Roarin' Around





































It was back in the 60's that department stores really stocked everything, and one could wander into Harrods and casually purchase a pet lion cub from the 'exotic animals' department, on your way past haberdashery and manchester.  Christian the lion spent his first year of life living it up with his Australian carers in their London flat, cruising around in the backseat of a Bentley, dining at restaurants, and reclining on the chaise longues  at his digs in the furniture shop aptly named 'SophistoCat'.

The vicar of the Moravian Chapel nearby was approached to allow Christian the run of the graveyard, and every day he was taken there to roar around and play football.
Once, when he was brought along to a seaside picnic, he dipped his toes reluctantly in the water and intimated with a shudder that it was disagreeably cold. But he was eventually persuaded to swim in the English Channel.

"Sometimes, he'd see people staring at him through the back window of the car, keep very still on purpose - and then, just when they were convinced he was a stuffed toy, he would very slowly turn his head and freak them out."

excerpts from The Daily Mail

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time


Upper Baker Street, c. 1905, Baker Street and Portman Mansions, c. 1900, and Bell Street, N.W. 1, c. 1904

Carlisle Street, N.W. 1, with some 'Baker Street Irregulars'

City of London street, c. 1900, Marylebone Road, 1900, and Paddington Station, 1896

Melcombe Street, N.W.1, 1898

'Upper Swandham Lane'

Sherlock Holmes and his interest in dogs.

'I have serious thoughts of writing a small monograph upon the uses of dogs in the work of the detective.'

"May I draw your attention to the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.


Sherlock Holmes 's sitting-room at 221B Baker Street

Illustrations from 'My Life With Sherlock Holmes: Conversations in Baker Street', by John H. Watson, M.D.

Warm Grey / Cool Grey






Collection of movable type in trays at the Spitalfields Market, Alexander Calder in motion at the Tate Modern, overbridge at the Midland Railway, Carnival of Food at Indietracks, portrait and tiled fireplace in foyer in Glasgow.

Today the sky is exactly the same grey as it was in these photos, and a light smattering of rain falling. All in all a good day to watch Poirot and read James Bond. Which sounds rather backwards, in a way. Accompanied by an increasing playlist of songs to play next Wednesday at the bar beneath my apartment.