I am not particularly good at making lemonade. I guess the best I can make is a lemon water. But what would you do when life gave you a bottle of gin, a lemon, a bunch of strawberries, an apple, an orange and a cucumber with a mint spring? Yes, you are right, a refreshing Pimm’s. What did I do? Nothing. I just ate the orange. And the strawberries. The rest of it I left where I found it.

Ok, enough of speaking metaphorically. So there is a guy, an actor. I really started liking him after seeing him in the Baz Luhrmann’s extravaganza, Moulin Rouge. It’s been my favorite movie ever since (there I said it!). And so, I always wanted to meet Ewan McGregor in person. Not because he is a celebrity (I believe the good half of them are mindless jerks), but because he always seemed to me a nice, smart and interesting person. And I like his acting. And singing (in Moulin Rouge). And his motorbike journey documentary. And the fact that he is Scottish. Ok enough! … But I am a regular guy and I don’t live in Hollywood (for better or for worse), so even in London the chances are pretty slim…

And now imagine my frustration when I had a moment of epiphany today, when I realized, that I actually had a real chance to meet him, as he was, just like me, taking part in London Tweed Run earlier this year! Whaaaat???

Ok you’d say, “There were hundreds of people there, you probably just missed him.”

Wrong! I did see him. As a matter of fact, I even took a couple of pictures of Ewan. I just… DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM! How stupid and gutted I feel right now! I can not believe my luck (or rather bad luck, depending on how you look at it.)

To be fair though, all people looked different in those vintage outfits with excessive facial hair, so it’s not that great crime of mine. That’s how calm myself down, not particularly well. Besides, Ewan really kept a low profile (kudos to him), so I really thought I was just in the midst of push-bike enthusiasts. Still gutted.

So if you are reading this… and you know how I could meet him… do let me know :) And regarding his ‘disguise’, you be the judge, the pictures are below :)

P.S. I do remember thinking to myself, ‘Nice bear!’

Day 4.

This is the day when I got rather full realization of inconvenience of my condition. First of all, split-level flat is not particularly friendly for people like me. No arguments here. Going to the toilet is a challenge as well, however funny that might sound. Cooking is a challenge. Taking out rubbish is a much bigger challenge (thus I omit doing it), well just like anything that involves carrying an object in your hands. Putting your pants on (as well as underpants) can only  be done in sitting position. No chores or walking to the shop (that can definitely be considered as a bonus :)

I am moving around the flat with a tote shopping bag on my shoulder (convenient for carrying a laptop, for example), trying my best to stay in one area (ie on the same floor), but you know how it always is.. you keep forgetting things… very annoying. Also having shorts pockets are a must. 

Also getting to sleep is rather inconvenient – the leg requires very specific position, which you need to find first. 

Day 6.

I finally ventured into a hydrotherapeutic procedure. A week without a shower takes its toll. To put it simple… I smell. Not because I’m lazy. A small stool would help, but i don’t have it, so it’s, you know… problematic. Bath tub is no no. Luckily we have a shower cabin.  So here I am, sitting on the floor of the cabin, with my legs outside with one leg wrapped in a black bag. I bet I look ridiculous. And yes, the preparations and arrangements also take time. 

No, there will be no photo here.

Day 8.

It turned out there is one type of chores I still can do – washing dishes. I just need to keep my plastered leg on a chair. Gutted. 

Day 10. 

Had an appointment with doctor today. Nothing new. We carry on the treatment, ie wearing the cast. It was also my first day I got out of the house. I decided to take a bus. Boy, I regretted it later. Those 300-400 meters till the bus stop… Let’s just say moving with crutches turned out to be much more exhausting than I imagined. Moving around the flat is just fine, but the longer distances… by the time I got on the bus I was dripping. I also had to change my bus and unlucky for me the bus stops were few hundred meters apart. Needless to say, I took a cab home afterwards. 

Day 12. 

There was a chance to go to the seaside on a car with our friends. The weather did not seem to be very particularly warm or sunny, but I was desperate. We went to Beachy Head.

By the time we arrived it was wet and cold. It was raining. The picnic was officially canceled. Our friends were still excited, as they had never been there before. They went walking. I stayed in the car. 

We popped in to Eastbourne for fish’n'chips. They had a brass band playing at the pierce. That was nice. 

On our way back we stopped at the Belle Tout Lighthouse, and though it was all the the way up the hill, I decided I had to do it! And so I limped up to the top. Actually I felt quite heroic about that (and about myself). In the end, the trip was quite a  success. Now back to your cozy prison!

To be continued.

Day 0.

The shadow of tragedy did not hang over the mansion. The scene wasn’t set for tragedy. It was a usual day in London, kind of sunny, though you wouldn’t look like a total fool if you were carrying an umbrella with you. 

We had just started the second set in tennis. I lost the first one and was determined to turn things around. How little I knew… And so, I was reaching for the ball when I heard a ‘POP’ and then felt a sudden pain in the right Achilles. I felt like if someone threw a metal ball at my ankle. I stopped. I lost the ball. I turned around. What the…? But of course there was neither ‘metal ball’, nor anyone around who would had thrown it. Weird, but ok, I must have sprained my ankle. Bummer!  It was the first game of the season…

I limped back home, couldn’t step on my foot. What now? Put the ice on, elevate the leg and… stay in that position. Done. 

Checking next morning – the ankle barely swollen. I’ll be fine! (a spoiler: no you won’t). I still can not step on it. Ok, I’ll just stay at home.

Next morning – same story. No need to panic, it just probably needs some more time. 

Day 3.

Hmm, the foot went blue-ish in some parts. Ooook, maybe now it’s a good time to see a doctor. Real men never hurry to the hospital at once, but after a few days it’s fine, it’s acceptable. I happened to have a delivery that day and the driver kindly gave me a lift to the hospital.

My wait at EU wasn’t too long, that was a good thing, but the news wasn’t so good. Looks like it’s an tendon rapture, rather than an ‘innocent’ sprain. The ultrascan confirmed that. Oh dear… 

So, there are 2 options: either a surgery, which should make recovery faster and potentially reduce the risk of a repeated rupture, but that also comes with a small risk of infection and further more severe complications, or wearing a cast which will position and keep the feet at a very inconvenient for a human angle, so the ruptured ends will meet and eventually will grow back together (seriously, it can just grow back like that?). It’s a much longer recovery, but apparently if everything goes fine, after a year time it makes no difference. 

It was a tough decision. I don’t have to deal with such things very often (thankfully), and as I am not a big fan of surgical intervention (even if we are talking about breast implants ;) I opted for the latter. Besides, it was a doctor’s recommendation. Well, the time will show. 

I still ended up spending about 5 hours at the hospital, definitely not the most cheerful place in town. They put a cast on and handled me a shiny new pair of crutches. Oh, free medicine… it’s like going back into communist times:) A cab took me back home. 

So here is my summer 2011, to be spent under home arrest. Here comes our booked trip  to Bruges and not yet booked active holidays.  The cast is to stay with me for the next 8 weeks or so. I hope the reader will forgive me this brief moment of self-pity as I quickly pulled myself together. It still can beneficial. Now I’ll have enough time to sort out everything, to finally bring my blog up-to-date, to finish off all my projects (well, that’s not really going to happen, as there will always be ‘the next project’ even before the last one is out of the door), and maybe I’ll have time to come up with some grand scheme, that will make me uber-rich.. Well, that’s the theory :)

To be continued.

It was one Friday night last year and I was checking internet to find what to do in London over the weekend, when I came across thing called ‘Tweed Run’. People dressed in vintage clothes, strolling across London on their push-bikes… that sounds interesting. I’ve been an admirer of all things retro and a over-the-top fan of Bioshock (hello, fifties), so that sounded like the thing to do and the place to be.

And I wasn’t disappointed! It was too late for me to register for a ride, but on that day I went to Hide park and waited for the procession to arrive – ladies and gentlemen were making a stop for a tea break there. I had my camera with me, and thus I unofficially became the official photographer of the event that year. I had few quite a good shots and I have received a massive and positive response to my set on flickr. The photos were then used on many websites and in a couple of print magazines, one of them – ‘Popeye’, a Japanese fashion magazine (that was quite unexpected ).

So, naturally, this year I wanted to be a participant, rather than a mere spectator. I made sure I went on to register online the moment registration was open – you had to react fast, for it was selling like hotcakes. I got number 222. Quite cool, isn’t it?

I already had a push-bike. Unfortunately it wasn’t very appropriate for the event: neither retro nor single gear nor beautiful, but at least it wasn’t flashy, but pure black (I still felt a bit ashamed of it, to be honest).

Next, exciting bit – the outfit. I did not leave myself much time for that, but I am still amazed, how much you can accomplish when you plan things ahead and start doing them just a little bit earlier (as opposed to my very last minute habit). So I had a couple of weekends and went for vintage and charity shop hunt. I’ll be honest, not everything I ended up wearing was pure vintage and second-hand, but I believe it all looked quite close.

Portobello Road market, Soho, Covent Garden… the usual suspects. A tweed jacket was no brainer. That’s probably the most common item of gentleman’s wardrobe you will find. Got it from the Portobello Rd, where I also bought a cap and a pocket watch (they both were new… cheeky me). The biggest challenge was to find the men 3/4 bridge trousers, but after few days we did find them on some countryman’s rack – I am sure he was very happy to make a good deal of old clothes :) Socks and shirt – I got them already (later on socks proved to be embarrassingly not long enough, bummer!), and the last bit was suspenders (‘Beyond Retro’) and a bow-tie (the best I could find was from ‘American Apparel’). I also got myself a cool backpack from ‘Beyond Retro’, with an anchor on a big button :)) And shoes… these were brand new and actually modern, got them from TKMax, it was the only pair there and as soon as I saw them I liked them a lot, so was happy it was the right size.

Yes, few items were quite last minute, but I was very excited I got everything sorted just in time. I believe I have achieved quite a genuine look, not strictly retro one, but rather ‘with a twist’ :)

And of course, the gentleman’s pride – a facial hair. It took me more than a month to ‘get prepared’. It was also the first time I had that curly mustache, and you know what, I am going to keep it (even though Movember is still so far far away)

I thought I was going to take it easy on Friday night before the run, but my friend tempted me to go to Brixton to see the very last gig of Faithless, so I gave in (of course, no regrets afterward ;). The next morning I was ready to roll. The run was starting at St.Paul’s Cathedral, which was good 7 miles away from my place. And I did not manage to get up particularly early, so I was actually a bit late, at least for a leisure ride. Soon after I met another tweed runner on the road , we got acquainted and so I continued in a company of suchlike. In town we also met another two cyclist, who needed help to get to St. Paul’s – the company was getting bigger :)

At St.Paul’s it was very busy. About 600 participants plus spectators and tourists (must be the best day in London for them ;). Bright sun, smiling faces, gorgeous atmosphere… Everyone was friendly and enjoying themselves. Also, wearing retro outfits really makes people even more polite:) For many participants it wasn’t the first run and I saw some familiar faces from last year’s tea break. But, a lot of newcomers as well.

It was almost the time for a photograph and then at noon we set off. Great sunny weather, but not too hot even for tweed jackets, motorists beeping their horns, cheering crowds – everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was a leisure ride in style.

The route was 10 mile long and was bypassing capital’s landmarks: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Circus, The British Museum. At about 2pm we stopped at Holborn for a tea break and socializing (well, beverage wise, some were more prepared than others :), and then after an hour the procession proceeded to Shortditch and Bethnal Green for the End Party (and after party for those particularly energized :)

So yes, it was a good fun. One of a kind. A great way to spend Saturday in London. Naturally, I was taking pictures along the way, but oh boy, it wasn’t easy to ride and juggle with an dSLR monster, but I hope the result is not too bad. Head to my flickr feed to see many more of them.

Tweed Run now is quite an international event, and you can catch a glimpse of it (or actually be a part of it) in New York and Tokio. But if you are in London, watch out for another special Tweed Run this very Autumn.

I am not going to be the first to tell you that consumerism is BIG in Japan. And here we are, in Ginza, a well-known shopping district in Tokyo. It’s like Oxford Street in London, but with more designer labels. Also the streets are not as crowded, possibly because pavements in Japan are much wider. They live in small apartments, but streets are wide (like in Paris). We are here not for shopping though, just browsing and window shopping. After all, this is not why we are here. Plus the pound is weak ;)

There isn’t much to say here. You need to see it. Another highlight from our second day in Tokyo – the views from the Tokyo Tower (one of the few megapolis’ observation points). And they are spectacular! I hope these pictures will do some justice. The tower itself is 332 meter high, located in Roppongi District and actually draws design inspiration from Eiffel Tower. And it’s red. Kind of orange red.

We spent quite some time there, admiring the view (hence on the photos the city is lit so differently) – we were not in a rush, taking tons of pictures, having a cup of coffee in the cafe on the lower deck (the tower has two)… The scale of the city… it’s just crazy.

After a rather filling breakfast we went for a walk in Kachidoki. We did not have a certain plan at the point, just wanted to wander around for a bit. Also, there we could see Tokyo bay and the Rainbow bridge. Interesting thing about Tokyo (and well, Japan) is that you see all those skyscrapers and modern steel and glass buildings and then you will find standing next to them some old and obscure, barely on it’s last leg, hut, just like in ‘Up’ animation. Or a restaurant. And that’s quite picturesque. And cute :)

The vending machine culture in Japan is huge. You could probably live out of them, and would not definitely die of thirst :) For they are everywhere, even in dormitory districts, always within a short walk reach. We did not buy food from them, but cans with hot coffee – that was very handy! A not very strong taste though. And what’s the deal with Tommy Lee Jones? :) He must be very popular there, since his face is on many vending machines and spotted on some wall banners :)

Next to Tsukiji market lies Hamarikyu Gardens – a public park with a big pond, a pleasantly green and calm place in the midst of concrete. It is famous for its 300 year old pine-tree which is taken a great care of (not the one in the picture though) and for it’s tea house where US President Grant and Emperor Meiji met.

Right, time to head back to Tsukiji market area for some lunch. So many small market like places crammed into each other.. hard to make a choice. Or.. rather easy, since food everywhere taste so delicious. Cheap and no thrill. Salmon sashimi and minced tuna on a bowl of rice. The most melting tune I ever had. Sooooo good! (And yes, to get to that place I hijacked one of their market carts :)

It’s 5 in the morning and I am lying fully awake. Good morning jet lag! Right, we gotta do something. And I’ve just got brilliant idea – it’s a perfect time to go and visit world famous Tsukiji, Tokyo Central Wholesale Market. It might not sound so, but Tsukiji market is the place to see when if are in Tokyo.

We arrived in about an hour or so and yes, it is exactly what I thought it would be. What you read in those tourist guides is true. Massive selection of all kind of fish and sea creatures (no blue whales or dolphins were spotted though). Very lively, very busy, and absolutely buzzing! Again – clean and tidy. And, just like was promised – no fishy smell! At all. Overall – quite overwhelming :)

We saw quite a few tourists there, apart from us, with their DSLR cameras, both Asian and Western – after all, it is an iconic place. I must admit, I was admiring the patience of market workers. I tried my best not to get in someone’s way, for people are at work there (not like us), but inevitably you will, when you keep trying to get a nice close up shot. But I was never told off or anything. I mean, not all of them looked very happy to see me, but they were never rude or unfriendly, just focused on their everyday job.

We were a bit too late to see the tuna auctions, but you have to be really early to be catch it. Besides, there is only a limited number of passes got issued for tourists to access the auction area. So you either have to stay in the hotel close to the market or you’ll have to get a cab, since there is no public transport yet. And I thought to myself: “Naah… too much hassle”. But we got to see how those huge tuna carcasses get carved and prepared for the shops and restaurants. You can also see below.

What you see below is the typical form of transportation at the market – quite funky looking carts. The drivers are skillful but you have to watch out, or you might get run over, for they move around very fast in those not particularly wide passages. They are also quite characters :) There must be some comedy movie made before with those carts, I am sure.

So after walking around, exploring and taking pictures we were ready for sushi breakfast :) Awesome. Awwww, I will miss it.