Happy Halloween to all of my readers. I have a lot of changes taking place at the moment, but it is too early to say what changes will happen and when they will take place. I just know that they are in progress, but I do not have anything finalised yet. I am trying to take each day as it comes and to be as patient as I can be. With all of the unknowns, I have found it difficult to focus. 

This evening, I could not be bothered to answer the door every few minutes for trick-or-treaters. I've been finishing up some work at the moment, so I've lazily put out a huge bucket of sweets. Unfortunately, a couple of groups of children have taken handfuls instead of one or two sweets each, leaving only a little for other groups. That is pretty selfish of them, and I do not understand it, but I guess it is a good observation in socialism, psychology and economics. 

On Friday, I headed over to Hampstead after work so that I could take part in the Haunted Hampstead to Highgate Pub Crawl. Friday was the first day that the day properly felt like autumn with clear skies and crisp, cold temperatures. I've never been to Hampstead before either, so this was my first visit. The meeting point was on Hampstead High Street.

We met outside the King William IV pub, which was decorated for Halloween inside. Some of the patrons were also dressed up in unique costumes. Cobwebs, pumpkins, candles, a fake severed hand inside a piano lid in the pub, and a poem on the outside pub sign made it feel like Halloween. "Ghosts and spooks galore, scary witches at your door, King William shining bright, wishing you a haunting night." That poem on the pub sign was just a small taste of what we were in for.

The King William IV pub is just one of four haunted pubs in the area that we visited, and we were told of a couple of unfortunate stories and the hauntings of the pub. This happened with dramatic tones and actors/actresses available to enlighten us. 

The idea was to grab a drink in each pub; we had half an hour at the next two pubs and finished at the fourth one. This was adequate time to get a much-needed drink to help aid us in keeping warm and jolly.

After the first pub, we were led down a couple of alleyways and told a few more stories about hauntings or gruesome deaths that happened.

We were also shown significant buildings in the area, such as the home of writer H.G. Wells (possibly my favourite writer), which I have posted below. 

The next pub that we stopped at is The Holly Bush, which I know is a local favourite and a pub that I have heard of before. We had a thirty-minute wait here, which was enough time for a glass of wine.

We were then led down a few more streets and told more stories about local history and characters before coming to the famous Hampstead well. I was not aware of the local history of this part of London, but it became popular for having a well with rumoured healing powers, similar to Bath, Cheltenham, Harrogate, and Tunbridge Wells. The well brought in tourists and pilgrims, and many of the streets around the well sold trinkets and flasks for the water. A monument to the well can be seen.

We then trekked across the very dark Hampstead Heath, where we were told about the frightening history of this area and the heath's popularity with highwaymen who would rob caravans passing through. We also learned about some local characters and their stories. 

After the long trek across the dark Hampstead Heath and a short stop at the pond for another story, we had to climb a hill in order to get to the next (third) pub, The Flask. This pub is opposite George Michael's home, and a tribute has been set up in the grass area in front of his home.

We had time to get another drink, and after walking up the hill and feeling too warm, I soon felt really chilly as the evening was a crisp one.

We were, of course, told the haunting stories of this pub, which is rumoured to be haunted by three different spirits. These included a camp Cavalier, who made an entertaining appearance.

After we finished our drinks and meeting the 'ghost', we wandered across the road to St. Michael's Church where we were told the next story, involving vampires in Highgate Cemetery behind the church. This is one of the popular London cemeteries.

We were then led via Pond Square to learn about the chicken haunting the square to the Gatehouse pub. This was our final haunted pub on the walk. 

The Gatehouse was decorated for Halloween with cobwebs and pumpkins, and the staff were all in costume.

We did not stay for a drink or food here. Those who booked the tour could get a discount on food and drink purchased at this final pub, which would have been great because I was famished as I didn't have any lunch and walked quite a lot; however, I did have to get back to Ruislip, which isn't the easiest from here. Instead, I walked down to Archway station (instead of Highgate, though the pub is in between both stations) and went to get fast food there.

Overall, it was a fun night although I was exhausted at the end of it as we trekked a long way and almost continously for four hours. 

Today felt and looked very autumnal with golden, orange, and brown leaves and sunshine with a crisp bite to the air. Over the past couple of days, I have noticed the seasons change. On the tube yesterday, I saw many people dressed up in Halloween party costumes. I've noticed shops and pubs decorated for Halloween with pumpkins and Halloween products for sale. Lush is always one of my favourites, and they have released many new products for Halloween this year. 

This year, Lush have gone all out on Halloween when compared with only a year or two ago when they perhaps only had three or four items for Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night. (The only thing we are missing is Bonfire Night; I miss the 'Cinders' bath bomb, which has been a staple at this time of the year for the past few years.)

Without further delay, I have pictured and written about each of the products. I am missing a couple of them that had previously been released or that I did not see in store.

Bewitched (bubble bar): This black cat-shaped bubble bar smells fruity but also relaxing. It contains bergamont.

Metamorphosis (bath bomb): Not exclusively a Halloween offering, this grey and spikey-looking bath bomb reminds me of autumn and Halloween. It also contains a warming scent, welcome for the cold weather. The grey soon breaks away to reveal colour. This can definitely pass as a Halloween or autumn product.

The Pumpkin King (bath bomb): This pumpkin bath bomb smells of vanilla and spice and is a warming fragrance. I remember it from last year.

Sparkly Pumpkin (bubble bar): This product has been around for at least the past three Halloweens, and I love it. It's a warming and fresh scent.

Pink Pumpkin (bubble bar): This looks similar to the Sparkly Pumpkin but is pink and has  more of a floral scent. 

Magic Wand (soap): This wand-shaped deep red and green soap has a fresh citrus scent.

Hedgewitch (soap): This brown-red soap has a light floral calming scent. Cocao butter and hineysuckle and two of the ingredients.

Ectoplasm (bath bomb / jelly): This bath bomb contains a jelly, which oozes out as the bomb melts in the water. It contains little ghosts dotted around some of the white dots across the surface. The scent is a fresh citrus one.

While out in Cardiff locating the Snowdogs in Cardiff, I stopped off to get some lunch in the shopping area on Caroline Street, outside one of the large shopping malls in the city. Quite a few restaurants and pubs are around this area, but The Corner House restaurant called out to me as a modern-looking building on the corner of the busy streets with the buzz of shoppers and a group of people promoting a well-known brand of sweet through song, dance, and free samples. Visitors could sit inside or outside, but we opted to sit inside (mainly because the bloke wishes to avoid smokers, though it was a relatively lovely autumn day).

The inside of the restaurant is modern, and due to its position on the corner, there is an abundance of natural light. The pub is inside, but there is also a different section for the restaurant, although we sat in the pub-cafe area.

We decided to try the cocktails first, and I opted for a rhubarb fizz one while the bloke had a mocktail. The cocktail tasted a little too strong of carbonated water to me, so I ended up ordering another mocktail later. I cannot remember what flavour the mocktail was, but it had a nice sweet-sour taste.

I was going to order the spit-roasted chicken, but I was tempted by the "specials" menu, which had a chicken dish with potatoes and pak choi. Meanwhile, the bloke had the selection of meats with chips, which was also on the "specials" menu. I must say that my meal was one of the best that I have eaten in a long time. Apparently the meats were nice as well.

For dessert, the "melting golden chocolate bomb" caught my eye, and I guessed that it would have been similar to the one I had at Bob Bob Ricard a few years ago, so I decided to try it to see what it was. It was very similar to that, but it was filled with caramel ice cream, chocolate popping candy, and Devon cream toffee sauce (which was what was poured over the chocolate shell to melt it). It was delicious and just the right amount of ice cream/toffee/chocolate without being too rich.

After we finished, we headed back onto the streets of Cardiff to look for more snowdog sculptures and look into a couple of shops.

The Corner House is located at 25 Caroline Street in Cardiff, CG10 1FF. It is open from 10:00am - 11:00pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10:00am to 10:30pm on Sundays. Note that the hours for food are at reduced hours as this venue is a pub and restaurant.

I don't know if the end of October is too early to be discussing beauty advent calendars, but I have seen a few posts for them now, so I think it is safe to start discussing them. 'YOU Beauty Discovery' launched their new advent calendar for 2016. I bought the beauty advent calendar last year, and it arrived just before I went on holiday for the majority of the month for December. I had opened up the calendar doors before I went and decided to post my review this year, after I had tried out most of the products. "YOU Beauty Box" no longer exists, but they now trade under "Latest in Beauty", which does have a beauty advent calendar for the 2017 advent.

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Hair Healer Leave-in Conditioner: This conditioner promises to protect, repair and moisturise hair as well as leave it feeling soft and nourished.

The White Company candle in 'Orange Grove': I enjoy 'The White Company' scents, and  this scent "Orange Grove" smells like orange peel. It is a relaxing citrus smell that evokes memories of December.

Carmex Original Pot lip balm: Carmex's lip balm is one of my favourite lip moisturisers. It does as it says - soothes and moisturises dry lips, and you can use it on other parts of your body that need a little moisture.

Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturiser: I've received this product so many times, but it is one that I do not see the benefits of. It is a face moisturiser that promises to give skin vitamins, and it's not oily but absorbed into the skin.

Miller Harris Rose Silence eau de parfum: This rose-scented perfume smells divine and has long-lasting power. I absolutely love it.

MUA Twelfth Night Palette & Dusk Til Dawn Palletes: There were two pallettes available, and I received the 'Dusk Til Dawn' one instead of the wintery shades of 'Twelfth Night'. Both had similar colours that work well for the office and evening wear.

Amie Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish: This award-winning exfoliating polish is 95% natural to remove skin of oil and dirt while keeping not too harsh for sensitive skin.

SanctuarySpa Foaming Micellar Cleansing Water: This cleansing water removes make-up from skin. It is made from argan oil and rose water combined with micelles that lift away dirt from the skin.

Rodial smokey eye pen in black: This eye liner can be blended easily to create the smokey eye effect using the smudge brush.

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Duo Pencil Sharpenner in pink: This make-up pencil sharpener can sharpen thin or thick pencils or jumbo crayons, and it is handy to carry around in a make-up bag.

Oskia Renaissance Mask: This is a skin exfoliating mask to improve complexion.

Nansky Kabuki Brush: This brush is perfect for applying bronzers or loose powders. It also does not absorb make-up or oils from skin, which is important for hygiene.

Bee Good Youth Enhancing Hydrate, Smooth and Prime Serum: This highly-concentrated formula targets signs of aging. The formula contains honey, blackcurrant seed oil, and other products to aid in moisturising and hydrating skin.

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray: This lavender-scented spray should be used on pillow or bedding to aid sleep. Lavender is naturally relaxing. I've used this spray a few times but do not see any benefit in this, and I think that any lavendar scent would help aid relaxation.

Leighton Denny Miracle Mist: This formula should be used on wet nails after applying nail polish. It promises to dry them quicker as well as condition the cuticles.

Omorovieza refining facial polish: This facial polisher contains micro-algae and promises to brighten and exfoliate tired skin.

ESPA overnight hydration therapy: 'Beauty Sleep in a Jar' is a rejuvenating night mask to transform skin overnight. It also contains aromatic oils to help aid in sleep.

Rimmel 60-second super-shine nail polish in rapid ruby: This bright red nail polish dries quickly with a deep red shine.

The Organic Pharmacy Marigold and Comfrey Hand and Nail Cream: This hand and nail cream contains shea butter, jojoba, aloe, marigold, and comfrey to soothe and nourish hands.

Margaret Dabbs Crystal Nail File: This nail file is made of crystal to prevent nails from splitting.

Aurelia Miracle Cleanser and Bamboo Muslin Cloth: This cleanser promises to remove impurities in the skin as well as hydrate and prevent anti-aging.

Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in rose: This lip balm provides a hint of colour. Burt's Bees are 100% natural. It is a product that I enjoy using.

Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil: This shower oil gently cleans and provides fragrance to skin.

Moroccanoil Treatment: This hair product can be used as conditioning, styling or finishing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the products in this box as I received a wide range of different products.

Last year, 'Wild In Art' put on two sculpture art trails for "Snowdogs", which was  inspired by the animated short "The Snowman™ and The Snowdog", a popular winter film based on a story by Raymond Briggs. The story features a little boy who builds a magical snowman and snowdog. The trails were in Newcastle (covered here) and Brighton (covered here). This year, there is one new "Snowdog" trail, and it is based in Cardiff, Wales.

Anthem - Dale Edna Evans

I spent last weekend wandering around Cardiff in attempt to see as many of the "Snowdog" sculptures as I could. I did not manage to see all of them, but I did see most of them. Below are a few of the photographs of the "Snowdogs" that I liked the best. Highlights of the trail for me included the following, although it is hard to pick out favourites as there were so many wonderful ones:

- "Snow Dragon", a beautiful and fun sparkly dragon-dog.
- "Dino Dog", a wonderful dog transformed into T-Rex.
- "Dog Bot", which is a witty-illustrated sculpture with robots.
- "Plentyn" by Vikki Cornsih, which is a beautiful sunset with multi-coloured acorns and autumn leaves.

Maple - Paul Williams

Local Lad - Dale Edna Evans

Dog with a Bone - Gemma Williams

Me is Who I Am - Gemma Fala

Dino Dog - Jenny Leonard

Dog Bot - Mark Chilcott

Rosy Posy - Sarah Jane Richards

Resolved - George O'Dowd and Phil Morgan

Plentyn - Vikki Cornish

Castles and Dragons - Rachel Blackwell

Snow Dragon - Dorian Spencer Davies

Pop Pup - Damien Jeffries

Sun Dog - Seth Oliver

That Snow Tiger - Emily Ketteringham

Snowbrador - Ruby Copper

Hygge - Deven Bhurke

Snow Business - Nat Clements

Enfys - Rhiannon Roberts

Life's a Beach - Emma Everitt

Chocolate Sundae - Simon Tozer

Blackberry - Simon Tozer

"Snowdogs Tails in Wales" is currently on display from mid-September until the 26th of November. They are located in and around Wales. The sculpture art trail raises money for the charity Tŷ Hafan, which helps young people who have a limited time live a full life with their families.

Last summer, Hackney Road gained two new large-scale murals almost opposite each other. I had previously covered the artwork "Big Smoke" by Pref and Gary Strange, which was replaced by Senna early this year. However, I forgot to cover the mural across the road (almost opposite) by Axel Void, which is titled "Comfort of the Modern Slave".

Axel Void is an artist born in Miami, but his background is Spanish and Haiti. He has lived in Europe but now resides in Miami. His work is inspired by classical art, but it tells a story with focus on social, humanitarian, political, and other causes.

I have not walked this far down Hackney Road for awhile, so I am unsure if this mural still exists.

Today's post features street art by two artists, HNRX and This One, and their solo and collaboration street art that have appeared over the course of the past several months. Both artists visit London and leave several new pieces on the city's walls quite quickly. I did not manage to photograph all of their work, but I do have an excellent selection, which you can see below. 

This One and HNRX

HNRX is an Austrian street artist who creates artwork that he defines as "comic surreal" where different items are combined and matched into a single item or pattern. A favourite subject is food. This One is from Yorkshire and uses black and white illustrations, which look similar to a tattoo style. View their work below.

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

Frankie Strand and HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX

HNRX and This One

HNRX and This One

HNRX 

HNRX 

This One

This One

This One

This One

This One

I have previously covered street art by HNRX and This One on this blog on the following pages:

Street Art: HNRX
Leake Street Tunnels, Spring 2016
Street Art: This One

London-based street artist Jim Vision has recently painted the large wall at the bottom of Hanbury Street off of Brick Lane. In a call for titles for the new work, which features a god-like tribal character with the backdrop of a paradise filled with exotic animals on the left and a fiery forest with man and beat on the right, the artist asked for titles for the new work on his Instagram feed; the title that I suggested was "Paradise Lost", and that is the title selected for the piece.

Jim Vision often paints fantasy, environmental scenes, and scenes with native people.

Jim Vision also replaced his previous work featuring a scene with native Americans in a modern world with a new scene with native Americans on horses fighting with cowboys. The piece was painted over several large sections of scaffolding.

I previously featured Jim Vision on this blog in the following post: Jim Vision Adds to tagged ROA Hedgehog and New Work.

Telmo Miel is a street art duo from the Netherlands comprised of Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann. Both artists have studied the arts with focus on graphic design, illustration, and grafitti. They also have additional skills that complement each other; Miel has experience at creating music while Telmo has skills in film and photography. The last time that they painted in London was in 2015, when they completed their series of artwork "Glove Loves", morphing objects with gloves. They recently came to London ahead of this year's Monkier Art Fair, which was held earlier this month, and left a new mural.

The newest mural is located on Hanbury Street just off of Brick Lane. It is titled "Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces". Telmo Miel often feature hybrid objects or two items that typically do not go together. This piece takes on that theme with a gnome merged with an upside-down ice cream cone for a head.

Previous artwork by Telmo Miel that I have covered in my blog can be seen here:

Telmo Miel "Love Gloves"

AKACORLEONE is an illustrator, designer, and artist from Lisbon, Portugal. Grafitti is an inspiration for him, and he uses the street to create walls which pop in colour and shape. Recently, he painted the gates at the Truman Brewery just off Brick Lane with "VOID", which is an artwork that is formed of bright shapes.

The primary yellow, blue and red are also crossed with pink and black. Illustrations that appear to be lighted matches, cigarettes, and a volcano appear to be a part of the collage along with a CCTV camera projecting imagery.

London-based street artist Ben Slow exhibited some of his artwork at the Monkier Art Fair last week. During the week, he also painted a new mural just off Brick Lane and next to 'The Pride of Spitalfields' pub. The figure is a portrait painted in black and white with gold rendering at the top of the canvas/wall.

I've previously covered artwork by Ben Slow on this blog:

Ben Slow's New Charlie Burns Mural
Street Art: Ben Slow

London-based artist Zabou has recently returned to one of her walls (where her work has been featured over the past couple of years) to repaint. I was looking forward to seeing some new work on this wall, which previously featured Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. The wall is located on "The Bell" pub near Petticoat Lane Market and features Alice and friends from "Alice in Wonderland". Earlier this summer, Zabou painted Sid Vicious from the band, 'The Sex Pistols' near Shoreditch High Street.

Alice features in the mural as well as the white rabbit, a bottle of "drink me" potion, and the Cheshire Cat in the shadows.

More work by Zabou that I featured on my blog is:

Zabou paints Sid Vicious from 'The Sex Pistols'
Zabou Paints Freda #2 at Broadway Market
Zabou Paints Salvador Dali on Commercial Road
Koeone and Zabou Collaborate
"Keep Out!" Street Art by Zabou
Zabou's 'Cabinet of Curiosity' Street Art
Leake Street Tunnels Street Art, Spring 2016
Recent Street Art by Zabou
Street Art: Zabou

Several new street art works appeared in Shoreditch and Spitalfields with the recent "Monkier Art Fair" and "The Other Art Fair" taking place on Brick Lane last week. One of the artists who had some work at "The Monkier Art Fair" was Spanish artist, illustrator, and graphic designer Dulk. His work was on display for the first time in the UK. In addition to the work displayed at the art fair, he painted a new piece on Pedley Street, named "Resurrection". 

Dulk was inspired to paint at a young age after being inspired by all of the birds and animals that he grew up around in Spain. Although he studied economics, he always carried a sketchbook with him and eventually studied illustration and graphic design. Dulk's style is to combine surrealistic landscapes with imaginary creatures, and his theme is often of the future of humans or extinction.

The rhino in the artwork is surrounded by orange creatures with colourful horns. The rhino has two horns, transparent with dying plants inside them. They appear to be floating or against a cloudy sky.

I enjoy seeing a new mural by a street artist who is new to London, so I do hope the artist paints more in the city.

The last time I had a Sunday roast was awhile ago. The Sunday roast lunch is a British tradition and consists of a meal of meat with roast vegetables and gravy. I decided to try  a new local venue down the road in Eastcote, northwest London. Aren's Bar & Grill is the name of that venue, located at a pub with the name of "The Woodsman."

The pub is next to a lot of green land and in the subburbs of London.

The interior of the restaurant is more like a hotel or nice restaurant instead of the traditional pub decor. The seating and tables are black with silver walls, chandeliers, and an abundance of large mirrors.

The meal started with a glass of Prosecco.

Next up with the roasts. I had roast chicken, and the bloke had roast beef. This was accompanied with roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, califlower cheese, and Yorkshire pudding. The chicken also came with sausage wrapped in bacon and onion and sage stuffing. The meal tasted very nice.

For desserts, I had a sticky toffee pudding, which tasted delicious. The bloke had vanilla ice cream.

Arens Bar & Grill are located on Joel Street, Eastcote, HA5 2PR. They also serve afternoon tea on Saturdays and are open for lunch and dinner as well as a special Sunday lunch.

Yesterday, one of Banksy's older murals was put on display near where it was discovered on Curtain Road, where a lot of building work is currently taking place. The work was discovered and restored over the past months. Due to being out of town for the past two days and recovering today, I was unable to see it. Apparently, it was painted over because it suffered damage. 

The image shows a police man snorting a line of cocaine. The piece has not been reproduced anywhere else, so it is an original. This comes within a couple of weeks of Banksy's collaboration tribute with grafitti-great Basquiat at Barbican, which I covered here.

The work is apparently restored to the floor where it was discovered a decade ago, and that location is at 115 Curtain Road. 

At some point in the mid-1990s, I went to the annual Coshocton County Fair in Coshocton, Ohio, USA and I took my SLR camera. (I did often carry a camera around with me when I went places, and I was studing new settings with the camera and wanted to experiment with the long exposure settings.) The Coshocton County Fair is one of the last county fairs in the state of Ohio for the season, and it's always held around the beginning of October each year. I would visit the neighbouring Muskingum County Fair and the Coshocton County Fair every year. I would enjoy visiting the exhibition halls and the animal barns, riding on the different rides, and eating as much of my favourite fair food as I could.

The fair is a place to see collections of items, artwork, photographs, and awards for best cakes/pies/jams/quilts and best fruit and vegetable. The neighbouring fair at Muskingum County is on earlier in the summer (normally in early August), and the end of the season brings about the more harvest-oriented awards that are in season at that time. Large pumpkins and squash are always on show at Coshocton's fair. However, the barns and halls with these items are often a bit dark inside and a bit less interesting (noting that the 1990s was before the ability to take unlimited photographs), so I don't have any photographs of those.

I wish I could read the signs and prices a little clearer.

Funnel cakes and elephant ears are amongst the highlights of fair food. Funnel cakes are a batter (similar to waffle batter), which is drizzled on top of a vat of grease that is deep frying. The drizzle is kept around a circular pattern to form a shape, which is then golden-brown and then removed and sprinkled with powdered sugar and served up on a paper plate. Elephant ears taste a bit like a doughnut; they are flat and large like an elephant ear shape (obviously, they also fit on a paper plate, so they are not too large). They are drenched in cinnamon-sugar. 

Other favourite fair foods include onion rings (made with slices of onion) and shaken lemonade. I was never really fond of cotton candy (candy floss), and I find candy and toffee apples to be too messy and mushy inside.

The food stands are located throughout the fair grounds, and other stands contain various fair games. I never played any of these as my parents always said they were rigged and are a waste of money.

Hot dogs and corn dogs and roasted corn on the cob are also fair food items. Corn dogs are hot dogs covered with a shell made of batter and ground up corn. They are eaten on a stick. 

Those are my memories of the fair, and I have not been to the Coshocton County Fair for over 15 years now. In fact, these photographs may have been my last visit. I would love to visit again, but when I do tend to visit, it has been for the holidays or in the late summer months. I would love to go back next autumn.

Street artist SNUB23, whose work I have seen a lot of in Birmingham, has recently been to London and left a new piece on Hanbury Street. This is the first time that I remember seeing work by SNUB in London. SNUB is a graphic designer, and he is anti-commercialism. His alter-ego robot, Hammerstein, is the subject that he often paints. He works as a solo artist or as a collective of like-minded street artists for the same cause.

The new piece features SNUB23's iconic green robot face, which is slowly morphed to appear more human across a series of three-dimensional cubist backgrounds. It's a wonderful addition to London's street art scene.

East London has been under development extensively for the past several years, but the past three have been especially significant. I have seen the changes coming more rapidly with recent visits to east London markets and areas becoming almost unrecognisable with the introduction of small cafes and specialist shops with trendy names and interiors. This leads me to a post on reflection of east London's street art scene (specifically around Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Hackney Road, Hoxton, and Bethnal Green).

Hackney Road contained a few street art walls. Some of these disappeared with the introduction of a hotel and flats four years ago. Until sometime in the last three months, we still had a popular bit on the corner near Hoxton station where there was an empty space for cars to park, some older buildings and walls, and a garage. The whole block of this area of Hackney Road was covered with beautiful pieces of street art that (at one point) changed quite often. 

I also met the organisers of the street art on these walls here, a nice chap who was really into street art and friendly with some of the artists. A friend outside London who I was introducing London's street art to and I had a long chat with him.

Now, these walls are gone. The wonderful pieces by Stik, Dreph, Zabou and countless others that were gracing these walls three months ago are now gone. London has lost another street art area. Hackney Road street art scene is virtually no more, save for a tiny blip by Ion Square and Clare Street. 

In their place, a single piece of grafitti remains. It is a rough illustration of a yellow submarine with the words "We all live in a broken cash machine" underneath, a take on the Beatles' song and lyrics in "Yellow Submarine".

Many walls have disappeared to gentrification with the casulatities of some of my favourite street art haunts gone: Blackall Street, Great Eastern Street, parts of Brick Lane, Star Yard, Old Street, and many more.

Ketones6000 is an artist from western Austrailia who is currently living in London. He creates artwork with geometry and colour and became interested in the arts through live theatre production. He has won awards in Austraila for his work and currently paints and completes street art in London. This year, he has painted several pieces. The most recent additions to his work include portraits and imagery of bees. 

On Pedley Street, he recently painted "The Bee Keeper" featuring a face surrounded by several bees and fruit. 

A realistic mural with bees and yellow flowers was painted on Great Eastern Street. The more recent pieces have been created beautifully as the artist continues creating street art, and the mural on Great Eastern Street is the best. It's a pity that the wall it is painted on is very angular as it doesn't show off the realism of the piece.

Off Bethnal Green Road, the bee theme was kept with another similar mural.

For Quaker Street cafe, Ketones6000 created two separate murals within a week or two of each other. One with with purple and yellow flowers, and the other was a portrait of a female with a floral background.

Earlier in the summer, he painted the following portrait of a female face surrounded by pink flowers.

Hopefully we will be seeing more work from this artist on London's walls.