Cannibalism is in vogue. We aren’t pretty. So we’ve been told repeatedly. We don’t get access to any surgery or care. We aren’t clean. So we’ve sussed out from the crinkling of your (perfectly sculpted) noses as you pass us by as far away as it’s possible to get in… Read More »“When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich” 063/100
I decided to take a walk along Green Lanes yesterday after a visit to see the excellent “Chinese and British” exhibition at the British Library; I’d been writing about this area as a background for some of the scenes & characters for the recent pieces here and hadn’t been back… Read More »The printers’ devil 062/100
Some ideas for the future have been prompted by Val’s re-finding of some paintings she’d made in winter 2013 when holed up with a damaged toe after surgery.
Massacred*, not in the sense of body parts strewn everywhere, skulls split open, gaping rents in peoples’ torsos as blood & viscera flowed into kitchen runaways but more in the sense of a certain — sad to see but inevitable outcome, once that is we’d decided (as we had on… Read More »Innocents, soon to be slaughtered m̶a̶s̶s̶a̶c̶r̶e̶d̶ at Tony’s A̶l̶i̶c̶e̶’̶s̶ restaurant 060/100
It me… I saw this pieces’ title phrase recently, being used to describe someones’ complete lack of skills in some particular area of human endeavour. It prompted some thoughts for future words for this blog.
Our BA flight landed on time (no Brit v. German efficiency ‘jokes’ needed from you English, please, we’ve — bored, jaw-cracking yawn inducing — heard them all before, believe me!) at LHR at exactly 10pm and — despite your Brexit changes — with just hand-luggage we were through immigration and… Read More »Tobias and Lisa start their London tour 058/100
I decided to write the next piece on the “Joe disappearance” from Lisa’ viewpoint. And I thought in that case that an apposite image to accompany it was The Clash. Of course. —————————- The early morning call from London was a shock. Well, no, not at first; we knew a… Read More »Lisa listens to someone from London Calling her. 057/100
![The album's front cover features a photograph of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass (now on display at the Museum of London,[40] formerly Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)[41] against the stage at the Palladium in New York City on 20 September 1979.[42][43][44] Simonon explained in a 2011 interview with Fender that he smashed the bass out of frustration when he learned that the bouncers at the concert would not allow the audience members to stand up out of their seats; "I wasn't taking it out on the bass guitar, cos there ain't anything wrong with it.", Simonon said.[45] Pennie Smith, who photographed the band for the album, originally did not want the photograph to be used. She thought that it was too out of focus, but Strummer and graphic designer Ray Lowry thought it would make a good album cover.[43][46] In 2002, Smith's photograph was named the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q magazine, commenting that "it captures the ultimate rock'n'roll moment – total loss of control".[47]](https://ml3cojtrwz8e.i.optimole.com/w:930/h:620/q:eco/f:best/https://thepsychogastronomy.cafe/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/The-Clash-London-Calling-with-Simenon-smashing-his-Fender-Ass-on-the-floor.jpeg)
There’s a plastic skeleton that’s been attached — I have no idea why — to one of the trees in the woods close to Grafham Water. It (or its replacement, it’s hard to tell the difference to be honest between various plastic skeletons) has been there for a year or… Read More »Henry had re-appeared 056/100
Dropping my ‘phone into my apron pocket — and immediately of course hearing it ping with a message which I made a mental note to look at shortly — I walked out of the “staff room”, heading towards the kitchen to check in with Tony as promised, but before I… Read More »Checking in with Tony; liaising with Lisa 055/100
A link to Berlin having been established and a useful communication channel opened ‘twixt the two cities; it’s now up to the North London crew to work out what is the significance of the old laundry receipt. Stevie handed my ‘phone back to me “I’ve got to get some… Read More »Berlin gives up its ghosts or who lives in the Geisterbahnhof? 054/100
The second part of the disappearance of Joe; after the first short yesterday, I thought about what or who might have waylaid him and importantly, why him in particular. And then heard a R4 piece on a WWII US solider/lawyer (Ben Ferencz) who was one of the chief prosecutors of… Read More »Joe; caught by a modern-day Einsatzgruppen? 053/100
Only today I came across this old blue laundry ticket attached neatly — by a small safety pin — to the inside of a shirt of mine. “No big deal there”, I hear you say. Fair point, well made. Except, except… The ticket is still reasonably legible and is dated… Read More »The Mystery of The Laundry Ticket 052/100
I was looking back at earlier posts and picked up on piece 040/100 — for no reason in particular that I can pin down at the moment — and although on re-reading (especially after a few days has elapsed), I’m not unhappy with the original idea or the way the… Read More »A re-working of The Scream or 41, re-imagined? 051/100
I cheated here: I have some work that I need to do this afternoon (after the day job work) so, I posted this very short sentence just so I could get to the halfway point of this 100 day exercise. I promise to do better with the next 50…. I… Read More »On Ghosts 050/100
I’m going to draw some word portraits of a few killers; their names based on people I’ve known or are in the public eye. None of them (as far as I know) are actually like this. But then, I would say that, wouldn’t i? Axe murderer Peter Pan Bryan Quinn… Read More »A quick portrait of some murderers 049/100
A start on two characters; vaguely drawn, bones only so far, no flesh or musculature to fatten them out. Think of them as a stock then, a basis for further cooking. Or with a little more work on the piece — whilst still not completed — it becomes more of… Read More »A quick 20 questions 048/100
I remember the day I heard from the ‘phone call that my twin sister had finally died of cancer. We’d had an argument the previous week about what I was doing carrying on behind everyone’s backs with my husband’s brother. She thought I should just stick things out but I… Read More »A death in the family 047/100
We’ve been thinking a lot about the reasons we’re setting off on The Glorious Adventure, in what, after all, may turn out to be a quest both quixotic and deadly. We are, after all now, The New Revolutionary Group. More on that later…
This next stage in The Spice King piece is looking at the planning and the reasons behind the plan to go and find The Spice God located apparently in a temple built on a pier in Deal. The area talked about is loosely based around Seasalter and then points east,… Read More »Off to find King Spice? 045/100
There’s a film called “King Rat”. I first saw it many years back when I was but a small, small kid in (no doubt) one of those Sunday afternoon TV film sessions, that we all have memories of. Good or bad memories? Your call. Mine’s pretty much all good. Hot… Read More »King Spice; part two of a few… 044/100
I saw this picture somewhere in the past few weeks and that prompted me to re-start this piece. You’ll have heard the old saying “in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” and I found a similar (yet much earlier one, dating back to the to the… Read More »The spice man is king 043/100
I’ve seen some great groups playing at Herne Hill’s Half Moon pub: inc. Dr. Feelgood and Costello along with John Martyn, Roy Harper (I think!) and Otway and Wild Willy Barrett, even before their first single came out, pretty sure about that detail, as well. I think. The 70s/80s London… Read More »Adrian the chef, barred from my own fucking local 042/100
I remembered some of the story line premises that came from the old Planet Of The Apes film at some point over the past few weeks and this title phrase — by Val — prompted me to then wonder what would happen if all the animals, not just the monkeys… Read More »We still weren’t sure which of the animals had carved the statue overnight 041/100
This is a hat-tip to author Jack Womack’s book with that same title; more details available here. Recommended. —- Derek woke her, with his screaming. Again. That’s the third time this week, isn’t it? “For fuck’s sake” Aggie wasn’t at all happy. She’d been dragged rudely awake again, out of… Read More »Derek’s despair. Or “a random act of senseless violence.” 040/100
This blog, this site is designed as much as anything as a repository of stray thoughts, of ideas, of characters, of interesting scenes, of questions and some times answers, even just a phrase or a word or two to act as a note — my memory being notoriously useless —… Read More »I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth… 039/100
This wonderful, rich, detailed, full of symbols and ideas, OLD picture was slung my way by Val, earlier today. I’ve been looking at it, on and off, all day since then. It’s a pure visual delight with so much that bears repeated eye-balling in an attempt to untangle both content… Read More »Let me tell you an old story… 038/100
![A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms is a painting by the Netherlandish artist Pieter Aertsen (1508–1575).[3] It was completed in 1551.[4] A large painting, it depicts a peasant market scene, with an abundance of meats[5] and other foods. In the background, it shows a scene from the biblical theme of the flight into Egypt,[6] where the Virgin Mary is seen stopped on the road, giving alms to the poor.[3] Thus, although the painting seems to be at first sight an ordinary still life concentrating on foodstuffs, it is rich with symbolism; it in fact hides a symbolic religious meaning, and embodies a visual metaphor encouraging spiritual life. Aertsen made a name for himself during the 1550s painting scenes from everyday life in a naturalistic manner.](https://ml3cojtrwz8e.i.optimole.com/w:890/h:620/q:eco/f:best/https://thepsychogastronomy.cafe/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-Meat-Stall-with-the-Holy-Family-Giving-Alms-Pieter-Aertsen-1551-scaled.jpg)
The sound of glass smashing, coming from the office next to his, actually startled him. Far more than he’d expected it would. Made him flinch at the noise. The plan had been that this would look like a ‘burglary gone wrong’ and his workaholic boss, assumed to be working late… Read More »Startled 037/100
My old hands, age-worn, scarred, carefully placing anchovies into a small wooden barrel, ringed with a metal retaining band at the top and filled up completely with coarse sea-salt. The sea preserves its contents.
I liked that watercolour. Somehow, having looked at it for the past 5 minutes or so, I felt the person who’d taken the time to get their brushes and paints out, to wet the paints from their water bottle, mix them, add them and then went on get that detailed,… Read More »I found your notebook Jo, did you want it back (pt.2)? 035/100
Down the side of the bus seat next to me, right by the window, I saw the paper edges of this old journal showing, just slightly proud of the seat; I don’t know how long it’d been lodged there but I guess if you looked quickly, you’d probably miss seeing… Read More »I found your notebook Jo, did you want it back (pt.1)? 034/100
