Clapton Pond Blog

Why Pink Floyd?

One of the many pleasing things about Palm 2 is that its in-store music isn't ambient. It isn't sonic wallpaper, chosen for its tranquilising effect on Clapton's consumers they walk the aisles in search of chocolate fingers or tzatziki dip. I've had intense encounters with Aretha Franklin while shopping there, and sociological stimulation inspired by static-free exposure to Classic FM. The other day, though, I had my first disagreement with the aural element of the Palm 2 experience. It is, perhaps, a further tribute to the establishment's appeal that even this had transformed into a source of happiness by the time I left the premises.

Olympic View

Hackney Council is among the small throng of public bodies pinning great hopes on the long term futures of the Olympic Park press and broadcast centres. The two buildings presently stand emptily adjacent awaiting their finishing touches before swarms of sports journalists colonise them for a few weeks next summer before disappearing as rapidly as they arrived once the orgy of athleticism has been and gone.Then what? Like the rest of the park, the press and broadcast centres will become the responsibility of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), whose job it is to re-fill them with bustling, cutting-edge media-type businesses and entrepreneurs.

A Hallowe'en Encounter

I never cease to be surprised by the secret lives of people who live round here. By day the children attend their primary schools in a decent, orderly manner, remembering their homework and accumulating smiley face certifictes, while the grown-ups attend to the routine business of being responsible members of the community. By night, whatever their age, these same citizens wander the streets brandishing severed heads and importuning on door steps, seeking free confectionery. All part of the variegated character of the neighbourhood, I suppose.