Sim Carter: Past Tense Imperfect

"Ain't that America, home of the free"? No John Mellencamp, it's not. This little pink house is in London, on Elgin Crescent in Nottinghill. A street known for it's pretty pastel-painted row houses. When I think of the colorful—colourful?—houses of Nottinghill, I think of rows of shining happy facades, neat as a pin. My mind skims right over the places where they need a touch up, the chipped white painted iron work of the front gate, the dirt that comes with the drizzle of the rain tainting the cornice over the front porch. My photos from the trip that took us to London last spring clear the misty haze from my romanticized image, revealing the truth. As pretty as this pink house is, it isn't perfect. Still, I love it. I'm a fan of pink houses, turquoise walls, green doors, houses painted in the colors that you see on homes in the tropics. They're not everyone's cup of tea, many preferring houses that come in shades of white and...

Illustrated by acclaimed poster designer Tom Eckersley I’m taking a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide and my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings. This is Day 17. Retracing my steps it ’s easy to see that I got off track at Syon House, drawn down to the River Thames and the irresistible pull of seeing the house where I was born in Richmond .  My plan is to head back from Elephant & Castle to the Boston Manor Underground Station in Brentford and carry on from there. I am completely taken by surprise by the design of the station. Built in 1934, the art deco architecture is an unexpected bonus, a harbinger, I hope, of a good day of walking. Image Credit:  ArtDecoBlogspot.com I’ve been curious to see the picturesque narrow boats and the nearby River Brent and the Brentford Lock...