Thursday 21 June 2012

A momentous decision

I am well and truly off Facebook - and by "off", I mean no longer do I have a page. I won't be a pompous arse and say all the crass things about it, but I have a real problem with the access situation. I'm sure I've done enough cyber walking for "them" to know a lot about me - as is the case for anyone who has surfed the Tinterweb - BUT I really don't like a big company like Facebook passing on the fact that I once liked Didier Drogba's Facebook page and that I might like to buy a condo in the Ivory Coast. In the long run it really doesn't matter I know, but hey that's me and my discomfort has made up my mind for me. NO MORE FACEBOOK!


I have a lovely website - designed by the lovely Karen Cooper of KC Graphics - and really don't feel the need to show off anywhere else but here in bloggocks-land and leave the website to do the job of drumming up business for my gardening skills (sic). 

http://www.simonmurraygardenservices.co.uk/


What I might do is add a few more aspects of the Murray life and blog on a few  subjects (hooray say you, Mr Deluded). So, on Saturday had a visit down to London to meet up with a few of the ex-picketers from outside South Africa House. It was hugely disappointing on the numbers front, eight as against about 40 last year, but we were a perfectly formed gathering of immense political- and radical-ness, despite what some misguided communists might think.


The only reason I think it was so badly attended was probably because last year was the 25th anniversary of the Non-Stop Picket for the Release of Nelson Mandela and All Political Prisoners in Apartheid South Africa, run by the awesome City of London Anti-Apartheid Group - City AA, City Group, The Non-Stop Picket or as the lovely Boys in Blue from Cannon Row cop shop used to call us, The Claags! This is a link to a superb on-going documentation of the picket by Gavin Brown, an ex-picketer himself:

http://nonstopagainstapartheid.wordpress.com/


However, I did meet up with Deirdre, Gavin and Patrick for lunch and a trip to The Tate Modern in the afternoon to see Damien Hirst's exhibition. 




I'm no fan, but have a very slight regard for Mr Hirst, if only because he takes the piss out of the middle classes and above and basically steals from them. Crazy stuff. The exploitation of animals is repulsive. Killing sharks to order, especially endangered ones would be pathetic if it wasn't so ignorant, arrogant and full of bullshit.

Below we have thousands of cigarette butts on mirrored shelves...





...I confess I never read the blurb because it's always so pretentious and full of bullshit, so what this represents, other than many hours work for the staff of the Tate Modern, I have no idea - don't wanna know either...



One thing though, here's a few nice shots of London...



SA House... Nearly 20 years since we left it alone...

Countdown continues to some sporting event
in the East End - 74 days to go

This is from the roof of the Tate Modern, the Members bar, fabulous
Once again when I arrived in town, the first bus I saw was this:






They've gone back to a double decker, very sensible!


And finally, a new garden to look after...





...not a lot to do at the front, but a massive lawn to cut every two weeks round the back.


So, there you have it, a little bit of gardening news at the end, so I don't feel too bad. Thinking of starting a new radio station, anyone got any ideas as to how to go about it?


Happy twiddling...