Deptford Design Festival/Deptford X

If you get chance to spend some time in Deptford this weekend, make sure you check out some of the events in the Deptford Design Festival. Unfortunately the website is rather vague about what is happening where - I couldn't find any kind of programme - but much of it seems to be focussed on Cockpit Arts and the Faircharm estate, so I would guess Creekside is the place to be.

If you can't get along this weekend, do try and make it to the Royal Festival Hall from 15th to 25th September, to see the outcome of the Deptford Design Market Challenge. This is an absolutely inspired idea from Raw Nerve, in which they took 27 objects bought from Deptford's junk market and asked 27 different designers to transform these discarded objects into things of beauty or function. They have come up with some fascinating results - some more successful than others - and even if you can't get to see the objects at the exhibition, the website is well worth a look. Click on each of the items and you get to see the 'before and after' makeover photos, sometimes several of each.

I particularly liked the sofa that had been transformed using old teatowels, and the jigsaw that was made fiendishly difficult by photographing the pieces and then making the photograph into a second jigsaw. Even my gran, the queen of jigsaws, might struggle with that!

***NEWS JUST IN - UPDATED DEPTFORD X WEBSITE lots of info about this weekend's events***

Wavelengths progress

Take a look at these lovely glulam roof beams - while you still can! The roof of the new 25m pool in Deptford is up, I suspect it will soon be covered by some architectural equivalent of corrugated steel,and I'm not sure what length of the beams will remain visible when it is finished.

It's certainly cutting an impressive dash right now though - and making us all quite excited about the finished product.

Deptford lives

Thanks to the Ragged School Blog for pointing this out.

I saw the film Deptford Lives at the Made in Deptford festival, but for those who missed it, you can now watch it online here.

It's well worth a look - especially if your only knowledge of Deptford and its residents is via the BBC's documentary The Tower! This series of short documentaries gives a nice flavour of the people and places of the area, showing that it's not all drugs and yuppies...

Project Brockzilla

I've been a bit slow on the uptake on this one for some reason. I think I missed the original announcement and it didn't really strike me until I was reading it this morning and had a moment of inspiration...

Well if time allows and the weather improves (currently pissing it down AGAIN) I may submit something. I would class myself more of a creative type than a full-blown artist; I love making crafty things that are practical or wearable, rather than struggling with concepts and reasons and explanations and so on. Luckily we seem to have lots of artists, creatives and crafters around this neck of the woods, so I feel like I'm in good company!

So come on folks, take a look and rev up your creative juices for Project Brockzilla!

First time for everything!

This lovely bike shed has been on Deptford station for several months now. The other day we saw a rare sight - bikes in the shed! I'm not by any means saying that Deptford station suffers more crime than any other station in the region - I would certainly think twice about leaving my bike at ANY rail station for more than about half an hour! Greenwich station has lockers for bikes (or at least it used to, don't know if they are still there) but you have to rent them, which is a pain unless you cycle every day. I prefer to skip the train altogether on the days I use my bike, and ride all the way to to work. I might have a different opinion if I had to actually cross the West End by bike though - my route ends just north of the river in Pimlico so it's quite a pleasant route.

A photograph was required as evidence that the shed actually gets used. Later I came back and the bikes were gone, hopefully still in the hands of their rightful owners.

Cake and creativity news

No time like the present eh? Just back from a very worthwhile trip to Deptford Properly, our new neighbourhood cafe; a visit which was notable for several reasons. Firstly, and of course most importantly for a cafe, it ticked many of the boxes for me in terms of tea and cake. And some of those were boxes that very rarely get ticked, I have to add - such as the presence of proper tea leaves, tea strainer, and teacup and saucer. I never make tea like that at home due to the inconvenience of having to clean out the teapot afterwards, but it marks out a proper cafe for me. I've long been a fan of Royal Teas in Greenwich for just this reason, but it is great to see tea leaves creeping over the borough border into Deptford at last!



As far as cake goes, I only got chance to try the lemon cake, but it was absolutely sublime and I have no reason to believe the other cakes on offer would not meet the same standard. You can also get light lunches (homemade quiche, humus, sandwiches etc) and a huge range of drinks, herbal teas, coffees and so on.

Secondly, I came out to two Deptford Dame fans! Deptford Properly manager/teamaker extraordinaire Sakura, who commented on my previous post, and Clare (aka Belle) Pressnell, whose textile art is currently on display at the cafe. Belle's show is called 'Deptford Stitched Up'; she has skillfully combined photography and textiles to create some very thought-provoking pieces commenting on Deptford's ongoing regeneration. If you have been following the local bloggers' discussions about developments on Deptford Creek, the Seager Distillery or the debates about The Tower on BBC1, you will recognise the themes in Belle's work. The black and white photographs are printed on fabric interfacing and then overstitched with bright colours, the tower cranes and building sites of the area appearing gaudy and out of place against the familiar facades of our street scenes.




I suspect I'm going to develop a real soft spot for this cafe, as it's the sort of place I would LOVE to run myself (if I wasn't so lazy...!). It is small but perfectly formed; there are a few tables inside and out, a large comfy-looking sofa, and it is decorated with all sorts of found items, many of them from the neighbouring junk shop or from Deptford market, according to Sakura.



And although it's only been open for a week, there are already discussions about starting a knitting group in the cafe! As some of you may know, this is a subject rather dear to my heart, or rather to that of my alter ego the Knit Nurse.

Nip down and catch the cafe on market days (Wed, Fri, Sat) from 10am till 7pm and for special events on Sundays (check on Utrophia).

Deptford Stitched Up will be on show for at least the next three weeks.

More Deptford Properly

A message from Sakura who runs the new Deptford Properly cafe:

"The first Sunday Special at Deptford Properly on 12 Aug will be
Kamilla's Hair Salon!! This will be from 11-7 - come along and get an amazing haircut for £10 and try some of our delights from the kitchen"

I am going to try and get down there some time in the next few days. Hell, why not go now? (*exit stage left*)

Deptford in bloom

Amazing how much you can cram onto a small balcony! As well as the herbs (chives, oregano, thyme, bay, rosemary, mint, tarragon and basil) there are quite a few flowers, and 12 tomato plants laden with fruit.

Deptford Properly

A new cafe is opening this Saturday 4 August at the bottom of Tanners Hill, opposite the south end of Deptford High Street.

I haven't even been up there to look at the building yet, but I am hoping to try it out at the weekend.

It's called Deptford Properly and is run by those irrepressible folks at Utrophia. See you there?!

Herb garden gig

I dropped into the McMillan Herb Garden on Deptford Green last night, at the bidding of Bob from Brockley, to see "the legendary Lol Coxhill and master Ghanian Drummer, Nana Tsiboe" in a modest gig.

I didn't stop long - the music was a bit too freeform for me and besides which I had a fruit cake in the oven - but it was great to see a little group of folks obviously enjoying themselves in these lovely surroundings. The vine was laden down with grapes and the garden was bright with colours and herbs. Around the musicians was a small group of appreciative fans, very into the music with tapping feet and nodding heads, and on the outskirts, a few other groups of people just enjoying the vibe and the surroundings. There were even a couple of students from the neighbouring blocks, drawn in by just hearing the music through their open windows.



I'm not sure who arranged the gig - in fact I don't even know who owns or looks after the herb garden - but it would be great to see a few more of these type of events. Well done, if you're reading this! And more please!