Kingston Green Fair

[dryfter]

Of the fair:
I headed down to the Kingston Green Fair on this bank holiday Monday. The weather forecasts looked a bit iffy, but it turned out to be fine. The ride down was pleasant and sunny, without much traffic, and a good chance to let the Hornet stretch its legs.
At Kingston the sky was blue all day, with little puffy white clouds. Warm, but not too hot, and without even a hint of rain all day long. The sun sparkled off the surface of the river, by the various longboats moored up against the edge of the park. Some had ad-hoc soundsystems strapped to their tops, and had attracted small gaggles of people to dance on the bank or the sides of the boats.

I met up with Charlie & Dan, and some friends of theirs', Steve and Imogen.
The fair itself was a typical example of the genre.. Several big-top arenas with bands around the place, some with a collection of people sunning themselves on the grass around, lots of really nice vegetarian food, plenty of tie-dye and hemp clothing, recycled and retro clothing, rings, necklaces and crystals, alternative healing, insect circus, an old merry-go-round, and so on..

As the afternoon made its way into early evening, we wandered off to a pub for a drink in their beer garden.. We were becoming peckish; Steve & Imogen went home, and the rest of us attempted to find an open restaurant. Third time lucky, we hit upon a bustling Italian joint, with good food, and the most energetic waiter, ever. Good fun, good food, and then it was time to ride home.

Of contemplation:
On the way home I contemplated how some aspects of my life in London still do not cease to provide wonder. Things like riding over Tower Bridge in the middle of the night, when it's lit up but deserted; riding along past the Battersea Powerstation, then along the south bank past the Eye, Westminster and other icons of England's former glory lined up along the close horizon; or speeding through strange parts of south-west London, seeing vast crowds of black youths spilling out from the courtyards of their towering council estates, almost blocking the roads, celebrating something that I do not know, and will never be part of.

So much happens in this city every night, and the silent stones have seen it a hundred thousand times..

Comments

[redcountess]

Have you read Peter Ackroyd's London? There is a tv series based on it, that I watched a bit of tonight, and I think you'd enjoy it.

[wintrmute.livejournal.com]

No? What sort of take on London's history does he present?

[redcountess]

It focuses on the juxtaposition that London has of old and new, with eyewitness accounts by the likes of Pepys and Virginia Woolf. UKTV describes the series as "psychogeography", and there was one bit of last night's episode where Ackroyd described how London seems to change organically like it has a life of its own that made me recall Ankh Morpork from Discworld, which *was* based on London :-) It made me really want to read the book and get well enough that I could go exploring around the city.

[lusercop.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok, I probably didn't see you because I didn't get there until 4pm, and was wondering around a bit. If you saw anyone juggling, you might have found me. ;-) We were up near the tennis courts for a while (on the other side of them from the healing fields), but I was wondering around a bit.