Saturday, July 29, 2006

Miracles do happen

Think that a nice riverside Vauxhall bar is a shocker? How about a Salsa bar in Central London on a Friday night? If like me the words 'leaving do' 'salsa bar' 'Covent Garden' and 'Friday night' fills you with horror, imagine my surprise at being beguiled by this tropical treat. Guanabara is like a modern-day, Brazilian take on one of those clubs in 1940s movies where the fella takes his dame to a club (dinner, a band and dancing...). You guessed it, I loved it - miracles do happen!

Friday, July 28, 2006

Cat and Girl

I'm off for a week to read Nietzsche up a mountain. In the meantime, here's what Dorothy has to say about progress and the interweb.

Cat and Girl versus Legitimacy

More digestible nuggets of wisdom from Dorothy (and some nice T-shirts) at Cat and Girl and The New Adventures of Death.












Part of the lovely Creative Commons project.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Social Policy Pie Fight

Folks!

In the digital whirl of The Fossil it's important to have one foot placed on steady ground. A regular pie-throwing session courtesy of JD's blog is just the thing.

Pie Fight

The elusive cure

Hey All
Thanks for the invite! Having also been enjoying a lovely open air bar which is so conducive to summer time drinking, I was wondering if anyone had any fool proof, top-tip, quick fix hangover cures? All suggestions most gratefully received. Just do it quietly..

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Nice riverside bar in Vauxhall shock!

The Riverside Bar in Vauxhall

This news just in! Good riverside bar in Vauxhall. Large glass-walled bar with modish design disguising an ordinary pub (Young's) but with an expansive terrace in a riverfront piazza and seating for 100+ punters outside. Perfectly accessible for bikes - lockable to the river balcony. Call in advance and reserve a table outside for you and your guests (specify if you want to be under the parasol in this changeable weather). Pints of Peroni, decent food - good burger (£8.50), generous enough and tasty. Stevie, what were your scallops like? "The scallops were accompanied by a rather tasty salad with summer fruits. Very unusual combination of tastes and a decent amount for a tenner in my book." Very friendly, competent and attentive table service. Waiters, cleaning tables and bringing orders - means that it is possible to sit at your table all night and only move when you want to. In a British pub. Imagine. Not necessarily cheap but definitely not crap. Great sunset and a good buzz of conversation all around. Ideal meeting point for all employees heading south. Did I miss anything fellas? Oh yes, probably good for a pint after Fire on a Saturday morning.

Any tips for other outside venues?

The Riverside, 5 St George Wharf, 020 7735 8129

Do owners become their pets?




Well, we've got a link to Zoe's wonderful hounds, so why not go the whole hog and get some pics of pets right into the blog itself. I think it's nice for people who don't/can't have pets to be able to have access to the pets of others online. That's what the Internet is all about, innit?

So, spending a lot of time with Frances these days [Geoffrey might say 'too much time'] I've been observing of late how she's coping with the heat. And by extension how I cope with the heat. Resident now for 16 years in this fair land, I suppose my first line of attack is to discuss and complain like the best of them. But she can't do that, owing to a fairly basic vocab, if nothing else. So it's her actions that speak louder than that monotone meow. Take a look at the repose... that's a lot of belly fur splayed out on -- yes, you've spotted it too -- a cool bit of pavement. Isn't that clever? You see that's her cooling mechanism, getting as much breeze to waft by that billowy underbelly. Neat, huh? Her expression, just out of the camera's lens, is a cross between 'I can't take too much more of this heat' with 'I can't take too much of him taking pictures of me'. Anyway you look at it, she's not happy. But where the heat has really hit her hard is in the appetite department. Ordinarily, that pussy would be round my back door looking for feeding morning, noon and night. But can she be bothered? Take a look at the Marimekko feed station -- food bowl has unheard of remnants of the morning's 50g of Science Plan Light [tuna flavour]. In colder climes those kibbles would have been vapourised on presentation. And note water dish to the left. Like most of South East England, reserves are low.

'But what about the pet's owner?' I hear all of you crying out from cyberland. How's Kev holding up in these 30-plus afternoons? Well, just like the four legged furry one I have been exposing as much as I can to the elements. But there are other parts of the Internet for those kinds of pics. It's hitting me hard too, and note this coincidence, in the thirst department. Mainly it's water, and a lot of it. 75cl plastic bottles refilled from the tap litter the flat. But failing that, I've had to resort to unfamiliar beverages, an example of which is the Kaliber on the table. Could my taste for alcohol, wait for it, in the hot summer sun be waning just as the Moggy's taste for those crunchy nuggets be curbed by the July rays?

What's the consensus kids? You have pets? Are they eating less, drinking more, stripping off? And do your own habits -- gastronomic or sartorial -- dovetail with those? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out: yes, owners do become their pets in the summertime, if not year round.

* * *

So that's my introductory blog. Was it narcissistic enough? Too much information? Not enough? Important to get the tone right for future rants. Or maybe I'll only come to discover that you can misjudge tone in blogland just as in the real world, whatever that is.

Stay cool, however you want to play it. -Kev

New Fossil discovery

I have introduced my lovely desk buddy Helen to Fossil - I know you'll make her welcome!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Best Duckie performance ever?


Stephen and I, with our charming guest and Duckie virgin Lee Motley, had the ABSOLUTE PLEASURE of being entertained by the charm that is The Puppini Sisters on Saturday night. They have started a month of Friday evenings at The Bistrotheque through August.

Find out more at The Puppini Sisters and feast your eyes and ears. A must for summer 06! This Friday is out for me, but let's swap one Big Brother for three Swinging Sisters!

BISTROTHEQUE

Rough Trade night at Tate Late - Fri 4th August

Kevin and Geoffrey's pub mate Green Gartside performs at Tate Late on Friday 4th. He's been nominated for a Mercury Music prize for the new album. The evening is free and the price of Tate exhibitions is also halved for the night.


Listen to Boom Boom Bap here (requires Real Player)

Scritti Politti at Tate Late

Rough Trade Records

Mercury Music Prize

Monday, July 24, 2006

Good places to drink outside

Cheating a bit, I know, as I did post this elsewhere but... any other suggestions for good places to eat and drink outside?

Roof Bar, Trafalgar Hotel, Trafalgar Square

If you don't know about it already then for a lazy afternoon this is a great bar with fantastic views across Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. If you're going in the evening be prepared for it to be busy. It can seat about four groups of people on low, comfortable, shaded sofas but there is balcony seating for more. Get there before 5pm if there are several of you and you want a table. It can be pricey if you're a quick drinker. At the corner of the building, go into the lobby and the Rockwell bar, go behind the left-hand side of the bar and take the lifts to the top floor.

Trafalgar roof bar website

The Prince of Wales, Cleaver Square

The Prince of Wales is just round the corner from Kennington Cross (take a right down Cleaver St past The White Hart). It's a nice pub with chairs and tables outside. Benches in the square. Shame it's gravel-filled and not grass. Apparently they have wi-fi although no-one looks good tinkering on their laptop in a pub, do they?





















River Terrace Café, Somerset House



Take the glass walkway off the North end of Waterloo Bridge and the café is in front of you. It's a great place to sit for the afternoon and the food and wine is not too expensive. It's open from midday until 10pm (kitchen closes at 9pm).