I heart nature

Back from a weekend in Brussels, I saw this Diesel ad which is on their site but not to be seen in Paris.

Makes we want to go for a walk in the woods. Because I love nature. Don't you?

Parisian street art

In the space of two days I came across a couple of pieces of rather nice street art here. The first is much in the style of artist Space Invader (although his stuff has got a teensy bit boring now, and anyway he's busy doing this thing all round the world), this is a larger-scale piece of 8-bit mosaic art that reminds me of great video games.

The second piece is subtler, something that I hadn't seen before. Straight on it looks kinda abstract...

Of course, from the side it makes a lot more sense...

Erm, still can't quite work out what it is (ideas anyone?) but I like the concept. Has a hint of the New York Beautification Project about it. More please!

Amazing new play area in the Parc de Belleville

I read about this astounding new play area this week and had to go down to see it immediately. It's in the Parc de Belleville, one of my favourite parks in Paris for several reasons:

- it's on a hill that gives amazing views over Paris,
- lots of leafy alleys, great for strolling,
- ramps everywhere, making it completely wheelchair-friendly,
- loads of fountains and water, refreshing in summer,
- great flower beds and plenty of grass to lie around on,

and now, the most amazing play area I think I've ever seen. Designed by the BASE landscape design agency at a cost of 1.1K€ ($1.6M/£870K) and two years in the making, it's a refreshing change from the wooden castles or gaudy animals on giant springs that are standard playground fare. And whereas most children's play areas are about maximum security for out little cherubs, this one is based on judging risk. It's set on a 30° slope with different areas for different ages. Children can clearly see what they are getting into before trying an area, teaching them to anticipate problems and know their limits, rather than nannying them with a completely flat soulless plain of rubberised safety.
Replacing (and grafted onto the remains of) a previous all-wooden structure that had been closed for the last six years after subsidence, it's the sort of area I would have absolutely loved as a kid. As a photographer, I was inspired by the graphic nature of the various structures, almost abstract in some cases...
Plus, the views from the top of the park are amazing...
Ironically (for a play area based on risk assessment) and almost inevitably (in this age of new puritanism) I had a run in with the park guards.

Whilst taking photos, one of them came up to me, told me to stop and said that I had to have a permit. I told him that he was wrong; in a public place you don't need a permit to photograph. He said that it was in the park regulations, and asked me what I was going to do with the photos. I said that I wouldn't answer that question as he had no right to ask. He said something like "plus, there are children about" although it was very obvious that I was taking photos of the structure more than anything. I told him that he was ridiculous, continued taking photos and he walked off.

Directly afterwards I checked out the park regulations and article 25 expressly states that photography is allowed.
So I went back to see him and told him that he was very obviously wrong about the park regulations. He said "no, you do need a permit when there are children around." At this point I gave up, told him that he should stop talking rubbish to people and left. Just when did society get so touchy about this? How could one take photos in a public park and not have a few stray kids in them? We shouldn't let over-zealous jobsworths gnaw away at civil liberties like this. Know your rights and don't be intimidated!

Anyway, I would recommend a trip to the Parc de Belleville if you're in Paris. It's great whether you're with or without kids.

Check out my Flickr set, showing more of the play area, the greenery and the views.

We live in a truly sick world

It already makes me queasy (as a vegetarian) to have to give meat to our cat Kulfi, but she's fussy so... Felix it has to be. However, this evening even she wouldn't touch her food, so I checked the tin to see what variety I should be avoiding in the future, and then it struck me...

Rabbit with carrots! Am I overreacting or is that really creepy? First the rabbits get to eat the carrots, then they get to be served up with them! That's almost as bad as eating a chicken omelette, or the story my Latin teacher used to tell us about how he used to love feeding lamb sandwiches to sheep. Ugh!

Must find a veggie alternative. Fast!

My face is my passport

After accepting a kind invitation to my brother's plastic flower party in London at the end of the month (yep, a plastic flower party), I suddenly realised that my bloomin' passport had expired! Cue panic and apprehension of bureaucracy.

However, after a quick visit to the British Embassy and I am reassured that I can just pop in one morning, give them all the necessary (including 158 fuggin' euros) and leave with it under my arm.

I did, of course, need a new photo, and I thought it would be fun to compare it with the previous one...

(Click photo for scary size)

So what had changed? Well, in 1998 the crappo machine in the métro gave me a soft of hobbit-like soft haze and doe eyes. Really not me. I did quite like that haircut though.

Hairline seems to be fairly stable. Face is bit thinner. Also, America's continuing war on moisture means that the new photo must conform to biometric standards, meaning that I'm not allowed to smile. So, I look a bit stern but - frankly - it could have been a lot worse.

For once, I think I prefer the new me!

Not growing old gratefully - female edition

So remaking George Cukor's classic The Women might be a really bad idea to start off with, but how about filling the remake with some of Hollywood's most botoxed actrices?

The new version stars Meg Ryan (46), who now has no wrinkles anywhere on her face and a Joker-style stretched smile surrounded by impossibly fat lips. Next to her, Annette Bening (50) looks positively normal.

But the one that shocked me the most in the trailer was Bette Midler (62). She looks like she's has a ping-pong ball sliced in half and inserted in her cheeks. In this shot, my theory is that she has just been presented with a mirror...

Back from holidays

So, I'm back. Hurrah.

Three weeks in the countryside makes returning to Paris a strange experience. Wearing shoes is strange. The weather is pretty crap. The whole city has been emptied of its population, replaced by tourists and homosexuals.

Spent a lot of time gardening (see below), eating great organic food and marvelling at nature. Here are a few shots. More to be seen here at Flick if you have a few minutes.

Thought I'd have a restful week getting back into the swing of things, but in fact I'm booked up all day every day until Friday; I'll be testing a new game for the Wii! Should be fun or stressful (not sure which yet...)

Lots more photo silliness here.

Holiday weather

Before I get into the details of our holiday, I just wanted to show you that the weather was generally very hot and occasionally quite impressive...