Are You Taking the P!ss?

No it doesn't mean what these three possibly european bums did in the corner before they passed out on top of each other on this couch on Brick Lane. In Brit speak "are you taking the p!ss" means "are you having a Giraffe?". Which in Cockney rhyme slang means "Are you kidding me?". So in the end it means are you joking? Insert British accent for more humor.



Drug dealer on Old Ford Road. I was taking a pic of those chimneys in the back when this dude rolls up and says "what are you taking a picture of, take a picture of me". So i quickly snapped a few horrible shots while he asked me if i smoke or do coke. I said eh and he handed me a fortune cookie sized piece of paper with his name and number hand written on it and said call him and he can sort it out. I later saw dude on Old Ford road again on day 2 of the big London Riots with a bandana around his face, I was going for a jog. I didn't say hi to him cuz number 1, why would i do that, and 2, he probably remembers that i have pics of him. On the news they were asking people to send photos and identify rioters. whether he was en route to partake in some unsavory activities like breaking windows remains a mystery, but he certainly was dressed for the part, and this prior encounter doesn't help either. Don't look for them, they'll find you. Everyone gets asked if they want drugs by what seems like the majority of the male population in whitechapel/bethnal green/brick lane/hackney.



A way cool discovery was regents canal. I guess there are other canals too like little venice. I have to check it out.



I'm in love with these narrow boats. I saw a sign that said they can only stay for 14 days and then have to move their boats. Maybe that means they don't have to pay for moorings to dock their boats if they just move down the canal every 2 weeks?





boot planters.





you can rent this kind of narrow boat/canal boat. I want to do it for a night and have a little party on one. but summer is over so i don't think its going to happen. but for anyone reading this that has a chance next year, think of how cool it would be slowly chugging through the canals of London, sipping wine/beer/champagne with a few of your good buddies and male/female companion.



a different kind of canal boat.



back of that same boat.



there is a path along the canal with lots of joggers and bikers, it's a cool path that transports you from london to like some cool canal path. creative descript i know.



water fowl with freaky feet.



why don't they have these east west signs other places? they would really help travellers.



i saw a few young people with these boats and talked to two boats. 1 guy said the boat was 10,000 pounds. he had a solar panel and internet. he uses his parents address for mail.



this one was cool. it's a traveling tea and snack boat. i talked to the Woman and she says she travels between the different canals in London and you can see her location on her website. I didn't have time to have tea there but I will soon! lets go everybody!:

http://www.thesandwichbarge.co.uk/



bookshop boat



what appeared to be a bike repair boat but just may be a young guys boat that was fixing his friends bike and selling this one.



ping pong in some park with James and some of his friends.



pints at some pub that had board games and this game where you guess what you are but you can't see the card.



these seem like new bums. they may be eastern european. this was on brick lane, in this alley that smells like p!ss. this is one of the downsides of brick lane. this is not Japan. well it could be if they were wearing black suits, replaced the couch with subway benches, increased the money in their pockets from $0 to a lot, and replaced that garbage back there with a suitcase or something.



Every sunday they have the Brick Lane market, I took a stroll with my flatmate Lucy and her dogs through here and up to the Columbia Flower market which is also every sunday. From wikipedia: Pearly Kings and Queens, known as pearlies, are an organised charitable tradition of working class culture in London, England.^[1] The practice of wearing clothes decorated with pearl buttons originated in the 19th century.^[1] It is first associated with Henry Croft, an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity. There is a pearly king and queen from each part of the city that is elected. in the old days these pearly kings would protect the street vendors from bullies trying to oust them from their spots. The suits are woan at charity events, christenings, weddings, and funerals. My photographer flatmate Lucy did some event and they were there.



of course its so stereotypical for there to be a fox doing needle point embroidery in the window wearing james dean/hipster/shoreditch clothing above the columbia flower market. I got 3 big bundles of Lilies for a sunday dinner party at Ed's house.



whitechapel road and valance road. E1 PMP. its a subaru something. due to the neighborhood you can almost guarantee that this is owned by someone from the area of india and that they are super cool. why else would they park it on the side walk?