In an Uncertain World...

Shire Hall, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

It can't all be good, right? Maybe not the ugliest building in Cambridge but possibly the most boring (vying with the Guildhall in this) is the seat of our County government, Shire Hall. Built in 1931 it sits at the top of Castle Hill adjacent to Castle Mound, where there used to be a castle. There is, however a castle still in the vicinity which is very much worth visiting. I've just learned that Shire Hall has a nuclear bunker under it for the local elite. Well now, I'm definitely local and in my own mind I'm elite with a capital E(go) so I'm off to find it. I'm sure there'll be a sign for it...

All Aboard

Queens Emma, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

It's not often I say nice things about modern architecture in Cambridge as you know but ever since this was built, ten years ago, I've admired it. It's the Queen's Building in Emmanuel College and houses a 120 seat theatre for music, lectures or drama, together with seminar, reading and music practice rooms. It reminds me of an old paddle-steamer though. I feel an urge to don my white suit, boots and hat, climb aboard and glide down the mississippi with my sippin' whisky, playing Texas Hold 'Em and getting slapped by Miss Kitty...

Fabulous Monsters

Unicorn, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

At this moment the Unicorn sauntered by them, with his hands in his pockets. `I had the best of it this time?' he said to the King, just glancing at him as he passed.

`A little -- a little,' the King replied, rather nervously. `You shouldn't have run him through with your horn, you know.'

`It didn't hurt him,' the Unicorn said carelessly, and he was going on, when his eye happened to fall upon Alice: he turned round rather instantly, and stood for some time looking at her with an air of the deepest disgust.

`What -- is -- this?' he said at last.

`This is a child!' Haigha replied eagerly, coming in front of Alice to introduce her, and spreading out both his hands towards her in an Anglo-Saxon attitude. `We only found it to-day. It's as large as life, and twice as natural!'

`I always thought they were fabulous monsters!' said the Unicorn. `Is at alive?'

`It can talk,' said Haigha, solemnly.

The Unicorn looked dreamily at Alice, and said `Talk, child.'

Alice could not help her lips curing up into a smile as she began: `Do you know, I always thought Unicorns were fabulous monsters, too! I never saw one alive before!'

`Well, now that we HAVE seen each other,' said the Unicorn, `if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?'

`Yes, if you like,' said Alice.

(This mythical creature jumped out at me outside Sancton Wood school yesterday. St. Paul's Road if you want to try and catch it...)

Summer in the City

Grafi's, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Another spectacular British summer's day today. I took cover from the torrential rain at a stall in the Marketplace and spent ten minutes checking out these great original images and cartoons -all available as prints or on mugs and clocks. Very cool stuff. I was sorely tempted to buy some funky t-shirts for my zillions of Godchildren and although I spoil them already, I may yet go back and do so. The talented artist-proprietor of the stall was gracious enough to allow me to take some shots of her fantastically-colourful and original imagination so I thought it only fair to point you in the direction of her website which has all the great stuff she's dreamt up on it. The feline "self-determination" is a classic, as is "crossword" - both on this page. So, all in all, a fortuitous rainstorm.

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CB2, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Boring picture but not a boring place. You need to find this when you visit. If only to buy me a coffee... This is a great coffee bar. It's an internet cafe and a restaurant too but at its heart it's a lazin-away-the-week- talkin-rubbish-and-watchin-the-world-go-by coffee bar. Full of students, lecturers and locals CB2 has a great atmosphere, good, solid coffee and brilliant staff. You can while away hours here chatting, reading or surfing the net - if you bring you're own laptop it's free. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm always in there so look out for me (the grumpy one) when you visit. CB2 - the second best coffee bar in Cambridge. And of course, it solves that age-old paradox of how to be in two places at the same time; you see, when you're in CB1 you're not necessarily in CB2 but when you're in CB2 you're definitely, actually, in CB1. (Check the address...)

Reflected Pane

Reflected Pane, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

All over the place today. Helping a friend move so it was either a picture of two grey paunchy late 30-somethings sweating down the stairs carrying a tallboy / bed / wardrobe with "Incipient Heart Attack" written in glowing neon over their heads - or a beautiful picture from the library. As I didn't have one of those either you'll have to settle for this of dusk on Castle Hill - I just liked the play of light and colour. Possibly more entertaining is the new link of the week to the right. You've gotta love a site featuring "Deity of the Day" surely? Today's is ZI-GU, Goddess of Toilets, and you already know I like a good convenience. Anyway, I'll be back taking proper shots on Monday (if I'm not in hospital....)

Beautiful Game

Football, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

A lot of people don't realise it but the official rules of football were drawn up in Cambridge. Yep, all the diving, fouling and match-fixing that go on in today's illustrious competition are all based on the breaking of rules first pasted up on the trees surrounding Parker's Piece (as seen above on a recent sunny day). Just 100 yds from my front door. The scent of the pitch, the quivering excitement, the sheer endurance of the human body and spirit reaching a crescendo of form and function that is The Beautiful Game - I'm oblivious to it all. Can't stand the game. Much prefer the crossword.... :)

Kiss

The Clinch, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I'm really getting to like a lot of street art now - trust it's not too boring for you. Not by Maya this time but another stencil graf, this one down Mill Road. I cycled past and saw it from the corner of my eye. I think it makes quite an impact, half-obscured behind a tree - there's a realism to it I guess. I wondered if it was new but it was posted on this group in May (check the link - it has some nice stuff). I think it evokes long summer nights, eternal looks, heightened senses and the wildfire of passion. It may strike a memory chord with a few of us, no? A distant one for me though, I have to say...

Sunny Days...

IMG_0365, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

You didn’t realise we had a little piece of the Med right here in Blighty did you? Yep, just down the road from me there’s a street where it’s always sunny and everyone’s happy and friendly all the time. Ok, I’m clearly fibbing – that place could never exist. But the one above does – only it’s in Malta ( a few weeks back). But if you look at what today’s weather was like (the view from my window), you’ll understand why I wanted to post something cheery. Mind you – there is a piece of the Mediterranean in the UK – look here at Portmerion in South Wales (official site here ) – built by a wealthy bod in the last century (and used for the TV series The Prisoner ). Mad as toast but funky too… Anyway, after this sweet sunny sojourn, we'll be back in Cambridge tomorrow.

Downing Doubled

Dow2, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

John Adams (1735 - 1826)

Sadly he didn't attend the college, I just like the quote. This is a shot of Downing's Chapel which was only built in the 1950s. Turning around affords you this rather exceptional view of the Catholic Church but better still, go here and play with this uber-cool panorama of the Main Court. Not bad environs to spend your days eh? You could be excused for feeling a bit special, I think.

A Day for Downing

Downing, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Dragged a couple of Godchildren (15 and 12) round with me today. They're great girls and are happy enough to humour me on my 'I love Cambridge so you will too' excursions. I love that they still manage to dredge up a look of enthusiasm when I suggest a day out with me - even though they know they'll be traipsing round colleges and dusty old museums. heh. So I bought their goodwill with hot chocolates out of the torrential rain at CB2 (4 of 6 soon) which always goes down well and then we had lunch at Zizzi - nice location and views yet you'd eat the same but better at Pizza Express. Then came the dull stuff. Downing College which has the largest and most beautiful court in Cambridge (more tomorrow) and continues to build new buildings in its classical style but with a modern edge. This shows the pristine Maitland Robinson Library (1993) through the pillars of the end of the North Range (1950s). The most famous alumnus is probably John Cleese who supposedly thought up The Ministry of Silly Walks while watching passers-by trying to negotiate the large puddles which appear in the college's gravel paths during wet weather. Then the torture continued as I forced them next door to the Fitzwilliam Museum - only to find it closed on Mondays. 'Oh no!' cried the 12 year-old, 'I'm really gutted....'

Grand Ambition

Arcade, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I've mentioned that there's stacks of building going on in Cambridge at the moment. The most high-profile is the Grand Arcade - a new shopping arcade in the centre of town. This is a model of the scheme that's on show in the Grafton Centre to keep the public informed. There's no doubt we needed something to replace the Lion Yard, a 60's mess, and I have naive high hopes that this will house many independent retailers offering the best that the local and national suppliers can provide. But some cynics have suggested it will just be full of Gap, Next and mobile phone shops like every other British town centre. Surely not...

3 of 6 but No.1

Arts, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I was going to save the best til last but we were here yesterday so took the opportunity. This, the coffee bar of the Arts Picturehouse, is my absolute favourite place to hang out. There are free papers, the coffee's great and the atmosphere is relaxed with the gentle buzz of discussion as film debates rage... As I've mentioned before it's situated in part of what was the ABC cinema many years ago and retains a lot of the Deco style which has been incorporated into a modern retro look. When the sun's shining and the city is full of floral beauty and healthy pursuits it's great to reject all that nonsense, come here and sit inside, drink your espresso (or, perversely, Green Ginger tea as HVT3 was having yesterday... I mean, is that even a real drink???) and enjoy the comfiest massivest sofas in Cambridge. And the best bit? Sitting here makes people think you've just emerged from a demanding, intellectually stimulating and culturally enlightening foreign language flik ;p Of course, sometimes that's true - did you see this? I recommend it hugely but with massive caveats about not having eaten beforehand. And taking a friend. And something to hide behind.

Late Night Blues....and Reds and Greens...

WC, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

It's embarrassing really. You take a picture, you know it's poor but it still looks funky. Then you go and find that those pesky Wikipedia peeps have done what you've done, only way better. Theirs is such a good one though, I feel I should link to it. Then again, they don't have the added feature of the clearly chemically-enhanced dude who couldn't remember how to open the door. He cracked us up. So anyway, this is the fairly cool public toilet block on Parker's Piece. They're design award-winners. The architects justifiably blow their own trumpets here. The building's best feature may well be what attracts people like the chap mentioned above: the panels are constantly changing colour. Psychedelic-like, man. Alternatively, perhaps he was waiting to be beamed up...

Diverse Unity

Bridge1, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Still on Mill Road. Thought I'd show you the result of a community painting project I saw being tackled last week. This is the railway bridge which a long time has been the obvious and well-used target for graffiti - some good, mostly bad. The council has countered this in recent years by asking local groups (mainly school and community) to create designs to decorate and enhance it. Voting for the designs has been under way for a bit and this was a winner. As was this, the sentiment of which I like but the picture is even worse than the one I show here. Sadly, the day after this was completed it was covered with anti-Israeli scrawls. Pleased to say it was fixed up straight away - I think it's great and I'm glad to say the rain doesn't dampen its spirit.

More Maya

Maya detail, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Was heading down Mill Road yesterday, a solid alternative shopping destination to the two chain-based, cookie-cutter town and Grafton centres and home to the mighty Cutlacks 'Two Floors of Great Value!' hardware store, when I realised I had a chance to show you this. The image above is a detail of the full graf here which was commissioned by St Phillip's and St Stephen's Church. It's an arresting stencil treatment of Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross as you probably know and cheers me immensely whenever I pass. I'm annoyed that someone else has scrawled on it but the irony works I guess. I've featured an (awesome) piece by Maya before and you'll find loads of her stuff on her flickr pages here. So what's a little favouritism now and then?

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Cazimir, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Sorry about the picture - taken with my phone... Cazimir is another of the excellent coffee shops we have here in town. Situated in King Street (famous for its pub crawl - the King Street Run) it's little more than a small room so people frequently spill out onto the pavement outside. Opened by a Polish woman a few years back it quickly took off through offering great food - lots of salads and with many Polish dishes on offer. Not the cheapest but definitely fresh, healthy and very tasty. It's had a change of ownership recently so we'll see how that works out. The coffee here is good if a little characterless but the overall friendliness of the staff and the bustling atmosphere of the place makes it great for wasting a few hours (!). The clientele are locals and students. Tourists don't make it this far off the beaten track (it's actually only about 500 yds but pretty well hidden). The walls often feature work by local artists - frequently awful, occasionally brilliant.

Picture Perfect


As loads of you knew it was Constable's The Haywain although it does take liberal use of the imagination to recreate the scene. It is still a beautiful spot though - even on a rainy dreary day! So I've listed all the winners in the Hall of Kudos to the right (that took ages!). Now, no complaints - a couple of you clearly knew what it was BUT didn't say it so you get Gold Kudos as do those who got the painting or the artist but not both. Well done all of you. Thanks everyone for taking part! Great fun!! Now all I'm wondering is how many of you used the clues and just put 'famous painting' and any of the places mentioned or on the map into Google to produce the answer in less than 10 seconds....? ;-p

Tease Time

Where, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Don't click the links yet. I left the city yesterday and travelled a few miles to have lunch and catch up after a few months with an old friend. It's not very far at all so I figure it still counts as fitting subject matter for CDP. We had a great day. She's a doctor in what's claimed to be Britain's oldest town. I went to pick her up and we popped over to a lovely pub, The Crown, for lunch which was excellent - and better yet, she paid! Afterwards we headed back via this village, travelling on the same distance again before parking up to walk awhiles and eventually arrive at the place you see above. It's the exact setting for a very famous picture. This shot is almost that exact view (they have a sign telling muppets like me where to stand), minus a few things and plus a lot of years. Ok - so what painting am I talking about? If you need them the links will give you more clues as to the location but you guys are all pretty switched on so I should think you already know. In fact the more I look the more obvious it seems. Anyway, I've turned comment moderation on so everyone has time to guess and for those that do so correctly I'll buy them a car. Ok, so I'll just list them in a virtual Hall of Kudos on Monday....

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Michaelhouse, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

There are exactly six great coffee bars in Cambridge. There are probably a hundred places to get coffee but only six are great. They are, of course, all independent and they are great for different reasons - and not necessarily for the coffee (although in each it is far better than in any of the chains). This one is the Michaelhouse Centre, created from the shell of a redundant church in the centre of town. It was sympathetically restored a couple of years ago and at the same time they designed a unique space for a small restaurant / cafe. The result is a modern and sophisticated bistro which retains an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Sitting, coffee in one hand, book in the other, under the arches of the nave arcade in comfy chairs is utter bliss. People are definitely quieter and more polite here too - I wonder why...? The nave doubles as an exhibition space for local artists and photographers. Equally importantly they've enclosed and refurbed the chancel and side-chapel, reopening them as consecrated areas for worship. Read more here.

Eastern Inspiration

CCA, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Cambridge has a number of touristy art galleries but there are some serious ones too and this is one of them. Cambridge Contemporary Art displays all media from painting through metalwork to ceramics - from local and international artists. I was in the Trinity Street area yesterday and popped in to do my impression of a cultured individual and thought these were gorgeous. They've been ruined by my photo but they had a luminance that drew me across the shop. The artist is Jane Hollidge and this is part of her collection of Raku earthenware - a Japanese style of pottery. Read all about Raku here. Cambridge Contemporary Art is a participating venue of the Arts Council's "Own Art" scheme where you put down 10% and pay back the rest, interest free, over ten months. It's a good idea and helps the artist and the budding art collector. But seriously, to own some art of your own you don't even need 10% - just right-click on any of my images...;-p

Golden State

Auric, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Not a great picture as I didn't get a good viewpoint but I still find them fascinating - as do others judging by the crowd. Living Statues are really popular these days and kids especially find them enthralling... or bewildering! These two were in Sidney Street and I swear they didn't even blink for the ten minutes I was there. Pure brilliance. So I investigated and found info on them and where to get some for your own event (!) but more importantly how to be one. Next time you see one (Atlas or Xerxes maybe) in this neck of the woods put lots of money in his collection (I have to furnish a new apartment...)

Mills and Mosquitos

Windmill, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Ever the optimists, we went out to Wicken Fen yesterday in search of 'Spectacular Sunsets' as advertised on natural world tv shows etc. Instead we have a moody windmill. We had loads of cloud, a recalcitrant sun and every mosquito in the country - maybe you get the picture; we certainly didn't. But actually - this is a cheery windmill shot; taken by Heidi, another budding photographer friend whose other impressive work can be seen here. I was going to use this shot of mine but it cast an altogether bleaker mood. Wicken Fen's a few miles out of Cambridge and is a National Nature Reserve where the fenland and all its wildlife is managed but left as it was in the last centuries.It's very compelling and reminds me of the big skies and beautiful bleakness of Graham Swift's Waterlands, an excellent read, later made into a movie stunningly filmed further north of here, in the depths of The Fens, a slightly weird waterlogged part of East Anglia (where a certain photoblogger grew up). Back to the picture; you prefer mine, right..?

Moving On.

XSX, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Bit of a selfish one today. Ostensibly this is an interesting shot portraying Hills Road, one of the main arteries to the city centre with a quirky reflection of St Paul's church, an important part of the community in that part of town. In reality, the picture is a homage to my car, a bit of which you can see, which for the last couple of years has warmed my heart enormously and which now, sadly, has to go because I am moving to a new uber-cool apartment which you can see, almost, just above the green traffic light.There's no parking and on the street it would just get keyed (again) so I have to sell it. Bittersweet progress. At least I won't miss the number plate (the name of the pic)...

Picture In Picture

Artist, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I've seen this guy around town the last few weeks. He just sets up and gets to work fairly oblivious to the crowds who are drawn to him.This time he was on the quayside near a dreadful (in other words popular with young people...) bar near the river called Henry's. There are coffee bars and restaurants around as well so it's usually rammed with people. He's chosen to leave most of them out of his picture though. The subject of his efforts is Magdelene Bridge (pronounced maudlin). It sits on the site of the original crossings that gave Cambridge its name and which were all wooden until 1754. This one was erected in 1823, is cast iron and was designed and built by Arthur Browne. More interesting however, the blue building to the right is The Pickerel pub - allegedly the oldest in town which has been a brothel, gin palace, opium den and home to a ghost or two. I visit it purely to research pieces for CDP. And return to double-check my findings of course....

Swing Jazz - not...

Gold, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Today was a lovely, if muggy, summer's day and we headed over to Jesus Green to listen to a swing band I'd heard was going to be playing a free concert. I was going to use a picture of that for you today but, as you can see, I'm so appallingly bad at those shots that I refuse to post them anymore. Luckily I was captivated by this guy's shirt and decided this picture would look cool. Not as cool as me when I find a shirt just like it...

Artitecture

Artitecture, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I get a childlike pleasure from juxtaposing and superimposing two images through reflection to create a third verifiable composition. Like with this other picture taken ages ago - still one of my favourites. This afternoon my brother and I were walking down King's Parade where there are assorted touristy shops and galleries. I just caught this out of the corner of my eye and snapped it. The reflection is of King's College Gatehouse (with the chapel in the background) but I'm afraid I forgot to check the name of the artist. Maybe I'll pop back tomorrow and credit her. Is that sexist or intuitive of me - assuming it's a woman...? The vivacity of the colours and the fluidity and grace of the lines can only be evidence of the heightened aesthetic sensibilities of a feminine judgement surely...;p

Time Tower

Lloyds1, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

This is one of the nicest commercial buildings in Cambridge. Built in the early 1890s it was originally part of Foster's Bank (one of the founders was named Ebenezer - of course) but is now part of the Lloyds TSB banking group. There's a fairly insipid extension on one side of the building but the rest is, as you can see, handsome and quite majestic. Better still, the interior is astonishingly good and I'll bring you a shot of that soon.

Light Through Yonder Window

Glass2, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

I've a feeling you'll get bored of these before long - details from stained glass windows really appeal to me though, as you know, so I thought I'd make a series of them - one a month. They're stories created by man but that remain unfinished til given drama by the sun. The intensity of the colours and light can be dazzling at times but the expertise of the artist always shines through - frequently from another century. I find them transcendant. This one is from the chapel of Gonville and Caius.

Mayan Man

Zak's, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

So we're out yesterday evening trying to find some good subject matter to shoot in the Castle Hill area of town, home to Cambridge's very own castle - in 1068. Now it's just a mound. It's a nice area, the highest part of Cambridge, and has some atmospheric streets and historic buildings but the light was dull, there was little going on and the Siren call of The Castle, an Adnams pub so well worth making a beeline for when you come here, was getting louder when we passed this fella. He's all that's left of a somewhat-authentic Mexican restaurant called Zak's which closed a while ago and now sadly the windows are smashed and boarded up. For a better photographer's version of the same subject go to this page (and whilst there scroll down to his Cambridge Sunset - definitely worth checking out).

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Afternoon, originally uploaded by Neorelix.

Please dont lie upon the grass
Unless accompanied by a fellow
May I be so bold as to perhaps suggest Othello
Punting on the cam is jolly fun they say.

Marillion, Garden Party.

Chucking it down with rain today so thought I'd post happy memories of the weekend to keep me going til the sun comes back...