A few shots to demonstrate the fun and joy of the Notting Hill Carnival!

Some thoughts on the Notting Hill Carnival

Shortly I will post a selection of some of the 400 or so shots I took on Bank Holiday Monday at the Notting Hill Carnival. Some are of family - you may recognise them or you may not! - others are of the crowd - and some show the good natured policemen enjoying a day in the sun with a crowd who were out enjoy themselves. I only saw three incidents when the police were dealing with problems - two of which were stop and search of kids aged about 14 - black - who took what they had to do without causing any problems - obviously used to this. Interesting that in one case a member of the public spoke to one of the boys as he was waiting for his friend - he was black too. One arrest of an older man who was drunk. There was a massive police presence in Latimer Road but elsewhere hardly any police to be seen and some of those who were there joined in the fun, whilst others looked as if they would rather be at home! You will see parts of the truck on which I rode on the roof - with Rob's sound system. I must ask him to bring along a Petula Clarke CD next year! The crowd and onlookers in their homes were all good natured - a great event with lots of loud music, astonishing cooking aroma (I was not allowed to leave the truck for fear I might get lost - so I had my own food with me!). Heather is to be congratulated on putting up with her irascible father for some 17 hours of daylight and darkness. I hope the photographs give you some idea of the sheer fun of the day. I would not have missed it for anything - and I will give Heather a big hug when I see her for taking me - and bringing me back!

Post Bank Holiday Mode!

I am in post-bank-holiday mode! And especially post-Notting Hill Carnival Mode!

Saturday was the Olympic Park, Sunday St. Paul’s Cathedral and the West End (the latter by bus as it rained!) and Monday the Notting Hill Carnival. Heather drove me at 8.30am. We arrived home at 1.30am next day! It is a long story - but I stayed on the float - mainly on the roof but sometimes downstairs. The route was shortened - and the crowds massive with no barriers for most of the way so that we crawled through crowds. All good natured - lots of fun. A great Day. The music was loud - and not a single Petula Clarke track all day! What is the world coming to, I ask myself? But I am a bit tired - to say the least! I will sort out the 390 photographs and have a quiet day!

Take care! I did!

Bank Holiday Saturday at the Olympic Park Stratford

Afternoon at the Olympic Park in sunshine but with a light breeze and occasional spots of rain which were refreshing. I walked from Stratford Station to the Ciopper Box - then caught a bus back to Stratford - train home. Very good atmosphere with lots of families and youngsters enjoying the open air.

Off to the Notting Hill Carnival on Bank Holiday Monday. Yippee!

I guess my interest in the Notting Hill Carnival needs some explanation! My first experience of the carnival dates back to the mid 1980s.

We always welcomed our children’s friends into our home and at that time Heather had many friends who were West Indian. Yvonne decided that we should therefore start to understand the culture so we went to the Notting Hill Carnival – Yvonne, Richard (then about 123) and me. Yes, it was Yvonne’s idea – honest!

On arrival I made the point that if we got lost, we should meet back at Notting Hill Station at 6pm. Within a few minutes I lost Yvonne and Richard! Yvonne went to the lost children enclosure but was told by a kindly policeman that they did not deal in lost husbands. We met up at 6pm. I remember very little of the day except that it was hot and there were lots of people. No mobiles in those days! How did we cope, I ask myself?

The next text comes from my book 'Just an Essex Lad' – now sadly out of print:

Robert and Luke were on board a float with Robert’s sound system on

Children’s Day at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2002. Heather, Marlon and I moved slowly with the crowd from Notting Hill station, reaching a point from where we could see the procession over the head of thousands, but where Marlon was faced with a sea of legs. The crowd was good-natured and in carnival mood. When Marlon asked if he might have a whistle it was the only time throughout the day when he requested anything. He was content to enjoy, blow and observe. Wending our way with the crowd – which is the only thing to do – we found ourselves at the southern end of Ladbroke Grove on an incline which swept down before us to the main procession route. We were, perhaps, a hundred yards or metres from where the procession turned into Ladbroke Grove from Arundel Gardens – the space between us and the procession being filled by the minute by more and more revelers.

It was now mid-afternoon and Heather rang Rob on his mobile. I will come to find you, said Rob. And Heather and I smiled at his optimism. Many calls later, Heather began to believe that he might succeed. There was a gap in the procession and Ladbroke Grove stretched before us to the railway bridge in the far distance.

“I am walking down the route towards you,” said Robert – and he was

doing just that, a lone figure on the now empty procession route.

We waved and he waved. Below us on the edge of the massed crowd and adjacent to the route of the parade was an area bounded by crash barriers in which some forty police officers were standing. We watched as Robert approached.

Seeking out a young Woman Police Officer, we spotted Robert engaging her in conversation. Even from where we were standing, we could see that the WPC straightened up at what Rob was telling her.

“Stay where you are,” said Rob on the mobile, “the WPC is coming to get you.”

Transfixed, we watched as the WPC approached us, moving deftly and meaningfully, and signaling for us to join her at the barrier – which we did. Moving the barrier aside, the WPC ushered us with some deference towards the corner of Arundel Gardens and onto the pavement of that place. Here we were in splendid isolation with a perfect and uninterrupted view. Rob was on the other side of the barrier, grinning from ear to ear. Lorry after lorry went past, with children and their adult minders dancing and cavorting. Steel bands were a relief from the rib-shattering sound systems. As a couple of hours went by more revelers joined us from the distance – but not through the way we had come.

Later, I ventured to ask Heather what Rob had said to the WPC that made her lurch our way.

“He told her that you are a judge," said Heather.

Now it needs to be understood that, in spite of my efforts to persuade him otherwise, Robert has always referred to me as “the judge” rather than a magistrate. What remains uncertain is how the WPC interpreted Rob’s comment that I am a judge. Did she assume that I was a high-ranking member of the criminal justice system? If so, she must have assumed that off duty judges wear floral shirts and trainers on these occasions. Or did she think I might have been a judge of them carnival? We shall never know.

End of quote from book!

In 2007 and again for some five years I attended the Carnival on the back of the Lagniappe Float on which Rob’s sound system played away. I never saw any problems apart from once when a gang of youngsters ran through the crowds rather fast!

But then I had pneumonia, the next year I stay home to nurse Yvonne, and last year was Annily’s 21st birthday bash at which I just had to be present and would not have missed it for anything.

But this year I am back! On the float taking photographs. Yippee!

I will post some here next week! Meantime, have a good bank holiday!

Bransgore weekend

A weekend in Bransgore with Graham and Danielle - who seems to have kept out of all my photographs! Here we see Graham and me - sporting our new sun hats (although it rained most of the time!), Fergus and Graham cooking (they appears to be Chef Partners), Lynne and Terry relaxing and Annily, my sophisticated granddaughter, in her red car! A great weekend - thank you all - and next time I will catch Danielle in the lens.

Ilford Station in bloom

The floral displays on Ilford Hill outside Ilford Station are just stunning - Redbridge Parks are to be congratulated on maintaining such a high standard in a very hot summer. The Ilford Station frontage is to soon change as Crossrail comes to the town - so these shots will soon be history.

The Foxglove that went to St. Paul's Cathedral

Forgot to include the magnificent Foxglove in  the last post - so here it is, now in a pot in  my garden ready to let me dry its seeds too have lots next year!

My garden in high summer

A few random shots in my garden on Tuesday 16th August. The tall foxglove was bought in Columbia Road Flower Market last Sunday and journeyed to my garden via St. Paul's Cathedral where I attended Sung Eucharist. The colour attracted me - I will dry the seeds and hope to grow on next year.