Category: england

Postcard from Europe: Home’s where the boat floats

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Colorful stamp depicting boats on water, with artistic brush strokes and a sunny backdrop.

Above: Houseboats docked along a London canal

Tensions have been rising between the managers of Britain’s canals, others who use them, and the nomadic narrowboaters, revered by some as bohemian travelers and disdained by others as maritime squatters.”

“Britain’s Canalboat Nomads Fear New Rules Will Sink Their Way of Life,” Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post, August 29. 2025

I had seen canalboats before, yet London was the first place I became fascinated with the lifestyle of those who operated them. Clueless as to how the system worked.

Now I know, there are boats with permanent berths, and then there are “travelers,” wanderers required to shove off after two weeks in one spot. Many of these are not short-term vacationers but long-term residents who rove about the canals tying up their houses fortnightly.

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Postcard from London, England: When Gonzo beckons, enter

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A colorful stamp featuring a group of superheroes, including Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, and others, in an action-packed scene, with the word 'TOGETHER!' prominently displayed.

Above: Display at Japan House pulled from elements of “Gonzo’s Underground Mix Vol.7,” Yumura Teruhiko, 2021

Heta-uma literally translates as ‘bad-good,’ though the English ‘bad-nice’ was sometimes preferred in period Japanese publications. ‘Awful but amazing’ may give a better idea of what it’s about. It refers generally to things that look like they were dashed off or slapped together, but actually took sensibility and perhaps even real skill and care to produce.”

“‘So Bad that It’s Good:’ The Japanese Graphic Art of Heta-uma,” Ryan Holmberg, Japan House

Ambling down High Kensington Street, gazing into shop windows, the interior of Japan House appeared strikingly bright and sleek, completely uncluttered. Tasteful displays of contemporary Japanese porcelain, pottery and sensuous teapots arranged with the precise placement of objects according to feng shui principles, promoting harmony and balance in individuals.

Then, Gonzo and friends, almost life-size, disrupting the surrounding calm. A chaotic scene so in contrast with the serene elegance, one felt forced to enter and accept Gonzo’s invitation to go underground, which was where we found the temporary exhibition: “WAVE: Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts.”

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Postcard from London, England: Painter’s former home exotic as a peacock

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Above: Staircase hall in the Leighton House, Holland Park, Kensington, London

My parents surrounded me with every facility to learn drawing, but, strongly discountenanced the idea of my being an artist unless I could be eminent in art.”

Lord Frederic Leighton, 1879

From a wealthy family, Frederic Leighton (1830-1896) traveled extensively throughout Europe and exotic countries bordering the Mediterranean. He studied art in France, Germany and Italy and emerged an artist of striking talent on the fast track toward “eminence.” In 1855, Leighton exhibited his first major painting at the Royal Academy in London and scored a monumental sale.

There was a very big picture by a man called Leighton. It is a beautiful painting, quite reminding one of a Paul Veronese, so bright and full of light. Albert was enchanted with it—so much so that he made me buy it.”

Diary entry of Queen Victoria, 1855

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