The Deptford Mounties

Returning from work via Deptford station last Wednesday evening I was startled by the unexpected sound of hooves on tarmac. Took a glance behind me and sure enough there were two mounted police slowly proceeding down the High Street... eventually taking up position outside the Deptford Arms, on Reginald Road. Seemed a bit odd really and I don't recall any mounted police in the area before. Granted it was the night of the Champions League final but surely the two events weren't connected - I'm pretty sure there aren't that many Man U, and even fewer Barca fans, in SE8! Or perhaps they were just following up that notorious Daily Mail slight on Deptford...

Spanish Practices...

I'll soon be making my first visit to Barcelona (in fact to Spain). Over the past few weeks my life has taken on a Catalonian favour as I seek and source appropriate items and experiences in advance of my break. For anyone planning a similar trip here are a few recommendations:

1. Food - for any SE8 resident seeking Spanish cuisine the Dos Tias tapas bar is the obvious choice. Just past Deptford Bridge it deserves to be much better known. Apart from the usual tapas dishes they also offer sandwiches and paninis, and a fantastic Mediterranean breakfast (note weekday opening hours have recently changed to 11-3 however).

2. Clothes - Deptford market is always good for bargains of course, and as this report states it seems to be thriving at the moment. As for footwear Catalonia is famous for its espadrilles - I've sourced a suitable pair from my friends across the river at Only Espadrilles.

3. Guide/phrasebooks - surprisingly Wavelengths library didn't have anything on Barcelona when I visited. I've just tried to access the OPAC to see what Lewisham library holds, unfortunately it seems to be down at the moment. Fortunately there are online alternatives, my own preference (for clarity and conciseness) is for a DK Eyewitness guides. I also bought a set of Pigeon Spanish cards off Amazon and found a useful PDF of Catalan phrases on the Barcelona Tourism site.

4. Travel and sightseeing - the Barcelona Card seems a good buy - free travel on public transport (including the airport train) and free or reduced entry to dozens of attractions. I bought it online to save 10% (it can be collected at the airport on arrival). The unofficial Barcelona Tourist Guide provides some very useful hints and tips on getting around, tours and hotels.

UPDATE 29 May: Well I survived, in fact I had a brilliant time and it's high on my list of recommended cities. I'll certainly make a return trip someday! What stood out for me was its great variety of attractions for visitors - even more so than London, perhaps, as I for one have yet to find a decent beach here! I'm about to go off travelling again, but this time a little nearer to home - Cornwall.

Watch out - there's a fox about!

Walking down the still busy High Street just now and a somewhat mangy fox races across the road and into the Deptford Project compound... I'm sure we're all used to urban wildlife but this seemed rather out of the ordinary, especially for early on a Thursday evening. Not sure who was more startled, the fox, or the people. Any more sightings?

Deptford Station Latest

Good news in the February issue of Lewisham Life (in recent months a copy has been finding its way on to my doormat); the much delayed construction of our new station building is expected to start by Easter with opening by mid-2010! Keeping all my fingers and toes crossed, and I suggest you do the same...

The Giffin Square revamp should also start shortly, with an eyecatching (according to the Life) new building called the Deptford Lounge as its centrepiece. All these plans should be on show at the Access Point building in the Square this weekend (thanks to Deptford Dame for highlighting this exhibition, pity it wasn't mentioned in the Life).

From the Archives: A Presidential Encounter

Watching President Obama's inauguration today brought to mind a fleeting encounter I had with his predecessor in September 2003, at the unlikely location of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in New York City. Waiting for the next crossing in a crowd of hundreds of returning commuters, murmurings that the President was approaching grew. We surged over to the land side in anticipation and sure enough his motorcade swept past, "Dubya" having just addressed the General Assembly of the UN. The spectacle was more of a fast getaway than orderly procession, it was impossible to distinguish the man himself. And so we turned back and boarded the ferry as if nothing had happened; I guess New Yorkers are pretty used to these sights.

Obama is due in London in April, I daresay this visit will generate a little more excitement.

Perilous Platforms!

Station platforms can be dangerous places. Before the surfaces at Whitehead station were raised people could, and did, fall between train and platform. Just for a change last September it was the turn of the platform to fall (apparently caused by work to relay piping). Fortunately no one was injured and the platform was quickly rebuilt over 10 days, with a full service restored on 6 October.

The Larne-bound platform at Whitehead station the day after the collapse:

And after the debris was cleared away:

Contrast this with the ordered but very lengthy (around 6 months) rebuilding of the platforms at Deptford Bridge DLR station to allow 3-car trains to run. This photo taken last Sunday shows the finished result - still closed off to passengers but bizarrely displaying an information board which includes out of date Christmas and New Year service information...

Nowadays of course many metro systems use platform edge doors, the Jubilee Line being one example. Even these do not provide absolute safety as this incident in Shanghai demonstrated.

St Paul's Strings

A heads up for this concert at St Paul's on Friday evening. The programme includes Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams and one of my favourite pieces. Its etheral melodies transcend the centuries; as one Fuller Maitland summed up the work of V-W, "one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new." In recent years it seems to have experienced a resurgence in popularity, judging by its rise up the Classic FM Hall of Fame and its use or derivation (a fantasia on a fantasia?) in several films.

Update: A fantastic concert performed to packed pews. We were even treated to a extra piece - a spirited rendition of Happy Birthday for leader James Widden.