please empty your brain below
An interesting walk, thanks for taking us with you. I envy you the variable urban environment you are able to traverse. My equivalent daily circuits are through the dullest of dormitory areas, while I wait for miles of nearby rural footpaths to recover from the present quagmire condition.

Frank F | 04.02.21 - 7:15 a.m. | #

No photo of your bathroom then?

✉ dg writes: That is indeed the question in today's sealed envelope.

Bob S | 04.02.21 - 7:35 a.m. | #

De Beauvoir Square is within De Beauvoir Town. The latter is largely owned by the family trusts of the soon to be Lord (Richard) Benyon, former Tory MP for Newbury until he got bored with Boris.

J. | 04.02.21 - 7:49 a.m. | #

The flowers are sadly for a teen who was found in the park on anmid-January morning. Police said it wasn’t suspicious, which is usually a euphemism for suicide. Very sad.
[news]

DS | 04.02.21 - 8:11 a.m. | #

I was planning to do something like this in May ... but a photo every half (or even quarter) mile and spreading the posts out over a week!

Sarah | Homepage | 04.02.21 - 8:21 a.m. | #

8 mile walk in a day, good for you. A lot of familiar ground there, pity I am not allowed to go to 'town' at the moment.
Our council is about to deliver our new food waste bins, at the same time reducing our general waste to every three weeks. I am struggling to work out how I am even going to cover the bottom of the 23 litre bin the little waste food I generate.

davews | 04.02.21 - 8:42 a.m. | #

Interesting walk, much of it familiar to me. Typo on the Rhodes Estate paragraph 'The area was enturely redeveloped'.
dg writes: Fixed, thanks.

Johnny Topaz | 04.02.21 - 8:59 a.m. | #

Sadly the flowers are in remembrance of a teenage boy whose body was found in the park a few weeks ago. The police said at the time they are not treating the death as suspicious and a file was being prepared for the coroner.

vp | 04.02.21 - 9:00 a.m. | #

"Home, mug of tea, bath running." Memories of a time when everything seemed simpler. Just need to add: "Followed by watching 'Where The Heart Is'/ 'Heartbeat'/Follyfoot'(delete as appropriate).

Stuart R | 04.02.21 - 9:01 a.m. | #

My wife's Nan grew up on De Beauvoir Square pre war, and spoke about it with much warmth, though it was considerably less desirable then. She definitely pronounced it De Bowvwar.

dg writes: Much debate about this.

Will | 04.02.21 - 9:09 a.m. | #

Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire is always pronounced "Beaver".

Ian | 04.02.21 - 9:15 a.m. | #

At this point, I can wholly believe that Mile End was actually named for the distance away from DGs flat.

R2 | 04.02.21 - 11:09 a.m. | #

I had family and now have friends living in De Bowvwar as Will describes it. Supposedly the area used to be unaffectionately know as Beavertown or at least that’s what the craft beer makers said but that was either referring to a time long ago or is an urban myth.

David | 04.02.21 - 11:32 a.m. | #

For several generations my ancestors grew up looking at the posh De Beauvoir houses from the other side of the canal in what's now the post-war Branch Estate!

I'm with the first commenter - I live near the Green Belt, but it's inaccessible at the moment due to travel and mud with miles and miles of Metro-land in between, so also envy your huge parks

Cornish Cockney | 04.02.21 - 12:04 p.m. | #

Lots of places here familar here from my own increasingly tortuous / inventive lockdown walks, albeit approached from a different angle !

I found myself wandering through the Rhodes Estate a few weeks ago in an attempt to find a previously untrodden (by me) route between Kingsland Road and Queensbridge Road. I’m sure you’re aware that you were just moments away from the Clown Museum in the Holy Trinity Church.

And nice to see you standing, like so many other denizens of London Fields, bang in the middle of the cycle path to take that snap. I’m sure you had an eye / ear out for approaching bikes ;-)

CJS | 04.02.21 - 12:24 p.m. | #

If the "gloveless driver" reference was a criticism on hygiene grounds, it's about as easy to clean hands as it is to put on gloves, which might themselves get soiled by any dirt on the hands used to put them on.

Andrew S | 04.02.21 - 12:34 p.m. | #

It's fascinating to see how the suffix '...ee' slowly gains widespread acceptance: from small beginnings ('attendee' for one attending) to a usage which for the older generation would mean the opposite of what's probably intended: the maker of a contwctless payment (subject) has morphed into a contactless payee (object). Where will it end?

David Cook | 04.02.21 - 12:48 p.m. | #

Or I'm wrong, David.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 04.02.21 - 1:08 p.m. | #

I'm with Will's wife's Nan. Definitely De Bowvwar.

Charles | Homepage | 04.02.21 - 1:17 p.m. | #

You know that moment when you've written your message and clicked on 'Publish', then realise that you haven't added your name, then check the feed and realise that DG has added it in for you. Excellent.

Stuart R | 04.02.21 - 2:16 p.m. | #

Great piece, what time did you do the walk? It was posted at 7am!

I’m Will’s wife’s sister in law (Will’s sister) and live in De Beauvoir so know a lot of locals. We all pronounce it De Bowvwar nowadays. I have heard it referred to as De Beaver but only in articles like this one. Also the beer that was once brewed at the bottom of Hertford Road is known as Beavertown. So if you do happen to meet a local in our beloved square, we’ll know you’re not from these parts if you say Beaver!

Rah | 04.02.21 - 3:34 p.m. | #











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