Heron Day

As it was a lovely day, and I waas free, I decided today to go (here's a surprise) to the zoo. On my way to the station (railway, those in the US) I walked by the river and spotted the local heron looking for its next meal.


At the zoo, the new children's zoo is now open, and a pair of adorable red pandas is on a very open-looking display. I'm sure they could escape if they wanted.

The meerkats have a baby - but only one, which I don't think is usual. It was trying so hard to do everything the adults did.

This seemed ot be the non-parent of the three adults, and it was watching out for the rest of the family, and giving baby a good role model.

It was time to go, and the otters were, as usual, looking for their last feed of the day, crying like pathetic little kittens. They fell upon their defrosted white mice with relish.

So did one of the Regents Park herons, which was lying in wait for the food to arrive.

And so the day ended as it had begun, with one of the country's largest birds doing what comes naturally.

Saved!

This school is just around the corner from my house. Our wonderful mayor "Sir" Steve Bullock (knighted for sucking up and doing central government's will) was determined to demolish this Edwardian primary school (for children aged 5-11) and build a glossy (glassy?) new all ages school. With only a one-form intake (about 30 kids) it would not have been big enough to serve even the existing population of the area. Meanwhile, the Council is planning to build even more housing close by, making the school even less adequate for local needs.

The children already attending the school are being bussed out in rush hour traffic to an empty school a couple of miles away in a convoy of gas-guzzling coaches. The wishes of the parents have been totally ignored.

Many Victorian and Edwardian school buildings have been demolished as unfit for purpose. The stock is diminishing rapidly. They are replaced by wonderful modern glass-and-steel monstrosities which are boiling and blinding on sunny days. A school recently rebuilt nearby has a vast atrium with acres of carpet. When only open a week, it had acquired some nesting pigeons who were decorating the carpet nicely. Another was designed without educational needs in mind - the company paying for the build said they could not put things on the walls. IN A SCHOOL! What do these people think schools are for?

The parents at Lewisham Bridge School played the game even more cleverly than the Council and the mayor. They put their case to English Heritage, and on April 8th the building was given Grade II listing. This means that it cannot be demolished, and even work on the inside is subject to strict planning controls.

Of course, the arrogant mayor is going to try and appeal the listing - some chance! Still the children are being bussed out, though, and the parents are camping out on a low roof adjacent to the road, with banners demanding their children be returned to the school.

I wish them luck. I wish the mayor everything he deserves on his £70,000 a year - I include nothing good in that.

Proud Flesh

There's a gap in this album, and there's no 87. It also ends before 301. What's more, the pictures in the selection are not up to much. You know what that means.

Nackter Tango is arriviert...

...aber ich habe es noch nicht zusehen.

Slither

There are fewer than 301 in this album, so I just chose a picture from towards the end instead.






















I think I can do a bit better by adding these to the selection:

ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The illness that has devastated Stephen Hawking. Lou Gehrig's Disease. It's a form of motor-neurone disease, and often has a prognosis of survival for only 3-5 years after its inception. Those with some forms of the illness may make it for 10 years or more.

Today I was asked by my teaching agency to go to the hospital school of a big London hospital to find out about a boy of 15 who has had the disease since he was 8, with a view to teaching him for one day a week. He can only communicate by blinking. He's obviously a lot further along than the fictional Erica in Faith.



Was Vincent ever more handsome than he is in those pictures?

Scared Crazy

One picture almost too dark to see, another that may or may not be HIS hand holding a phone - in an episode where there are so many great hand shots. Of course, I can't leave it at that.






















Oops, got a bit carried away: