Boat riding in Dulwich

Summer time can be a bit of a challenge when you have have kids and need to keep them entertained and away from Minecraft for five minutes! Not wanting to travel to far from my doorstep or spend too much money, I like to see what activities we can do that are close to home.

Dulwich park is one of my favourites, we often go there for a kick-about and the kids find it amusing to use the exercise equipment but we rarely go on the boats, so as it was a nice day we thought we would join the ducks in the water.

I was a bit worried about using the boats so close to the ducks in the lake and thought I may cause a WTA (think road traffic accident but in the water) but they did not seem bothered and it was nice to see them close up.

Considering it is such a tranquil setting, peddling those boats around was far from relaxing and my legs were aching afterwards! It obviously didn't effect the kids as they got straight on the bike to learn some new skills straight after.

So that was day one of the summer holidays sorted, now I just have to keep them busy for another 43 days!

Black and White documentary

In December I was given an assignment at college to take 10-12 documentary reportage photos looking at Housing, Homelessness and Poverty, and to write a report on them. I found this to probably be one of the hardest projects I have had to do so far.

In the UK there is no law against taking photos of anybody in a public place but it is questionable as to whether it is ethical to do so. I personally wouldn't want somebody shoving a camera in my face while I am just minding my own business outside and I would equally find it unpleasant for somebody to use a zoom lens and take my photo without my knowledge. Obviously in crowded places or the background of somebody else's shot it is likely to happen occasionally that you could feature, but not if you are the focus of the picture.

I currently have family members with housing needs that are receiving support from the charity Shelter so I approached the charity to ask if I could document how they support vulnerable people over the Christmas period. Unfortunately they were unable to allow me in with my camera for privacy purposes which I completely understand so I had to explore other avenues.

While exploring London for different ideas I came across a charity that provide vegetarian meals to homeless and vulnerable people. They were based on a back road in the heart of Camden but travel to different areas that they feel people need support.

I was surprised at just how many people needed to use this service and talked to a few of them to ask if they would mind me taking their photo, they were fine with it and happy to talk to me but there was one guy that started shouting, saying that I was out of order. I felt really guilty but at the same time this is reality, if people don't highlight the fact that there are local people having to stand on a corner and eat a free meal then how can others help or change what is happening.

I am sorry to show such a depressing reality but a couple of these photos had an impact on me, particularly the one that shows passers by not even glancing up from their phones or conversations because they are so desensitised to what is happening in their surroundings or the guy that is eating alone and standing, facing the wall as there was no other options available to him.

To see my full photo story click on my portfolio link and I will be happy to get any feedback on your thoughts.

This post is linked to the black and white photography project over at Podcast 

Black and White London

I took a drive over to North London over the weekend and thought I would take a few photos of the scenery during the Journey (I wasn't actually in the driving seat at the time)

I do like a black and white landscape shot...

I wasn't expecting the pictures to turn out too good considering I was in the car and actually moving while I was taking them but I think they turned out quite nice!

This post is linked up to The Black and White Photography Project over at Podcast

Shelter Exhibition

Last week my photography class took a trip to the Science Museum to see the Nick Hedges documentary photography exhibition - Make life worth living.
The exhibition was commissioned by Shelter the homeless charity. Photos were taken at some of the poorest areas across the UK including Glasgow, London and Birmingham in the late 1960's and early 1970's

The exhibition itself is set in the Virgin media studio in the Science museum, it seems like a small collection as the size in comparison to the museum itself is tiny but there are actually a hundred photos all together.

The photographs were taken to highlight the poverty, homelessness and poor housing conditions throughout Britain during that era and some are shockingly chilling. While some of the images are hard-hitting there are also some that show happiness and one in particular of a group of children playing outside a run down block of flats just reminded me of my own childhood.

Some of the images also have a story with them while others leave you to work out the story for yourself.

I found the exhibition very touching and wondered how much has actually changed in the last 50 years. My next photography assignment is documentary photography focused on poverty and homelessness so this exhibition has given me a lot to think about.

Shelter are still helping people in housing crisis today and hopefully the exhibition will highlight the struggles that people are having to face everyday.
If you would like to visit the Nick Hedges exhibition it will be on until 18th January 2015 and is open everyday. Entry to the museum and the exhibition is free.

Bubbleology

A few weeks ago my teen asked me to take her to Bubbleology, my reply...'What the hell is Bubbleology?'

After looking it up on the Internet I learnt that Bubbleology is a type of coffee shop that sells bubble tea rather than coffee. This is a type of tea that was first introduced in Taiwan it the 1980's and given it's name because of the bubbles that form on the top after it has been shaken.

The actual shop looks a bit futuristic and sciency with bubble machines and equations written on the walls. There are a number of Bubbleology cafes across London, we visited the Soho one which is quite quaint but still full of customers.

So what is bubble tea you ask? Well it's a type of fruit or milk tea that comes in a variety of flavours and is served hot or cold. The milk flavours include Jasmine, Almond and coconut, which is the one I chose. The fruit teas include ginger, mango and lychee and there are also specials such as strawberries and cream and my daughters choice, banoffee pie!

The drink is served with an extra wide straw so that the round tapioca balls can be enjoyed with the drink. These tapioca balls are also known as pearls or boba and the black variety used in the bubble tea contain sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar. I expected these balls to be soft and kind of pop in the mouth but was surprised at how tough and chewy they were, they reminded me of jelly sweets but without the sweet flavour, actually they didn't really taste of anything and it was quite a strange sensation to have them keep popping up out of the straw when I was enjoying my drink.

We each had a cold drink and they were both tasty and refreshing however we were not really a fan of the pearls and after finishing the tea we just threw away the balls that were left in the bottom of the cup. I would definitely recommend trying bubble tea for the experience and obviously it's liked by many so it could be to your taste but personally it wasn't really my cup of tea!

Feast

Today I took a stroll up the road to have a look at what delicious goodies were on offer at West Norwood Feast.

Feast is a community market that takes place on the first Sunday of every month between the months of April and December. I have passed through some of the stalls on the high street before but have never actually had a good look around or purchased anything, which is quite surprising considering it has been running for a few years now! As well as all the food stalls there is also handmade art and craft, fresh produce and plants, activities for kids and much more..

Today we visited the food fair and even though we went quite late it was still buzzing with people, the grassy area inside the church yard was full with families eating and enjoying the sunshine while up on the church entrance there was music and a bit of dancing going on!

I didn't get many photos as it was so full of people but here are a few of the tasty treats on offer...

The kids enjoyed chocolate croissants and brownies but we didn't want to buy too much food as we had a roast dinner to come home to.

I did not realise they had a retro village with vintage goods which I would have loved to have a browse around so I am just going to have to go back again next month and have another look!

The next Feast will be taking place on the 6th July so if you are in or around the area it is definitely worth popping by and seeing what's on offer.

London Transport Museum

I have had the pleasure of visiting The London Transport Museum twice in the last month but I have to say I didn't actually get to see much!

As I went with the school on both occasions as part of the Year four topic of trains, we were limited with time and spent half of it in the classroom learning about engineering. I say it was in the classroom learning which actually makes it sound boring but it was really interactive and I love the fact that working in a school means that I also learn great facts at the same time as the children.

Did you know the first 3 underground stations were Paddington, Farringdon, and Kings cross? And to build them they actually dug up along all the main roads between each station to put the tunnels in (none of these massive boring machines they use nowadays) over 150 years ago.

The museum is situated on the corner of Covent garden but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to nosey around the market as I had 60 kids in tow! There is a charge for adults to enter but I think kids go free. To find out about prices etc visit Their website

On arrival the children were all given a stamp card with numbers printed down the side. Plotted around the museum are numbered posts where you can stick your stamp card in and get a stamp. I think this is great for kids as they can stamp as they explore but when taking a large group as we did they were so worried about getting all the stamps before the rest of their class that they weren't paying any attention to the fabulous things around them!

I didn't have my camera with me so excuse the bad quality of the pictures, I took these photos on my tab...

 

The museum is arranged over 3 floors, although the top two are much smaller, it is relatively small compared to a lot of other museums around London. I have visited quite a few with the school and with my own children and I must say this is one of the best for the amount of involvement the children can have. 

There are a lot of interactive games, touch screens, listening devices and as well as looking at all the past and present vehicles you can actually climb upon a few and even pretend to be the bus driver!

We had a lunch room that had a small cafe that was closed, I think this may be because it was term time and may be open to the public in the holidays. 

If you are looking for somewhere to go with the kids in the holiday then I would recommend The transport museum for a great day out.

A Wicked night

A couple of years ago my brother told my two girls he was going to take them to the theatre, well you know kids, they don't forget a thing and they make sure they remind him everytime they see him that he hasn't taken them yet!

So 2 weeks ago, out of the blue I get a message from him to say I better be free on the 14th because he has booked tickets for us to see Wicked - Ooh, I do love an unexpected gift!

We had great seats in the stalls, right in the middle opposite the stage which would have been amazing had some tall lady not come and sat in the seat right opposite me, blocking my view of the stage for the whole performance!

Well I'm not one to let things bother me, I just had to keep manouvering my head to see the actors doing their thing and hope that I wasn't in turn blocking the view of the person behind me - They really need to sort out the seating in theatres!!

I didn't know what to expect from the show I just knew it was about a witch and had something to do with The Wizard of Oz. I wasn't far off, it was about a girl who was born green who turns into a witch and... Well I don't want to spoil it for you in case you would like to see it yourself!

There were a few funny bits and the singing was amazing, like being at the X factor finals live, only better! A great show for all the family so I would recommend, only ask if you can have a seat behind a short person when booking your tickets!

This is my view of the stage before the tall lady came and ruined it for me!
I would have loved to take some photos of the actual show but sadly you are not allowed and I wasnt brave enough to risk it.