Clapton Pond Blog

Poorly Blogger Takes To Bed

I have a throat like sandpaper, a terrifying temperature and a thumping headache. You may not be hearing from me again today. Oh, but I'll be thinking of you...

From The Shaigetz

His most recent:

"I don't think writing a blog can do much more for my cause than this one has. I had joy and some fun and my season in the sun, and with close to half a million hits, an achievement of sorts for the voice of the lone Chassid. I have managed to avoid being lynched and that is a victory of thoughts too. I have come to the stage where what I have already written more or less covers what I have to say and challenging myself to find a new angle is not satisfying. I could put the points of what could have been the next four blogs in four paragraphs. It makes a far less enjoyable read but what difference does that make?"

Now read on.

Mossbourne Pupils On London Bridge

Last Friday en route to City Hall I found I was sharing a no. 48 with a group of Mossbourne boys. You see them here having just piled out on the north side of London Bridge. Very well-behaved they were, too. I wonder where they went next.

Hackney Empire Online

I've just booked some tickets. Don't know how long the new website has been up, but it was the first time I'd seen it. Very handsome.

Poop Scoop Promotion

This latest example of my famously inadequate photography shows - if you click on it and squint - a Safer Neighbourhoods Environmental Enforcement and Pollution Control exercise taking place yesterday on the Downs. This may sound terrifying, but at the heart of it was a poop scoop promotion. The park ranger is clutching a Fido Facts Pack - a bunch of information for dog-owning park users produced by the Council's Neighbourhoods and Regeneration directorate. Each contained a leaflet from the Dogs Trust called Being A Good Dog Owner, a pamphlet from Encams called Dog Fouling and The Law and a green, 100% biodegradable plastic bag for scooping your dog's poop into. Now, I'm not a dog owner so it could be argued that my accepting a Fido Fact Pack from the park ranger represents a waste of tax-payers' money. On the other hand, I've communicated information about its contents to a potential worldwide audience of millions. My conscience is clear. What a relief.

A Flathunter's Tale

From The Times:

"Things were looking promising: it was within my original budget (very, very rare), it was in Victoria Park in Hackney, which is one of my top locations (huge leafy park, nice cafés and rows of big Victorian houses), and there would be no agents' fees. As I practically skipped to the viewing, along a gorgeous street of large terraced houses, I realised that the house number I was looking for was above a shop. I remained optimistic because the shop was disused and looked a bit Eighties, the antithesis of the uniform new-builds that I hate. There was no doorbell so I telephoned the landlord. He answered the door and, although friendly, reeked of stale booze and needed a shave. I was a tiny bit frightened."

And he had eleven cats. Now read on.

Mayor Johnson & Hackney

And so despite our borough's impressive support for Ken Livingstone, Mayor Boris Johnson is a reality. What might it mean for Hackney? Inside Housing reports:

"Jamie Carswell, the Labour deputy mayor of Hackney Council, said he was pleased Mr Johnson had stuck with his predecessor's target of building 50,000 homes a year. Labour-controlled boroughs wanted to work constructively with the new mayor, he added, although Hackney had concerns about some of his policies. Mr Johnson's First Steps policy to help people onto the housing ladder appeared to target families which were 'quite well off', Mr Carswell said."

That's a real worry about Johnson's housing policy, though the various organisations I spoke to during the campaign thought it may have some virtues too. We'll see. Meanwhile, having just returned from City Hall, I can report that our Assembly Member Jennette Arnold has been elected its new chair. Labour, Lib Dem and Green members voted for her. The Tories backed their own candidate. The BNP member abstained. More here.

The Stadium Site From Above

They've cleared the space. Now all they have to do is build it. More here and here.

Jennette Arnold AM On Boris Johnson

From the Waltham Forest Guardian:

"London Assembly victor Jennette Arnold said having Boris Johnson in charge would not make any difference to her work as member for London North East. Mrs Arnold's constituency covers the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington...she said Mr Johnson, who is busy replacing Mr Livingstone's staff with his own, would have to respect her electorates' concerns: 'I've promised that I'll be working for them to ensure that we get policing and community safety and proper resources for our young people, and that they get adequate homes that are affordable.'"

Now read on.

A New Neighbour Makes His Mark

By playing the clarinet in the garden all afternoon. Nice.