Londonzen

park life

"Who is tired of London is tired of life." Samuel Johnson

"It is so old that its history is a history of time itself... London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It is illimitable. It is infinite London." Peter Ackroyd

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- Each link below is a topic specific page, with usefull links and info (new window)

Artzen - art culture info expo

Bloggzen - blogging technology innovation

Bookzen - literary reveiws

Ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

Flickrzen - flickr photo reportages

Fotozen - private view

Franciaszen - la vie

Londonzen - park life events

Newszen - news commentary

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map by Lonely Planet

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Click for London, United Kingdom Forecast

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Londonist

Visit Londinium.com to find websites about everything on the internet relevant to London,UK

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Timeout Mobile City Guide enables users to find essential travel information including local listings and attractions. Download a city guide to your phone.

Street Sensation

RBKC - Local life - what to do and see in Kensington and Chelsea

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A London Guide - For info on all that London has to offer

Fluid Foundation : London Bar Guide

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londondiary.ltd

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golfvacationonline

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entertaininglondon

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London Music Guide - Jazz

- shopping -

Agnew's

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- stay -

The Basil Street Hotel

Hotels England UK

bedandbreakfasthotels

- eat -

Bibendum - Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road

The Criterion Brasserie in the heart of Piccadilly Circus

Mirabelle - glamorous since the 1950's

Drones - founded by david Niven Jr. and Dave Gilmour - 1 Pont Street, Belgravia

Rules - founded in 1798 by Thomas Rule

The Ivy - since 1917 - 1 West Street, Covent Garden

Wilton's - since 1742 in Jermyn Street, St. James's, owned by the same family for 60 years.

Simpson's in the Strand - started in 1828

Epicurious: Essential Restaurant Guide

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GuilFest

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The 2004 Edinburgh Military Tattoo

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Antiques for Everyone

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London Fashion Week

The 2004 British Art Fair

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Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fair

Royal Ascot at York 2005 - Latest news

- metroblogging london -

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Great London images by Steve

Certain London images supplied by FreeFoto.com

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Licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Monday, July 26

pPod the chic way to spend a penny in London

Les Francais are waiting for le pissPod

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

NYKRIS have launched pPod - the world's first >iPod based interactive audio service.

pPod combines text, spoken word audio, and music to deliver a guide to London's public loos - truly a convenience for iPod users on the move.

Go to the pPod page and download the 7mb file.

pPod is on the BBC

I found this - The Toilet Museum

If you spent all you money on an i-pod to have a nice pee, you will soon be able to stay at Stelios' new venture the easy Hotel. It should be opening soon. It is going to be very basic, quel
surprise! But it is in a nice area of London not far from Harrods (I remember thier loos used to be very nice. Back in the sixties Mum took off her emerald ring to wash her hands and forgot it on the wash basin. She telephoned the night watchman, who kindly went to look and miraculously it was still there).

The easy Hotel has kind of modular rooms, with at least, a double bed, shower and LOO from £5 a night...

Kritik [ ] 26.7.04

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Thursday, July 15

Art Galleries, are they scaring away thier victims?

artzen - art culture info expo
francaiszen - la vie

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This is a fascinating article from The Art Newspaper that I found on Forbes.

It dicusses how art can be sold outside the confines of galleries and all that they entail. Are Art Galleries Necessary?

"Contemporary art dealers are finding that art fairs and the Internet can replace the hassle and expense of maintaining a full-time gallery". more>>

I also came accross this spot on piece on Jason Calcanis Art Blog, Gallery Rudeness by Caryn Coleman citing an article by Paige West of Art Addict

"Intimidation is a well-known sales tactic, especially in some of the Blue Chip galleries. If you aren't "in the club" (they don't know you and/or you've never purchased anything at the gallery), many galleries won't offer any assistance, even if you ask"...more>>

Too true, the same can be said of some auction houses, estate agents, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels and chic shops. Manners...?

Kritik [ ] 15.7.04

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Tuesday, July 13

Pokia....makes the Mayfair phone fun

bloggzen - total immersion blogging technology innovation

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This is the new Mayfair model

The retro accessory, now only a series of prototypes made in London by the British designer Nicolas Roope, was inspired by Roope's disdain for trends in cellphones, which seem to have reached a dead end, with metallic and miniature becoming moronic and minuscule...via IHT

Kritik [ ] 13.7.04

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Monday, July 12

This is the ideal London Transport, neat site, check out thier links page

londonzen - park life

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"We are the designers and makers of the Brompton folding bike. The Brompton is a bike which rides well, is safe, and yet folds easily into a very compact and portable package: other folding bikes have their own character and purpose, but none we feel matches the Brompton's convenience or gives you the same freedom and independence". Brompton Bbicycle

Kritik [ ] 12.7.04

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Saturday, July 10

August evening

bookzen - literary reviews

EDWARD SAID MEMORIAL CONCERT
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim (conductor/piano)
Barbican Concert Hall, London EC2
Wednesday 4 August 2004, 7.30 p.m.

The London Review of Books is delighted to bring the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under their conductor Daniel Barenboim to the Barbican on 4 August to celebrate the work of Edward Said, who died in September last year.

Kritik [ ] 10.7.04

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Thursday, July 8

Rank and pile

francaiszen - la vie

London gets new taxi rank signs
BBC photo

la vie du chien, Poo Poo a la francaise
Le dernier cri of chic spots to poop

Kritik [ ] 8.7.04

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Wednesday, July 7

The saga of the parrot and the fourposter bed

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy
francaiszen - la vie

oil painting by Serena Konig

Several years ago, whilst in Toulouse to collect a fourposter bed. My partner Alastair went to buy me a puppy as a present, the pet shop didn't have any, so he got 2 Canaries instead. On his way out he heard anguished shrieks coming from the back of the shop. There in the gloom was a red and grey African parrot in a tiny cage on the floor. This was the start of our parrot saga. There wasn't room in the van for the bed, the cages and us. So a friend drove and we took the train back to Provence. It was a night train, the parrot shrieked the whole time. We called him Corot, perhaps subconsciously because "the Corot" had caused much trouble over the years. Anyway, Corot was sad and lonely and needed better quarters; So Richard and Pierrot our friends who just happened to be master welders were commissioned to make a bird palace fit for Corot.

In the mean time we scoured the pet shops for a companion, near Avignon we found "Richard" another red and grey. He had a very poorly friend huddled up next to him, a black Madagascan...we called him "Pierrot". The aviary was splendid, customisable, demountable. Filled with trees and fallen branches, also a mist system. OK so I couldn't resist buying the tropical rainforest tape! (it was played about once, although I am sure I detected a flicker of appreciation from Corot).

They all got along fine, even the canaries. The fencing was of a smaller guage to stop the canaries escaping. Little by little we saw chewed bits, holes. They were repaired. Richard would sit on a tree and sing away to Pierrot as a diversionary tactic while Corot clipped through the wire.

I had a dream about them escaping, that morning I went downstairs and heard people shouting that the birds had gone! The canaries were still there as was poor Pierrot, but Richard and Corot were gone! We all rushed round the garden (the aviary was on the terrace outside the dining room) we caught sight of something red in one of the little pine trees. It was Richard, he didn't want to come down. Alastair finally managed to reach him, Richard grabbed the palm of his hand in his pincer beak, it hurt. So he was safe and sound and back with Pierrot. I am really glad that Corot flew to freedom and wish the others had gone too. A neighbor came to tell us she had seen a red and green parrot in her garden, was it ours. We saw parrots in Avignon, in the trees behind Credit Agricole.

When winter came the cage was dismantled and put up in the living room. This was fine for all, the 4 dogs never bothered the birds, the mice lived on the floor of the cage and ate seeds. One morning Pierrot was dead on the floor. He usually perched on an old wooden ladder. We took him to the vet, who said that we should be able to find out quite easily how he died. He took a big pair of scissors and literally cut him in half! I am very fond of the vet he is the dearest of friends, but he obviously didn't think that we might be feeling a bit sad or upset by poor Pierrots' demise, he was still warmish. He had always picked at his feathers and looked very ragged, his beak was white which made him seem somewhat anaemic too. So there he was, neatly sliced, mirrored, Pat said immediately that it was kidney failure. Well.

Richard was lonely. We could see all this happening again. When Corot arrived we had thought of flying to Africa and setting him free. One day Pat took us to see a client who kept all kinds of birds, including African Greys, so Richard was introduced into the bird place. I heard some time later that he had mated, had children and was happy. Isn't that super. So when I hear of all these news stories about Parrot infestations in England, on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco as Marc Canter wrote about and elsewhere, I am pleased they are free. Maybe one of them is someone's Corot.

P.S. The fourposter was too tall for the bedroom ceiling and so languished in the garage until flooded...which is another story.

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I know that by rescuing Corot from the pet shop prison others were ordered to replace him. We must stop this pet trade and the breeding of animals for pets.

World Parrot Trust
THE CHARITY FUNDING PROJECTS AND PROMOTING
EXCELLENCE IN PARROT CONSERVATION AND WELFARE The WPT is campaigning to stop importation of wild caught birds into the European Union. Sign the petition

Please red this about the plight of Parrots.The African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus, has a wide distribution, across the tropical belt of Africa, including the islands of Bioko and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. This species is harvested intensively for the pet trade. More>>

Free Parrots.net News and views v.good site, you can join, help.

Harvard biologist Mike Schindlinger introduces you to the parrots he studies, as individuals, as they move through their daily lives - singing, cavorting and playing as they explore their environment; doing chores, like eating, roosting, and caring for young - with an intelligence not dissimilar, in ways, to our own. More>>

Kritik [ ] 7.7.04

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Tuesday, July 6

The ultimate Wishlist

The girl with the pearl earing probably knew her...so delightfull, her story is too...

artzen - art culture info expo

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Johannes Vermeer (1632-75) A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals

Seeing the light by Gregory Rubinstein

"When Baron Freddy Rolin walked into my office in the spring of 1993, carrying a small painting under his arm, I certainly did not expect it to be the beginning of a deeply engrossing research project, which would last more than a decade. Nor did I imagine that at the end of it all, the painting would be generally accepted as an authentic work by that most intriguing and mysterious of all the Dutch masters of the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer.....

.....This short account can only give a small taste of this picture's life story since the day more than 300 years ago when Vermeer first put his brush to the canvas. It has, however, been my great privilege to have accompanied this young woman on her way for the last eleven years, and steer her towards the fast-approaching moment when she will become the first Vermeer to be offered for sale at auction since 1921".
Read the whole story >>

Gregory Rubinstein is a senior director in the Old Master Paintings & Drawings department, Sotheby's London.
Old Master Paintings, Part 1
July 7, 2004 at 7:00 pm Sotheby's 34-35 New Bond Street, London

Kritik [ ] 6.7.04

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Sunday, July 4

If you aren't going to the British Grand Prix next weekend , go to LA

bookzen - literary reviews
francaiszen - la vie

Swink invites you to celebrate the Lying, Cheating & Stealing online theme issue:

Sunday, July 11th

1644 Elevado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026 (in Silverlake)

Reading starts at 7:00 pm
Celebration starts at 8:00 pm

Open bar

Please RSVP to laparty@swinkmag.com or at 310.861.5996

Swink is a new L.A. NY literary magazine.

Kritik [ ] 4.7.04

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- latest posts -

- park life -

Mall Galleries The Mall - exhibition calendar

Bankside Gallery is the home of two historic art societies; the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers.

Kenwood House, London

Institut Francais Wine Tasting

London To Brighton Veteran Car Rally

Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fair

Discover Dogs London

Lord Mayor's Show London

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup

Bonhams and Brooks 5 - 6 December Olympia 2

The NSPCC Cinderella Ball 2004 16 December Savoy Hotel, London

National Cat Club Show London

Feathers Ball King's Cross, London

International Show Jumping Championships Dec 15-20 Olympia, London

Boxing Day Meeting Dec 26 + 27 Kempton Park Racecourse, Surrey

National Fine Art And Antiques Fair Dec 28-Jan 1 NEC, Birmingham

- 2005 -

- February -

New Year's Day Meeting Catterick Racecourse, Yorkshire

London Boat Show

Royal Horticultural Society Flower Shows

- February -

Ambassador's Ball for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund London

- March -

Olympia Fine Art And Antiques Spring Fair London

Crufts Dog Show, NEC Birmingham

National Hunt Festival Cheltenham

Shire Horse Show Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

BADA Antiques and Fine Arts Fair London

Flat Racing Doncaster Yorkshire

Royal Shakespeare Company Stratford-upon-Avon

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

- April -

Aintree Martell Grand National Aintree

Royal Horticultural Society Spring Flower Show Dundee

Scottish Grand National Ayr, Ayrshire

Flora London Marathon

HM Queen Elizabeth II's birthday Apr 21

The Races Gold Cup Sandown Park Racecourse

Badminton Horse Trials Gloucestershire

- May -

2000 Guineas + 1000 Guineas Newmarket Suffolk

May Festival Chester Races Cheshire

Newbury International Spring Festival Berkshire

Royal Windsor Horse Show Buckinghamshire

Chatsworth Horse Trials Derbyshire

The Royal Caledonian Ball Grosvenor House Hotel, London

Glyndebourne Opera Festival Hampshire

Bath International Music Festival Avon

Windsor Horse Trials Windsor

Chelsea Flower Show London

Hay Book Festival Wales

Blair Atholl Highland Gathering Perthshire

- June -

Royal Bath and West Of England Show Somerset

British Jumping Derby Hickstead, Sussex

The Oaks Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey

Holker Garden Festival Cumbria

Stella Artois Tennis Tournament Queen's Club, London

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition London

Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair London

artLONDON London

Grange Park Opera Festival Hampshire

South Of England Show Sussex

Bramham International Horse Trials Yorkshire

Royal Cornwall Show Wadebridge, Cornwall

Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts Suffolk

Biggin Hill International Air Fair Kent

HM Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday Trooping Of The Colour Horse Guards Parade

Garsington Opera Season Oxford

Polo- The Guards Club Windsor

Royal Ascot at York 2005 - Latest news

Three Counties Show Malvern, Worcestershire

East Of England Show Cambridgeshire

Queen's Cup Windsor Great Park

Wimbledon London

Royal Highland Show Edinburgh

Eton and Harrow Cricket Match Lords, London

Warwickshire Polo Cup Final Cirencester Park, Gloucestershire

Henley Royal Regatta

Royal Agricultural Show Warwickshire

- July -

Cheltenham International Festival of Music

Wimbledon Ladies Final

Game Conservancy Scottish Fair Perth, Scotland

Wimbledon Men's Final

More...soon

- see -

The site that tells you when and where to see the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, updated regularly featuring other events and activities.
The Home of Rest for Horses Yeti died at 36, last of the 3 horses to survive the Hyde Park nail bomb in 1982.
The Royal Mews
The British Monarchy
Royal History
Royal Engagements

The London Parks & Gardens Trust is an independent charitable trust whose objectives are: to promote education about historic parks and gardens in London to seek to conserve, enhance and recreate these gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public.

The royal parks

Royal Ascot at York 2005 - Latest news

Kenwood House - Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough.

Stately Homes

Apsley House No.1 London home of the first Duke of Wellington. Designed by Robert Adam between 1771-78

Visit Thames Picture yourself, your family and your friends in a boat, floating gently down the beautiful River Thames.

Somerset House A thriving cultural centre for London - a place for enjoyment, refreshment, arts and learning.