London blitz, part 2

[serinde]

sweh's parents live on Canvey Island, which is an island in the Thames just before the estuary. When I say "in", I mean it's so close to the north bank that it's only separated by the very narrow Benfleet Creek, which is not even really a creek at low tide (note that that's not even taken at the lowest tide point)--looks pretty respectable at middling tide, though. Anyways, it's some 30-odd miles downriver from London. I didn't get to see the "downtown" area, but the northeastern corner where his parents are is moderately rural, though their immediate neighborhood is reasonably suburban.

After a proper fry-up courtesy of sweh's mum, we headed back into London for shopsies and things (incl. more old stuff). First, though, we met weds and damerell for lunch and comix. Wandered up Oxford St., found absolutely nothing worth buying (I am not loving the current fashion for low leather boots, which involves tiny stubby little heels approximately the size of my first finger joint); then to Carnaby St., wherein I learned that my vision of the place was formed from 1960s descriptions, and it has so thoroughly jumped the shark it can't even see ocean any more. Bleh. This being a dead loss, we went to Portobello Rd., my image of which had also been formed from the 60s, to see the street market. I wasn't expecting the glorious hippie haven of Hawkwind's formative years, but I figured there would at least be a headshop or something left over from that era. Instead it's all antique shops & stands intermixed with cheap touristy crud (though I almost did get the Union Jack sparkly thong underwear, God help me). So another dead loss. Oh well. After much walking, we hopped the tube back to the Blackfriars area for a booze-up. Present: weds and damerell, reddragdiva and redcountess and arkady, _nicolai_ and his cousin Annemeike, sbp for a bit, vatine, and Roger. I think that was the lot. If I forgot anyone, I'm sure I shall be corrected. Beer was drunk, Marmite flavor crisps (!?!) were consumed, pizza was ordered after great toil and tribulation by _nicolai_, I fell down the stairs and landed on my feet to much applause. Staggered back to Canvey around midnight, I think.

Comments

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Ingvar = vatine. Nice to see you again. Sorry I had to rush off - my sister was in town for the weekend, and given that she now lives in your neck of the woods I thought I'd try catching up with her.

I think Roger was there at one point. Oh and Portobello road has always been an antiques market I think. That's what it's famous for.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Cousin Annemeike.
For head shops, you want Camden. There are several on the street opposite the tube exit, turn right out of the tube.
Ingvar is vatine

[mangosteen]

Yes. Camden. "Greater London Raver and Goth Supply, Inc."
Home of head shops, big pants, obscene amounts of PVC, stompy boots, and much, much more.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

I didn't want so much head shops per se (I can walk ten minutes from my office and trip over them four to a block), as what might have been Hawkwind's head shop. See.