NOW IN SEMI RETIREMENT at last.

August 2018.

I have finally realised that age having caught up with me, I can no longer carry on with my hectic lifestyle .

I am no way the fit person I used to be not that long ago , in fact the reverse is true and my days of walking a couple of miles wandering around London for a whole day taking pictures is long gone  Chasing around from one place to the other, London one minute , Suffolk or France the next is right out of the window,  in fact I often have trouble remembering where I am when I first wake up in the morning and it has to stop before it stops me .   I have had to give myself a quick kick up the backside – metaphorically speaking of course - and so from now on my life will rapidly move into full retirement mode instead of part time.  

First to go will be London as I can really do without the hustle and bustle of City life.  My full time base will soon be in the quiet Suffolk countryside and holiday time will be just once a year – about six or eight weeks will do – in our small but lovely holiday home on the Mediterranean coast at Cap d Agde.

  

The actual changeover will be hard work as it is quite involved , but I hope to have a bit of help here and there - and also quite stressful to give up what has been such an interesting lifestyle for the past two decades. However ,  what will be will be and it will always be something to look back on with a great deal of pleasure.

I will still have my writing – the last part of my trilogy - French Kissing, is in its final editing stages and will soon be on Amazon. French Kissing is a compendium of short stories and a true saga of explicit sex and sensuality in the 1960’s & 70’s and will come on to the market co-incidentally at just the right time.

I have just read in the press that explicit sex is about to hit the screens in prime time as Wanderlust, described in the press as “a ground breaking moment for sex on TV” is about to get plenty of public exposure at any moment. I will have to reserve judgement on Wanderlust, but whatever the reality and quality of content I can guarantee that the actual sexual bits will be measured in seconds rather than minutes.   

 And finally for this blog, I am pleased to report that I have been able to place my archives with the National Media Museum where they will form a part of  the National Collection.

UPDATE AT LAST !!!

I am sorry to say that I have recently fallen behind in keeping up with my previously regular BLOG.

A question of health is the cause – a long overdue hernia operation – which has now thankfully put the matter right , although I am not fully operational just yet and must take things easy for another 3 or 4 weeks.  Not that this will make much difference to my everyday life as I tend not to do very much physical stuff nowadays in any case -or any other kind of stuff to be quite honest.

My Operation;

Right in the middle of the mixture of old stalls that is presently the old Whitechapel Market, a gleaming spectacle of shining steel and  glass rises into the sky- a bit like the Empire State Building in New York , but this one  in the heart of the East End of London is not more than half a mile from where I was born 78 years ago.  It is in fact the new LONDON HOSPITAL and full of the latest high tech medical equipment and expert staff and last week I had an inside view of what goes on inside this superb new medical centre when I was admitted for my small operation .  Outside it’s all a bit of a mess at the moment , but a massive amount of change is already underway and what was the old market will eventually become  the centrepiece of a  5 year multi million pound regeneration scheme.

Abut half an hour after my admission, when I was comfortably settled in my hospital bed I had a visit from a charming and attractive smartly dressed woman in high heels who introduced herself as Mrs (indicating to me that she was a consultant and not a Doctor) , that she was Head of Surgery  and that she would be carrying out my operation the next day. I have to say I was very impressed by it all and filled with confidence. She seemed very young for such a position and I couldn’t help but mention it to her. She appeared pleased but slightly embarrassed by my comment , but obviously content enough to respond that she was not so young and had only recently had her 52^nd birthday.  She was I think of Anglo/Asian origin and could have easily passed for about 30.

My operation went well and this very attractive lady  came along to see me the following morning – as did dear Barbara both of which  cheered me up no end.  The operation itself was an unmitigated success and I needed very little aftercare not even any painkillers which were offered me.  I did have an unpleasant side effect – it must be one of my weak points -  with urine retention and had to have a bag on for a few days but fingers crossed the whole thing now seems to be healing OK .

Back home we are currently engaged on a vast clearing out operation. I have already binned a lot of paper stuff but there is loads more to go.  Some – like my old albums of Art and Erotica stuff , Punch Prints and etc; will go on EBay when I get the chance and will raise some cash for one or another of Barbara’s special funds or sell at a boot fair and what’s left will be chucked.

We had a little scare recently after Barbara had her regular breast scan and she had to have it again. In fact it was a big scare really as they don’t tell you what’s going on until the very end. Thank goodness it was nothing at all , just another look at the scan to make sure all was well.  And it was as Barbara was diagnosed by her consultant to be in overall first  class condition and as fit as a fiddle .  Quite remarkable news and a time for celebration - which we will be doing very shortly.

At present there is not much time for celebration as Barbara has recently made comprehensive plans for a complete redecoration of the lounge , a whole lot of new furniture and upholstery and a paved patio for the back garden , which will greatly reduce the amount of weekly maintenance for her.  I just wish she would get a part time gardener but at the moment she seems to enjoy it – so ??? 

This fantastic looking nine storey building is the r stuff , and am hoping to sell a reasonable amount of my completed albums covering the subjects of Art, Erotica, the Eccentric  and etc;. which I will put on e-bay as soon as I get round to it.   But there is still a vast amount of archive material to go through , photograph and list in order to get it onto e-bay.  It’s a lot of work but it has to be done and at the end of the day a fair bit of cash will have been raised and the office will look a lot tidier.  The next clear up will be the computer and the accumulation of files on it that are no longer needed.

My Books:

I have already written the two volumes of my autobiography and with the help of Peter May ( who described himself as “ my editor “ ) they have been put on Lulu and so far one of each has been printed. I don’t know quite what has gone on lately as I can’t seem to get any info from Peter May but I am going to try to persuade Bloomsbury Publishing to publish them.   I have just discovered that volume 1 is on Amazon available as a kindle version and a paperback.

 God only knows how they got there or where the money for them will go but I will eventually find out and in the meantime will attempt to get the second book published on Amazon too.

hopefully I will find out eventually.  

Fashion in Shoes.

Unlike dear Barbara I am not really much of a fashionista, although I do like to wear nice well made clothes and shoes. But like Barbara I also have different styles of clothing to go with the lives we lead in three different places – London , Suffolk and The south of France.  Some of it is new , modern and up to date , but the rest of my wardrobe is quite old or even ancient although well kept , looks good and is still very serviceable.  A good example are my brown leather boots with a Cuban heel.

 Hand made in Portugal by an old wizened man of an indecipherable age , I actually watched him at work sat outside his tiny shop at an ancient glue encrusted bench before ordering a pair from him.   All this took place 41 years ago and they cost me the equivalent of £4 in English money.  The leather used was of the quality of hand made shoes which in the UK would have cost even in those days around £600 a pair – nowadays around £2000.

The boots still shine up beautifully and its easy to see the quality of both the materials used and the skills of the maker.  I have only once needed to have them attended to apart from regular cleaning and a good spit and polish.   Last year I succumbed to modernity and had a thin rubber sole and heel stuck on but it hasn’t altered the overall appearance. 

I can’t remember which is the oldest – my superb Italian overcoat, made in Rome and bought in Milan – made of alpaca – or my boots ?. The alpaca lives in the high mountains of South America – The Andes – so no wonder its wool is practically impenetrable.  Wrapped up tightly in this coat which is mid calf length and fits me like a glove I can withstand  just about any weather conditions in this country as long as my head is well covered. 

                                       Back home we are currently engaged on a vast clearing out operation. I have already binned a lot of paper stuff but there is loads more to go.  Some – like my old albums of Art and Erotica stuff , Punch Prints and etc; will go on EBay when I get the chance and will raise some cash for one or another of Barbara’s special funds or sell at a boot fair and what’s left will be chucked.

THE HISTORIC AREA OF WAPPING

Immediately adjoining  the CITY OF LONDON , the district of Wapping is the furthermost point on the North side of the RIVER THAMES that could once be reached by the large cargo ships bringing their multitude of goods to England.

Here , in the 18th and 19th centuries , many of the shops and houses originally bordering the old city walls were demolished in order to build the huge pools , basins and warehouses which made up the NEW LONDON DOCKS at WAPPING.

These multi-storied and often vaulted warehouses , were originally built to store  the most expensive of the multitude of goods which were imported into the country at that time .    Fine Wines , Brandy &  Tobacco , Silks , Ivory and rare Spices were amongst the many commoditities stored here.   Right near their CITY homes , it was a local and convenient dealing place for the rich LONDON merchants , who had put up much of the money needed then for this huge development.

All the usual utilities necessary to support a development of this kind were gradually built alongside the many dockside wharves and warehouses.    Many more public houses and inns were added to the abundant supply already in existence , which in turn attracted even more visitors to the area.    

Later on , as Wapping developed more generally it became one of the  busiest and liveliest parts of London .  Seamen of all nationalities mingled  with the variety of  other workers going about their  business of delivering , collecting , buying and selling that was a part of the essential daily life of docklands.   Not just during the day either -  for the hustle and bustle of Wapping went on round the clock.   

Wapping , together with the  adjoining district of Whitechapel soon became one of the most notorious parts of London.   Drinking and debauchery , and much much more became the order of the day.  It was the haunt not only of 'Jack the Ripper' but of many  other murderous and villainous scoundrels of the period.  Dead bodies were regularly hauled out of the Thames at WAPPING STAIRS  in the mist shrouded early hours of the morning.  Some had gone in just 'dead drunk' , while others had perhaps met a more horrible end.

After the 1940 -45 war , the goods coming into all of London's docklands gradually reduced in quantity .  From the mid-1960's onwards this huge part of the Thames-side started on a downwards decline which ended eventually in the total closure of all the docks.  In 1968 The LONDON DOCKS  ceased to operate completely and the whole area it occupied , including Wapping , soon fell into a very poor state of repair.

In the early 1980's  this sad decline was thankfully reversed when the whole area was designated  a conservation area .    Millions of pounds were set aside to re-develop this unique river-side site.    The old docks and basins were filled in , the old canals were restored and joined together with new links , and extensive landscaping took place in the surrounding areas.   The multitide of  Georgian and Victorian warehouse buildings , houses and customs offices , most  of them already historically listed and protected properties , were superbly restored and converted into new housing , shops and offices.

These magnificent buildings and their newly built counterparts , many of them overlooking the River Thames , now form some of the most luxurious and expensive properties in the whole of London . 

THE PUBLIC HOUSES OF WAPPING.

It was sometimes necessary in this process of re-development and total  refurbishment to occasionally pull down one building or another.  Serious drinkers will be pleased to hear that none of the pubs of Wapping ( or in fact in almost  any  other part of docklands ) suffered that horrific fate.  Visitors will often see the 'pub' left standing completely on it's own where it once stood in the middle of a row of houses or shops.

As well as the more well known pubs along the Thames foreshore of Wapping High Street , like The Prospect of Whitby ( said to be the oldest in London ), The Captain Kidd and The Town of Ramsgate , there are many others with just as interesting a historical backgound. 

Just off of Wapping Lane there is a small pub , left like many of it's contempories standing almost alone among the new developments. 

THE OLD STAR  now re-named TURNERS OLD STAR has it'self undergone a complete but very sympathetic refurbishment in the last few years.  Affixed to the front wall of the pub , and a part of this new work is a sign  beautifully scripted in black and gold.     It reads:

JOSEPH TURNER

1775 - 1861

Brought up in London , Turner was always fascinated by the Thames. Water and ships were a major source of inspiration in his works and the riverside area of London was to remain his homebase all his life.

Turner was held in high regard by all his contempories and was rewarded with both critical acclaim and considerable wealth. Although something of a society figure he was more at home among the bustle and debris of London's docklands.

TURNERS SECRET LIFE

Turner was exceptionally secretive , especially over women. From the age of 25 he was to keep several mistresses who were to bear him 4 illegitimate children.

Although he never married , women always played can important part in Turners life. His vigourously sensual side was to emerge in the copious quantities of erotic drawings discovered amongst The Turner Bequest on his death.  These were supposedly executed during weekends of drunken debauchery amid the dockside taverns of Wapping.

PUGGY BOOTH

In 1833 Turner met Sophia Booth , a widowed landlady frokm Margate who was to become his mistress until his death in 1851.   When Turner inherited two cottages in the dockland area of Wapping he converted them into a tavern and installed Mrs Booth as the proprietor.  He named the tavern The Old Star.

To maintain secrecy during their life together Turner adopted her surname. This , combine with his 5' height and portly physique was to earn him the nickname PUGGY BOOTH.

Back into Wapping Lane and almost opposite the Star is another ancient Pub , The Three Swedish Crowns.  A litle further down the lane is yet another period Inn , called The White Swan and Cuckoo.

All these old pubs are now filled with a cosmopolitan crown of drinkers.   A few of the old original inhabitants of docklands, London cockneys and descendants of the early ethnic immigrants rub shoulders with the trendy bankers , lawyers and yuppies that have now made their homes here , as well as the many tourists that are slowly getting to know about the area. 

For a pleasant walk of about an hour or so , go through our gate onto the new canal stopping briefly to feed the ducks , then walk down past Tobacco Dock and turn right into Wapping Lane.    You will see The Old Star across the green on your right and maybe stop in one or another of the local pubs for a quick refreshment.  

Turn right again at the end of Wapping Lane and stroll down the old cobbled streets of Wapping High Street.   Here , on both sides of the road there are many of the beautifull and original old restored Georgian and Victorian Houses and converted Warehouses. 

At the end of the road you will find another unusual pub , once again standing on it's own with the buildings around it either having fallen or been pulled down.   Named after one of the many vessels that brought  it's valuable cargo up the Thames and into London is 'The China Ship'.

Carry on , with the river Thames on your left along St Katherines Way until you reach the entrance into St Katherines Marina through the entrance to Devon House.   Pass the new Tower Hotel and up the stairs onto TOWER BRIDGE.

From the middle of the bridge look downriver and see the River Police Headquarters on your right just by Wapping Stairs with the tower of Canary Wharf just peeping over the top of the buildings lining the river bank. 

In front of the Tower Hotel , which dominates this part of the riverside , is the new Pierhead and walkway for the Riverbus and other river leisure craft.

Go back down the stairs and along the Northern side of St Katherines Dock passing in front of the little shops that have been converted from the Old Ivory House. Built in the  Italianate style in 1854 , this magnificent original warehouse building  has now been converted into luxurious apratments , shops , offices and restaurants.

Scattered around the sides of the docks you will spot huge lumps of stone , one piled upon the other.   These great lumps of hewed rock are about the only remnants still left over from the old days when St Katherines was a real working dock.  They were used as ballast to replace the cargoes unloaded from the sailing barges , to give them the stability they needed as they rode the waves back down-river for yet another load. 

Finally , leave the old dock through the car park , cross St Thomas More Street and back into the main  entrance of Quay 430.

About Religion

About Religion;

Religion is an almost worldwide belief in the existence of some kind of individual/being/thing –supposedly the creator of humankind – that made us , cares for us , grants us our wishes and ultimately sends  us up/down to some safe and happy place when we die , dependant on our behaviour or the strength of our convictions.  Of course there is not one single piece of evidence that any such thing or person exists ,but nevertheless  most human beings believe this theory  to some greater or lesser degree.  

The major reason  of course for this entirely unsupported belief is that of wishful thinking. Most of us feel much better having some recognised belief that we live on in some form or another instead of turning to dust – as in fact that’s what really happens to us all.   And  of course there is always the  relentless degree of brainwashing from well meaning parents/society in general to follow the standard belief.   

 I would describe this form of belief in simple terms as a major curse of human life’ and one which looks like having no sign of either reducing or completely disappearing in the near future.  Without having the benefit of any of the scientific information available today we can forgive those that held this view in the past – but we  now know for certain that this simple viewpoint is nowhere near the real truth.  

There is of course no heaven or hell –  and the scientific alternative now accepted by most people under the age of about 30 in the UK at least  is that we are all made of some kind of matter– flesh , bones and the lot – and that we eventually return to matter when we die.   Modern day scientific research indicates quite clearly that space goes on and on to what we can only understand as infinity – and it is crass stupidity to believe anything else – so that’s about that.

Religious mania at about every level has always existed in society in some form or another  – however how to deal with this is a continuing problem .  

Protestants and Catholics , the ones most common in the UK as well the dozens of other recognised known groups go on about their business without causing any inconvenience to the rest of society in general who mainly let them get on with it.   

However, a mild belief in some kind of religion does little harm to anyone.  At the lower end of the scale of  ‘say’  1-10 it has a soothing and peace inducing effect – but unfortunately at the top  end it can produce a form of clinical insanity, its radical and extremist followers  setting out to kill and do away with anyone that disagrees with them.

 

We have this problem at the moment in the UK and not only in this country but practically all over the world with some followers of the Islamist religion, more commonly known as Muslims.   In it’s  original ancient form Islam  was  basically a peaceful  style of worship, which the vast majority of its followers maintain today.  It is radically different from our own Christian religion which although in the past was not so different from Islam but has now settled into a more relaxed version which most people in the UK at least follow.

However Islam is primarily a male dominated religion in a mostly male dominated section of society, wherever it is practised.  Even in liberated parts of the world – like the UK for example-many Muslim women are encouraged by their family members to wear the kind of clothing that at one end of the scale  relies for some kind of headscarf when out of the home to the other radical end which requires a special outfit in a plain black material that covers them from head to toe except for the eyes.

But it’s not all bad news as many younger Muslim girls and even some older women too are rejecting this style for more modern fashion – and they mostly look very good in them.

Obviously many men from traditional backgrounds are not very happy with this lessening diminution to their powers of domination ,especially the younger members of society.   They say that anyone that that does not agree with this insane mantra should be done away with – and they are  happy to kill themselves in the process along with anyone that happen to be standing next to them at the time.

These radicals are usually young men and are of course all clinically insane – and just like their kind that used to be held in mental institutions for the dangerously insane  are as such unable to recognise their  illness.   However ,  over the coming years we are bound to see a massive amount of change as women of all races and beliefs gradually assert themselves.

As a percentage of the overall population , the Muslim community in GB is very small - just about 3.5 million of them throughout the whole country – but they do tend to get far more publicity than they really deserve.   Those few who are radical and extremist   can do a great of harm and do collect a massive amount of media interest which tends to attract other young impressionable young men – and some women too.

Women are LIFE;  It’s nothing to do with religion of course, but the fact is that women are life and they themselves are only just beginning to realize it.    Men only bring to the table a few grams of sperm - basically  just about enough to determine the sex of the child and few minor characteristics - and the sooner we all recognise this fact , the better it will be for society as a whole.

publishing update

I have finally managed to work out how to get Amazon to do my publishing. It doesn't seem to be too difficult,  so I will try to do a bit later on today.  I am not going to have time to do much more before we get away from the computer for a bit but it wont take long to get ahead when I get back.  B has a load of work planned at the bungalow - garden and patio ( already started ) complete change of décor and furnishings and that about all I hope.  Everywhere is a complete mess at the moment and I try my best to ignore it but I know that she will get it all OK in the end. Trying to enjoy the summer - or what we are getting occasionally and hope it will be better in France.  

MY BLOG:

I am sorry to say that I have recently fallen behind in keeping up with my previously regular BLOG.

A question of health is the cause – a long overdue hernia operation – which has now thankfully put the matter right , although I am not fully operational just yet and must take things easy for another 3 or 4 weeks.  Not that this will make much difference to my everyday life as I tend not to do very much physical stuff nowadays in any case.

We are currently engaged on a vast clearing out operation. I have already binned a lot of paper stuff , and am hoping to sell a reasonable amount of my completed albums covering the subjects of Art, Erotica, the Eccentric  and etc;. which I will put on e-bay as soon as I get round to it.   But there is still a vast amount of archive material to go through , photograph and list in order to get it onto e-bay.  It’s a lot of work but it has to be done and at the end of the day a fair bit of cash will have been raised and the office will look a lot tidier.  The next clear up will be the computer and the accumulation of files on it that are no longer needed.

My Books:

I have already written the two volumes of my autobiography and with the help of Peter May ( who described himself as “ my editor “ ) they have been put on Lulu and so far one of each has been printed. I don’t know quite what has gone on lately as I can’t seem to get any info from Peter May but I am going to try to persuade Bloomsbury Publishing to publish them.  

Fashion in Shoes.

Unlike dear Barbara I am not really much of a fashionista, although I do like to wear nice well made clothes and shoes. But like Barbara I also have different styles of clothing to go with the lives we lead in three different places – London , Suffolk and The south of France.  Some of it is new , modern and up to date , but the rest of my wardrobe is quite old or even ancient although well kept , looks good and is still very serviceable.  A good example are my brown leather boots with a Cuban heel.

 Hand made in Portugal by an old wizened man of an indecipherable age , I actually watched him at work sat outside his tiny shop at an ancient glue encrusted bench before ordering a pair from him.   All this took place 41 years ago and they cost me the equivalent of £4 in English money.  The leather used was of the quality of hand made shoes which in the UK would have cost even in those days around £600 a pair – nowadays around £2000.

The boots still shine up beautifully and its easy to see the quality of both the materials used and the skills of the maker.  I have only once needed to have them attended to apart from regular cleaning and a good spit and polish.   Last year I succumbed to modernity and had a thin rubber sole and heel stuck on but it hasn’t altered the overall appearance. 

I can’t remember which is the oldest – my superb Italian overcoat, made in Rome and bought in Milan – made of alpaca – or my boots ?. The alpaca lives in the high mountains of South America – The Andes – so no wonder its wool is practically impenetrable.  Wrapped up tightly in this coat which is mid calf length and fits me like a glove I can withstand  just about any weather conditions in this country as long as my head is well covered.

    

6^th Sept 1997.  Paris France

Twenty years ago exactly and yes  - a day that I remember well;

In those days we spent most of the summer months in the Languedoc area of Southern France at our lovely village house in Salleles d’Aude. It was an idyllic kind of place mainly consisting of old traditional houses and located in a beautiful unspoiled location where the Canal du Midi meets the mighty river Aude just before the canal system joins the Mediterranean sea.

There were five bakers in this tiny village of only about 800 inhabitants including the outlying areas – not unusual in this part of France-  and every morning at about 6 o clock I would walk out to collect a freshly baked baguette and a couple of croissants.

As I got to the entrance gate of her house I saw my neighbour Anna Claire , a lovely housewife with two beautiful young children coming toward me from our local shops.   As she got a bit closer I saw that she was crying , the tears running down her pretty face.   What on earth is the matter , I asked her as still crying she fell into my arms.

“ We have killed your Princess”  she sobbed, ”Lady Diana is dead”. Although her English was quite good  I didn’t really quite understand what she was talking about until she had repeated it several times.   It was hard to believe that what she was saying was true and as soon as I got home I tuned into an English radio station.   It was indeed the truth – or what passed as the truth at the time - and for me has over the years turned into the worst imaginable condemnation of the British Establishment whenever danger of the status quo threatens . No different of course today than it has been over hundreds of years.  

Whatever happened in that tunnel – I know it well and have travelled through it many times during my visits to Paris - it was never a simple road accident and anyone that believes the garbled and distorted account of events must be simple minded.   The real truth will not come out in my lifetime and may never come out at all.

M.M. 06/09/2017