolitan walkers (co-sponsors of the walks) and three people (two from France, one from New Zealand) who moved to London a matter of weeks or years ago.  Towards the end of the walk, as people began to drop off, I engaged in conversation with Craig (moved to London 3 weeks ago from his hometown in northern Britain; a.k.a The Best Brit Ever–I promised to include that title when blogging about it) and John (an Australian living and working in Cambridge visiting his girlfriend who shares a flat with Craig).  It was great chatting and exchanging culture with them, and we decided to continue at the pub where the walk concluded.  Six hours, five rounds of pints, and one round of fish and chips later, I was lucky enough to have had a perfect London Saturday full of fresh air, beautiful sights, great conversation and two new friends.  An as I mentioned in my London Moves Me post, that is precisely what I needed!

*sigh*

The insatiable handbag addiction.

It’s about the proportions, thats where the magic is.

In English

Vi gik en aftentur i de små gader rundt hotellet og snublet over denne lille perle av en pub. Den har inviterende rudede vindue. Vi går ind og føler os velkomne med en gang.

Dette er en uafhængig pub med en god ægte stemning.  Ikke så stor, men det er plads til alle. Indredningen består af relativt gamle og slidte møbler, men det er de med charme. Der er forskellige fugle, og det hele toppes af det udstoppede bjørnehoved bag baren.

Øllet er billig, og udvalget er relativt lille. De har faste Ales som Greene King, og et par gæste ales. Du får gratis peanuts.  Det er mad der, men gå dit ikke for den gastronomiske oplevelse, maden bliver tilberedt i barmicroen.  En god lille detalje er at man har brugt ægte kridt på menu tavlen. Gæsterne er lokale, ingen turister når vi var der.

Dette er et sted som vokser på dig. Er du i distriktet rundt Paddington og Bayswater er dette et sted at anbefale.

Dagens Beer Quote:
“God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.”
Anne Sexton

På  Dorsk

We were having an evening stroll in the small streets around the hotel, when we stumbled upon this gem of a pub. It had inviting faceted windows.  As we entered we felt instantly welcome. It is an independent pub with an authentic atmosphere.

The pub is not so big, but there is room enough for everyone. The interior consists of relatively old and worn furniture, but it is the one with charm! There are different birds and there is even a big boar’s head behind the bar.

The beer is cheap. They have some regular Ales as Greene King, and a couple of guest ales. You get free peanuts. There is food there, but don’t go there for a gastronomical experience, the food is prepared in the bar microwave. A good detail is that they use real charcoal on the menu blackboard. The guests are local, no tourist when we were there.

This is a place that grows on you. If you are in the district around Paddington and Bayswater, this is a place to recommend.

Today’s Beer Quote:
“God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.”
Anne Sexton

Oh baby – DETTE vil jeg gjerne blitt sett i! Sassy, stilfullt og trendy, og akkurat passe casual for en litt glamourøs hverdag. Og når kvelden faller på – dropp genseren til fordel for en kul topp, og vesken til fordel for en night-time clutch – så er du klar for party.

De rålekre glossy tightsene i 100% ekte slangeskinn (!) er fra Emilio Pucci, og har en prislapp på svimlende 36.000 kroner. Relativt uoppnåelig for hvermansen, men så sykt hot at det nærmest burde vært kriminelt.

Den superchice, oversized genseren i deilig kashmir er fra Vince, og koster rundt 2350 kroner. En hyllest til 80-tallet, og en flott kontrast til de stramme, rocka snake-skin-tightsene.

Ankel-bootsene er klassiske Christian Louboutin – frekke, stramme, passe høye, og sammen med åletrange tights bidrar de til en flott strømlinjeformet silhuett.

Vesken kjenner dere såklart igjen – det blir ikke mer klassisk enn Mulberry, her representert ved den ikoniske Bayswater-vesken. Og ja – den kan brukes til ALT. Prisen ligger på rundt 5.000 kroner – men du, for en investering”

Topp det hele med den ultrakule panter-halskjedet fra Anita Ko – 18-karat gull og diamanter – mhmmm – yes please! Men 53.000 kroner er kanskje LITT heavy. Takk og lov for H&M som har mange flotte rip-offs til en ganske mye greiere pris!

Til tross for svært stive priser (og en god ting kan som kjent ikke sies for mange ganger) – Det ER lov til å drømme…

Samtlige plagg er tilgjengelig på www.net-a-porter.com   ♥

"special" Cantonese roast duck at Gold Mine

Usually when I eat Chinese food in London, it’s dim sum, which means it’s rare that I go out for “regular” Chinese food.  So it was a nice change when our friends decided we should meet them at Gold Mine this past Saturday.

The TimeOut review of Gold Mine claimed that the restaurant serves “Queensway’s finest cantonese roast duck”, and while I haven’t eaten at many places on Queensway, the duck was pretty delicious and lived up to the hype –  moist and gamey with a crispy skin and bits of luscious duck fat to soak up all the dripping-enhanced sugar-and-soy sauce.  Well worth the £9 .50 for a half-duck portion.

After that, the food ranged from “good but nothing special” to “holy cow, this is what gives Chinese food a bad name.”

In the first category were dishes like sauteed morning glory, which was tasty only after we added a liberal amount of salt.  The steamed sea bass was well-executed with a firm, fresh fish, but in a restaurant where most main courses cost £10, paying £23 for the fish hardly seemed to be good value.

minced prawn-stuffed tofu

I was pretty excited to see fried tofu stuffed with minced prawns on the menu, but Gold Mine’s version was a bit flavorless despite the heavy brown sauce.  It needed a lot more of the minced prawn to impart flavor to the tofu.

char kway teow

Char kway teow had gotten a mention in several reviews I’d read about Gold Mine, but really, I should’ve known better than to order a Malaysian classic at a Cantonese resto.  The version we had was – as seemed to be a recurring theme – flavorless.  Just a mass of greasy, soy-sauced noodles. No spice.  Unbelievably, it wasn’t the worst dish we had, which honor went to a dish described as fried chicken with chilis, which turned out to be chunks chicken breast doused in more  generic brown sauce.

Service was harried but attentive; the decor is utilitarian.  I’d definitely go back for the roast duck, and maybe I’d try the roast (char siu) pork, too.  In the end, the roast duck was the only thing that saved Gold Mine from being just another cheap, undifferentiated Chinese takeaway joint.

With a crappy-tasting bottle of white wine for £14.50, our total (including service charge) for five main courses and four portions of white rice was £90  (i.e., about £23 a person).

Gold Mine, 102 Queensway, W2 3RR; 0207 792 8331; closest tube station: Bayswater

As we move into the Bank Holiday, it became clear today that vast swathes of London’s population seems to be (a) away from London, or (b) at the Carnival. The bus slipped steadily around near-empty streets as it moved from the Edgware Road and into Paddington. No chance to glimpse Bayswater today, as the bus was diverted before then, to tuck down other roads away from the Carnival.

It’s one of my favourite areas of London, the slightly faded glamour of Paddington seeping into the whitewashed houses of Bayswater. But even here, there is an element of transition and griminess in the streets of little hotels. From here, it’s possible to explore Ladbroke Grove, or continue on to W9 and Maida Vale.

But today it was to Fulham and then Chelsea, looking for nick-nacks and cookware. Once, when I was standing outside Peter Jones on Sloane Square, a man walked past me with four Great Danes. It was like a cacophony of legs; impossible to tell where one Dane ended and another began.

With most house prices in a state of flux across the country, Tony and Cherie Blair have managed to make a profit – on paper – of more than £2 million out of the central London mansion in Connaught Square they controversially bought in 2004 using a loan paid off through Parliamentary expenses.

The Blairs spent £3.65 million on the 19th-century property in Bayswater, close to Hyde Park. Two years ago they also bought an adjoining mews house for £800,000, knocking down its walls to make one house. Estate agents now estimate the former prime minister’s five-bedroom, three-bathroom house could be worth around £6.6 million, based on the recent sale of a neighbouring property.

In 2004 Blair re-mortgaged his constituency home in Trimdon, County Durham for a second time, in order to secure a £296,000 loan from Cheltenham & Gloucester. This helped pay for the £182,500 deposit on the Connaught Square property. Blair then claimed the loan interest on expenses.

Despite the volatile housing market, Connaught Village – as the area around the square, formerly called Tyburnia after the nearby place of execution, is now known – is still seen as a good buy by wealthy prospective buyers.

BAYSWATER LOCATED NEAR BY TESCO MARKET

- STRATEGY LOCATION EASY ACCESS TO JELUTONG N GREENLANE AREA
- THIS UNIT IS HIGH FLOOR, NICE TOWN VIEW
- EASY FOR FOREIGNER ACCESS TO FOOD CENTER IN FRONT E-GATE
-THE CONDO IT SELF HAVE BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE N WELL MAINTAINING (( GOOD FOR RELAX AFTER WORK ))
- RENTAL 3500PM NEG

…………………………………………………………………………..
PHILIP
chinahous3@gmail.com
REAL ESTATE AGENT  << 016-477 6047 / 012-559 0665 >>

Bayswater Homes are fast selling house and lot units even though the MSY Holdings Corporation is not as old as the other land developer.Because of its Amenities, Designs and easy access to any of the five star beach resorts ,hospitals,churches,Grand malls and the International Airport.

Bayswater Homes Gumamela Models house is the most affordable unit,next is the Magnolia Model,with a price a bit higher.Sampaguita model is also affordable ,next is Adelfa ,the boungalow type and the Champaca model the two storey house model,that worth 6  million Plus.

Wednesday June 10, 2009
Every morning my train goes over this drain and when it’s been raining, it floods. Once it drains there are always ducks hanging out in there. I was in Bayswater and walking by so I went down there. Yay. 4:50pm.

Friday June 19, 2009
I got into work this morning and found this sitting on our sandwich grill. 8:51am.

Gross. 1:53pm.

* * * * *

Bayswater Drinks 2009

* * * * *

It is proper, when a person steps up to the bar, for a bartender to set before him a glass of ice water, and, then, in a courteous manner, find out what he may desire.

The Ideal Bartender, 1917, Tom Bullock.

* * * * *

Unmixed drinks

A Schooner Darkly

 Schooner of beer with a jolt of Aperol or Amer Picon in its bottom.

Boilermaker

Schooner of beer with a shot – we recommend:

Tequila con Sangrita

This is how the Mexicans drink their Tequila, with a spicy non-alcoholic shot on the side. It’s how we drink ours.

Absinthe Fountain

Feel the history in action as the spoon hits the glass, the tap opens and the water drips down to the Absinthe. Watch in awe as the potent brew ‘louches’ (clouds up) as the wormwood opens its arms to you. Drink the green fairy deep down… and let her in to heal your twisted soul.

* * * * *

Depression, Prohibition & Echoes

Toreador

A drink to rival the Margarita. Young Tequila with peach bitters, apricot liqueur and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Torino-Milano

The drink, legally available during the Great Depression, from which sprang the Milano-Torino, the Americano, the Negroni, the Bicycletta, the Spagliato… the list goes on. Homemade sweet vermouth with Campari and soda.

Cecil Baker

London Dry Gin with fresh coriander and lime, kaffir lime syrup and soda.

Between the Sheets

 This was as risque as it got in the 1930s. So we pimped it some. Rhum Agricole, VSOP Cognac  and citrus in a sugar rimmed glass.

Millionaire #5†

The first four? Not so great. This one’s lovely. Jamaican Rum, Sloe Gin, Apricot Liqueur, fresh citrus.

Excelsior

Vodka, citrus, and this week’s fruit preserve, lengthened with soda. This is our tall fruity pink vodka drink: there’s quite a lot of vodka and fruit in here, but it’s not too sweet.

* * * * *

King’s Cross Tributes (with thanks to William Oxenham)

Knife Tricks‡

An Absinthe-laden sugar cube with Calvados and peach liqueur, topped with Prosecco.

Man on Fire∫

A Malt and Mescal – Talisker 12 year old with fresh lime with twin licks of agave syrup and honey. Served on the rocks, rocking a smoked chilli salt rim.

Eureka #2º

Rye, Calvados and Sloe Gin with fresh lime and sugar. A rediscovered classic, pimped!

Electric Avenue

Vodka, Cognac, Bourbon, passionfruit, orange blossom and a big sac of sexy goodness prevail here. A filthy disco drink.

(Eastern Suburbs High Maintenance) Lady Sour

London Dry Gin shaken vigorously with peach liqueur, fresh lemon juice and egg white. Crowned decadently with a lovely Côte de Rhone.

5 Buck Back Alley Quick Buck

Single malt and sweet vermouth, lime juice and sprigs of fresh mint, topped off with ginger ale.

Mamacita

Three tequilas, Mescal, Chartreuse Juane, Falernum, grapefruit, pineapple and lime juices shaken up into a ridiculous glass with fire and stuff. For two.

* * * * *

Refreshed and Restyled

Cuffs & Button

M.W. Heron based his famous ‘Southern Comfort’ liqueur on this awesome drink. Woodford Reserve Bourbon with puréed peach and orange and lemon pieces.

Bayswater Cup no. 32

James Pimm created his cup to complement the seafood in his Covent Garden restaurant. Ours works great with everything. London dry gin with Amaro, Dubonnet, Chambord and lemonade, garnished with seasonal fruit.

Bayswater Cream

Baileys is a mix of chocolate, coffee, cream and crappy Irish whisky. Our version is fresh and vibrant with Kahlúa, Crème de Cacao, cream and great Scottish malt whisky. You can have it with or without extra milk¤.

* * * * *

We don’t want to dumbfound anyone with a ridiculous long list. If you’re reading this far, your date’s probably late or dull, in which case we recommend naked Twister. Failing that:

Ask your bartender for different odes to the Collins family (capsicum, hibiscus etc) or a Grapefruit Rickey. Test him on Martinis and Manhattans. Enquire about Russians, Cold Wars, Bucks, Blinkers, Bulldogs, Breezes, Drakes, Marys, Juleps, about Fixes, Flips, Fizzes, Spritzes & Spagliatos. Luscious Highballs from all over – 7 & 7s, G&Ts, C.C. & Cs, Presbyterians, Horse’s Necks, Piscolas, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy, the Cuba Libre, the Fudpucker, the Greyhound, the Fernet Cola, the Kir, the 75, the Peg, the Suicide Blazer, the horrors of sunrise and the glory of the last light before dawn…

…and of course, the humble Cocktail.

* * * * *

House Spirits

Beefeater Gin

Wyborowa Vodka

Cazadores Blanco Tequila

Havana Club Light Rum

Appleton V/X Dark Rum

Maker’s Maker Bourbon

Chivas Regal 12yr Scotch

Hennessy VS Brandy

* * * * *

† Based on Harry Craddock’s ‘Millionaire Cocktail’, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930.

‡ ‘Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano’. Ernest Hemingway.

∫ Based on an original drink made by our mate Rich Hunt.

º Based on the ‘Avenue Cocktail’, Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, 1931.

¤ Fellas, If this looks a little bit girly, think of it as whisy & milk. Like quiche is fried egg pie, yeah?

* * * * *

Hyde Park
Westbourne Street
London
Greater London
W2

£ 2,750,000
Freehold Property
This substantial white stucco property is excellently located opposite Hyde Park and is close to a wealth of transport facilities including Paddington Station providing International (Heathrow Express), National and City Links, as well as Lancaster Gate and Bayswater tube stations.

Marble Arch and Oxford Street are moments away with its comprehensive shopping facilities.

This freehold building has been in the same ownership for the last 18 years and is arranged as 2 large maisonettes and 3 flats. the property also has potential to be converted into a beautiful period house.

The property is currently in a poor state of repair and is in need of a face lift.

Paramount Investments are specialists in sourcing freehold and leasehold UK pubs for sale and other investment opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales for potential property investors.

Paramount Pub Sales

150 West End Lane

West Hampstead

London NW6 1SD

Tel: 020 7644 2333

Web: UK Pubs For Sale

Blog: UK Pub Sales Blog

Search: UK Pub Trade Directory

Tuesday May 12, 2009
Cock in a box. 12:22pm.

Finger mould. 4:10pm.

I think this was a rat. I had to take the photo in darkness, so it was hard to get up close with the flash going off… this was taken from a distance and cropped to size for maximum flatness. Somewhere behind the Thai restaurant and Subway in Belgrave. 6:08pm.

Sunday May 17, 2009
Some trees that got burnt in the recent bushfires in Healesville. We were in the area for Dad’s birthday and my Aunt used to live up this road. 1:57pm.

Mushrooms. 4:12pm.

Another mushroom. If you look closely you can see the microcosmos enjoying themselves on the underside. 4:57pm.

I couldn’t find the name of this fungus but they’re these little pod things, and when you poke them they shoot out a cloud of spores. It’s amazing. Spore close-up in the second pic. 5:30pm.

Tuesday May 19, 2009
A tiny skeleton I found in a school gardenbed in Bayswater. 3:25pm.

Tuesday May 26, 2009
An old Copic ink at work that someone had opened and spilt. Not sure how long ago that happened, but it made the sticker look pretty cool. 4:49pm.

Wednesday May 27, 2009
The battery in my iRiver had carked it, so I had to order a new one from Hong Kong and replace it. This is how much effort it required!! Pretty interesting to see the insides of it though. 8:50pm.

Friday June 5, 2009
Melbourne. 8:16pm.