There's an unfortunate trend around London which I suspect will have already spread to other cities of estate agents driving around in new Minis or Beetles in some gaudy company livery. I don't know if this slick image impresses some but for many, myself included, it portrays these estate agents as pretentious in the exteme and lets face us it's not as if their line of work has a particularly rosey reputation to begin with.
However my impression of these purveyors of pretentiousness was solidified this past week when leaving home at lunchtime I emerged in the middle of something of a spat between a man on a street and a car driver. The car heading off down the road now but the pedestrian with going completely ape. "You didn't have to brake you f***ing c***!" was a line he repeated with considerable anger and even came close to swinging his bag of purchases from Sainsburys down the street after the car before sense engaged and he clearly thought better of it.
I thought this guy must be a total loon, and I was hoping that he didn't live on my street, as he clearly has major issues with those around him. At that moment he unlocked a car - a tarted up estate agents Mini and got in. Well, that really did it for me. I thought little of these bunch slick haired cretins to begin with (on a previous occasion another employee of this same company thought it better to run me over than wait 5 seconds for me to cross in front of their stationary car), but it seems that these people are beyond the pale.
A number of these same estate agents in my area have had their windows apparently kicked in during recent weeks. Although I can't condone criminal damage, which I suspect was done by some lads at the end of a particularly beered up evening, perhaps these companies should take it as a sign that they are not held in high regard, or at the very least on par only with phoneboxes, that seems to be vandalised with similar regularity.
20060312
Finally wrapping up 2005
The winter months are generally a quiet time for photography; short days and typically overcast if not inclement weather severely curtail the opportunities for getting out and about with the camera. Nevertheless it's been a time to catch up with processing photos taken in the last couple of months and finally the pick of the crop from November and December have now been put online on my Fotopic gallery.
Another overdue task that's been seeing some headway is processing the 2nd half of the photos taken in Austria over New Year.
It's unlikely there'll be many more chances for more photography before I set off on my trip, so most work will be focused on a new travel blog which I'll be getting set up in the next few weeks.
Another overdue task that's been seeing some headway is processing the 2nd half of the photos taken in Austria over New Year.
It's unlikely there'll be many more chances for more photography before I set off on my trip, so most work will be focused on a new travel blog which I'll be getting set up in the next few weeks.
20060304
Random walk
Awakening to streams of sunlight shining through my bedroom this morning (albeit rather late morning) reinforced my resolve that today would be the day for another of my random walks. Clearly the rather chilly temperatures of early March don't offer the same attraction as a summer walk might, yet after a week stuck in the office an opportunity to stretch the legs was more than welcome.
I was rather slow off the mark it must be said. Aside from rising rather later than would be ideal for a day out, much parping about followed before a decision was made as to where to actually go to. It's all part of the randomness of the venture of course, but it's not aided through not having the foggiest as to where would make a decent walk in South East England. Surrey is the easiest county to reach, but the Rough Guide to Britain indicates there's little of interest on offer in the county and a browse of the area with Google Earth indicates a sprawling mass of suburbia. Properous green suburbia perhaps, but not generally the most exciting or appealing of landscapes to spend a day.
Having put a few possible ideas into the train timetable and being put off, I decided to look at the possibility a canal walk. The canals within London are easy enough to reach but it's seemed like an eternity since I last got out of the capital and the countryside beckoned. Turning again to Google Earth I began to trace the route of the one canal I knew well, the Grand Union, out of London. After a good deal of meandering through uninspiring urban and suburban areas the canal finally emerges into open country in Buckinghamshire, and the first handy train link combined with interesting landscape turned out to be Denham. Zooming out revealed that a few miles further along the canal stood the somewhat larger town of Rickmansworth, crucially also with an overland train service back to central London. Better still, both are served by Chiltern Trains, a line and operator I'd not been on before, so a few new sights thrown into the equation with that too.
The scene was set then for a day out, or to be more honest an afternoon out by the time I was to reach where I was going. As it was, Denham turned out to be a delightfully picturesque village with a nearby visitors centre where I was furnished with a map of the route I was taking. On telling the lady helping me of my destination she sounded quite suprised. Now as the crow flies Google Earth put Denham station to Rickmansworth station at around 4 miles. Even with the slight southward detour to the visitors centre it wasn't excessive, yet the look of worry on the lady's face concerned me. "How far is it?" I asked, concerned that Google Earth might have led my astray and given wildly inaccurate distances. "Oh, 4 or 5 miles I would have thought." At a country park visitors centre I would have expected a little more appreciation of the joys of a fine country walk, however I thanked her for her time and set off.
The Grand Union canal is located a short distance from the visitors centre and from then on it was easy going along the tow-path. A few days of generally dry weather had as anticipated limited any muddy spots. Google Earth indicated areas of water either side of the canal at various points. As it turned out these weren't often visible, yet the scenery wasn't bad at all, and the style of the houses in the area proved particularly appealing. There also appears to be a considerable population of boat-dwellers along the canal, many of the barges showing signs of life with the family's bicycles and a heap of firewood found by the boat.
Although there were few opportunities for taking any photographs of note, the railway bridge near Denham appealed, and although there's only an hourly train in each direction, my luck was in! Literally just as I took the camera of its bag and was angling up a shot the sound of an approaching train could be heard. A moments pause and the scene was complete as the train made its was across the bridge. I couldn't have asked for better, besides perhaps a little more sun on the scene!
Rickmansworth proved to be an attractive town, with the old fashioned style of houses I'd witnesses on the course of the walk. It was after 5pm by the time I reached the town and many of the shops were closed or closing, while several restaurants hadn't yet opened their doors for the evening. I considered eating out, but decided that a dinner for one wasn't the most appeal finale to the day and to make my way home.
As far as walks go, this may not be one of the finest on offer but it certainly satisfied my desire to get into the countryside and enjoy being by the water of the canal too. Given that it was a random walk, knowing nothing of the area, I don't think it turned out half bad. Well, that's likely to be my exercise for the weekend done. Now to get some work done!
I was rather slow off the mark it must be said. Aside from rising rather later than would be ideal for a day out, much parping about followed before a decision was made as to where to actually go to. It's all part of the randomness of the venture of course, but it's not aided through not having the foggiest as to where would make a decent walk in South East England. Surrey is the easiest county to reach, but the Rough Guide to Britain indicates there's little of interest on offer in the county and a browse of the area with Google Earth indicates a sprawling mass of suburbia. Properous green suburbia perhaps, but not generally the most exciting or appealing of landscapes to spend a day.
Having put a few possible ideas into the train timetable and being put off, I decided to look at the possibility a canal walk. The canals within London are easy enough to reach but it's seemed like an eternity since I last got out of the capital and the countryside beckoned. Turning again to Google Earth I began to trace the route of the one canal I knew well, the Grand Union, out of London. After a good deal of meandering through uninspiring urban and suburban areas the canal finally emerges into open country in Buckinghamshire, and the first handy train link combined with interesting landscape turned out to be Denham. Zooming out revealed that a few miles further along the canal stood the somewhat larger town of Rickmansworth, crucially also with an overland train service back to central London. Better still, both are served by Chiltern Trains, a line and operator I'd not been on before, so a few new sights thrown into the equation with that too.
The scene was set then for a day out, or to be more honest an afternoon out by the time I was to reach where I was going. As it was, Denham turned out to be a delightfully picturesque village with a nearby visitors centre where I was furnished with a map of the route I was taking. On telling the lady helping me of my destination she sounded quite suprised. Now as the crow flies Google Earth put Denham station to Rickmansworth station at around 4 miles. Even with the slight southward detour to the visitors centre it wasn't excessive, yet the look of worry on the lady's face concerned me. "How far is it?" I asked, concerned that Google Earth might have led my astray and given wildly inaccurate distances. "Oh, 4 or 5 miles I would have thought." At a country park visitors centre I would have expected a little more appreciation of the joys of a fine country walk, however I thanked her for her time and set off.
The Grand Union canal is located a short distance from the visitors centre and from then on it was easy going along the tow-path. A few days of generally dry weather had as anticipated limited any muddy spots. Google Earth indicated areas of water either side of the canal at various points. As it turned out these weren't often visible, yet the scenery wasn't bad at all, and the style of the houses in the area proved particularly appealing. There also appears to be a considerable population of boat-dwellers along the canal, many of the barges showing signs of life with the family's bicycles and a heap of firewood found by the boat.
Although there were few opportunities for taking any photographs of note, the railway bridge near Denham appealed, and although there's only an hourly train in each direction, my luck was in! Literally just as I took the camera of its bag and was angling up a shot the sound of an approaching train could be heard. A moments pause and the scene was complete as the train made its was across the bridge. I couldn't have asked for better, besides perhaps a little more sun on the scene!
Rickmansworth proved to be an attractive town, with the old fashioned style of houses I'd witnesses on the course of the walk. It was after 5pm by the time I reached the town and many of the shops were closed or closing, while several restaurants hadn't yet opened their doors for the evening. I considered eating out, but decided that a dinner for one wasn't the most appeal finale to the day and to make my way home.
As far as walks go, this may not be one of the finest on offer but it certainly satisfied my desire to get into the countryside and enjoy being by the water of the canal too. Given that it was a random walk, knowing nothing of the area, I don't think it turned out half bad. Well, that's likely to be my exercise for the weekend done. Now to get some work done!
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