Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Walk

We descend onto the path.. a GIVE WAY sign painted in huge white letters on the ground.. the cyclists career past and don’t look much like giving way – or is that directed at us?

Under the bridge.. a bricked-up doorway covered in graffiti, well... tags. Then we see into a window.. is it a gallery? There’s some sort of sculpture... a quick bunk up and I peer into what looks like someone’s bedroom – one of those run-down but probably hugely expensive warehouse flats...shabby, studenty and probably damp. Opposite are the really expensive new developments – ‘islington canalside apartments’ ....

Autumn leaves floating on the smelly, dirty, toxic water – you wouldn’t wanna fall in!

Banksy-esque art work on the rusty bridge.

Stop start stop start snap snap

A bin for dog shit – seems like people round here have actually used it – oh no there was that stuff we just managed to avoid earlier on...

A lost cat poster – “much loved, wearing a gold collar” and a photocopied picture but no description...

The canal boats – some odd-shaped ones I’ve never seen before.. wouldn’t fancy living on one though.. too narrow and damp (again).

A lone fisherman with a can of Holsten...

SLOW.. in big white letters on the ground... as the cyclists whizz past and we have to be careful we don’t fall in.. or trip up on one of those things you moor the boats to – what are they called anyway?

The canal reflected in a frosted window.. snap snap..

More graffiti.. and now the really posh houses whose gardens back onto the canal path. Incongruous hedges, gates and papyrus grasses – bet they have a few break-ins....

A ‘multi-grain’ hula hoops packet lying amongst the red autumn leaves..

The top of a bus just visible on the bridge..

Stop start stop start snap snap snap...

Kids playing in a council estate..

A street lamp reflected in the water..

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12(!) empty cans of Special Brew behind the bench underneath a huge brightly coloured piece of graffiti proclaiming – “HOPE”...

3 coots or are they moorhens diving in the water... a wagtail on a rooftop and 2 geese flying overhead....

A lost scrap of paper on the ground

“London Paddington 10 something

Newport Gwent 12.31

Hereford 13.54”

And finally up to the noisy road again to catch our bus home....

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