onionbagblog

Social Swimming History

“It was a time when we let as many things happen as possible just for fun, not necessarily making money, giving people chance to try things out.”

BRILLIANT modern social history of the lovely lido, via @BrixtonBlog.

It captures perfectly the ethos of Brockwell Lido during the Golden Years of Paddy and Casey. This Transpontine spirit can still be seen if you strain your eyes around the four walls of the lovely lido, albeit with an increasing corporate constraint from Fusion.

Gone are the flags, murals and honesty buckets. Plus the topless bathers. The pay off is that Lake Brockwell does now make money throughout the twelve months of the season.

It’s all about… sustainability.

URGH.

Does the opportunity to try things out still exist?

For all the BONKERS model submarine expos and Hold Your Breath Underwater competitions of the Golden Years long since past, Fusion has at least shown some scope for experimentation.

Film nights, the return of the Brockwell Icicles and even Jazz by the Lido last weekend. There’s something magical about the surrounds of Brockwell that captures the spirit of try it and see.

I’d like to rationalise how the positioning of the South London sun trap enables mystic rays to concentrate a Brockwell beam of creativity to be amplified around the lovely lido. But that’s just hippy shit silliness.

Perhaps the legacy of Paddy and Casey is that the ‘chance to try things out’ has been passed down through the generations and hasn’t really disappeared.

The teenage kids that grew up around the lido during the early 90′s are now forming their own off-shoot groups. Relationships have been made, lido babies have been born and the cycle of endless South London procrastination continues.

Come on in…

Better By Bike

Cheaper, quicker, and far more enjoyable - this has long since been my mantra as to why I choose to cycle around London, rather than use any other form of transport. Two quantitative reasons, one qualitative.

And now here’s the scientific evidence to back up the speed claim:

“It turns out that in London almost all journeys of less than 5km are quicker by bike, and public transport only becomes faster for more than 50 percent of journeys if you’re travelling more than 13km.”

But a man who bombs around London on a bicycle is a man who is missing the sheer wonder of observing what is around him on two wheels. The qualitative enjoyment of being able to navigate around one of the greatest cities at your own pace on pedals tops the quantitative Q’s of price and pace.

“I enjoy my commute because I cycle,” while one commenter described a tour of London landmarks taking in Tower Bridge, London Bridge, and St Paul’s Cathedral on the way to work. He concluded: “I won’t to change my place, I love my route!”

Has anyone actually cycled down to Mitcham though?

via @roadcc.