About Town Re-post

Welcome to Islington  

 Welcome to Islington, the first in a series of blogs about my lovely borough with a bit of history thrown in, things to do and my recommendations for the week.

Islington lies to the north of the city centre and is the second smallest London borough although very densely populated. It started as an overcrowded London suburb transformed into a neighbourhood of high-class status, home to the vibrant Upper Street, Camden Passage and Chapel Market and the residential areas around Angel tube station.
Islington is home to approx 200,000 people, a vibrant and lively part of the world and benefits from a wealth of restaurants, clubs, fringe theatres and community events: buildings that began as inns and defunct social houses have since been re-emerged as fashionable gastropubs, wine bars, and boutiques all very well serviced by many bus lines and nearby tube stations.



Some interesting facts:

• The escalator at Angel station is the longest of all London stations, at 60m, with a vertical rise of 27.5m.
• Tony Blair, Colin Firth, George Orwell, Lily Allen and Boris Johnson have all lived in Islington.
• The licensees for the board game Monopoly used to meet for tea in the Lyon’s Corner House in Islington. That’s why The Angel, Islington has a spot in the game.
• Islington was the first London borough to receive fresh water via an aqueduct running from Hertfordshire to the New River Head reservoir. This is now the path of the New River Walk.
• Many suffragettes, including Emmeline Pankhurst and Emily Wilding Davison, spent time in jail at Holloway prison
• The Camden Passage antiques market has been supplying Londoners with collectibles and bric-a-brac for over 50 years, and is always busy with bargain hunters at weekends.
• The Islington Farmers’ Market, London’s oldest such market has some 30 stalls every Sunday on Chapel Market, selling a variety of fresh produce, local delicacies and organic foods. 

 

Recommended this week:
Food and drinks
Fredricks - family run restaurant since 1969, has a lovely conservatory and garden at the back, perfect to enjoy the nice weather and the delicious food.


Amorino Ice Cream Shop, 110 Upper St - delicious artisanal ice-cream. My favourite flavour - pistacchio.

The Bar with No Name, 69 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AA, has shed its previous mysterious reputation and is now packed out every night with people dying to sample the expertly crafted cocktails

Art
The Experience of Colour Astrazione Oggetiva - exhibition exploring a little-known movement in Italian painting, with colour as the focal point of the artistic practice, exploring its optical and perceptual effects. NOW CLOSED :-(
Imagine Islington - an exhibition or art inspired bu objects from Islington Museum

Theatre
Ugly Lovely by Ffion James, fringe theatre at its best, showing at the Old Red Lion in St John's Street.

 

About Town

Welcome to Islington: Upper Street 

Pic from bbc.co.uk

Islington is not just for the champagne socialists, whichever way you lean, it offers something for your weekend:
Welcome to Upper Street.



Upper Street is Islington's high street. There is an abundance of restaurants and bars, many fashionable shops, pubs, and theatres.

The hilltop village of Islington originally consisted of two streets in addition to the High Street: Upper Street and Lower Street, which diverged from the High Street at Islington Green and both date back to at least the 12th century.Henry VIII hunted duck in the ponds off Upper Street, while Walter Raleigh lived in Upper Street and owned a pub in Lower Street, since renamed Essex Road.

Pic from hospitalityandcateringnews.com

St. Mary's Church, Islington, was rebuilt in 1754 and dominates the Islington skyline and is still in full use today.
The Little Angel Theatre is a children's puppet theatre in a former Temperance hall, behind the church.
Directly opposite St. Mary's Church is the King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970, the first pub theatre in the UK, located in the back room behind the bar at the King's Head pub.

In the 18th century Upper Street started to be redeveloped from an agricultural to a residential area and it became later notorious (late ninetheen century) for its night-time entertainments. In 1870, Charles Dickens described the area as "amongst the noisiest and most disagreeable thoroughfares in London."

How things have changed; if I say so myself, Upper Street is now a vibrant cafe culture/art scene/entertainment island to rival the West End (did I say I love Islington?).

You must come and visit, what are you waiting for?

Recommended this week:
Food and drinks
Practically every other door in Upper Street is either a pub, a restaurant or some kind of eatery, a mix of well know chain-brands and smaller independents, too many to mention; there is certainly something for all tastes and price brackets.
A couple of gems worth mentioning for me:
Casa Manolo , a tiny bit of Spain in the heart of Islington, offering eating-in as well authentic products for sale ( jamon iberico, Yum :-p ).

Udderliscious Ice Cream, an independent ice-cream parlour toward the Highbury end of Upper Street, making utterly deliciously scrumptious ice cream; they often experiment and they even do flavour requests ( yes, that's right). You have to try it.




Entertainment

Pic from www.list.co.uk

Screen on the Green, love love love this "experience" cinema, offering a mix of independent, foreign language, culture, classics and the latest blockbusters movies (and you can drink a nice glass of red whilst enjoying the movie too, priceless). Star Trek Beyond is showing now.

The Kings Head with Noel Cowards and Friends live in Las Vegas (31st July) and Festival46.

The Little Angel Theatre , 3 Little Pigs currently on.

Shopping
Twentytwentyone , new and vintage meet in this design store beloved by architects, designers and other trendies (or people who want to be trendy). Quality, beautifully-designed homeware is carefully sourced and advice on investing in classic retro furniture available.
Little Paris, for the lovers of French home deco, Little Paris offers a time trip through an eclectic range of vintage and unique furniture, curiosities, contemporary fashion and home accessories directly sourced from France. The shop is constantly restocked, so it is worth popping in regurlalry.

Bits and bobs

Pic from fr.pickture.com

A week in review

Happy Sunday, Bon Dimanche, Buona Domenica!!!
Looking back at this week, once again we are faced with horror, a new boundary that human beings have crossed; the slaughter of an innocent and defenceless person in a place of worship.
To call it barbaric it would imply there is some kind of human spirit behind this, non.
To call it animalistic it would frankly be an insult to animals.


I don't think there are words appropriate to comment beside the ones of a very wise man:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that". Martin Luther King Jr.





My posts this week:
Monday blog

Pic from www.amazon.co.uk

Rest day :-)

Tuesday blog

I was curious about the use of tapping to clear money blocks so decided to buy a copy of the Tapping into Wealth book by Margaret Lynch.

Lynch has produced a very good book , a must-ready must-keep.

Wednesday blog

The key to making an Apprentice feel welcome is a good induction process that offers continued managerial support.

Pic from

Thursday blog
Many managers don't "get" pregnancy, they are afraid to engage with pregnant employees because they are not sure what "employment law"minefield they are stepping into.

Pic from www.maternityleavecoach.com

Friday blog
In the third film in the new Star Trek franchise, the USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test. 



Saturday blog
Islington is not just for the champagne socialists; its boutiques,  bars and restaurants  offer something for the weekend, whichever way you lean; welcome to Upper Street.

Follow my posts also on:

Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist

Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town 

Bits and bobs

Pic from www.bonnesimages.com

A week in review

Bon Dimanche, Buona Domenica, Happy Sunday :-)

Another interesting week gone by: Theresa May interjections at her first Prime Minister Questions (I must say impressive) and the trips to meet her European counterparts. The Labour Leadership saga continues and I'm sure it will continue throughout the summer (unfortunately for us); ladies and gents, get a grip, we want to see our politicians behave like responsible adults not squabbling mean children. Moreover any democracy needs a credible opposition, and I mean credible ... hint hint.

Another sad sad story coming from Munich, another murderous attach, this time not terrorist related but not less scary or painful, #PrayforMunich.
My blogs this week:

Monday blog

Usually employees cannot lodge a claim for unfair dismissal until they have been with their employer for a qualifying period of two years. Be aware though that when there is a "protected disclosure" (whistleblowing) they can claim as soon as they need to.

Tuesday blog

Author Baden Eunson defines the topic of Conflict Management and breaks it down into easily digestible components in this useful book.

Wednesday blog

Rest day :-)

Thursday blog
Flexible working is not a new concept but is one that is often misconstrued.

Friday blog
The Almeida Theatre is currently showing a new adaptation of Richard III, directed by Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold with Ralph Fiennes as Shakespeare’s villain and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Margaret. One to see.

Pic from almeida.live.co.uk

Saturday blog
Exmouth Market is a classic story of urban gentrification: a one time run-down area now one of London’s most desirable streets, situated nearby the Sadler's Wells theatre, with a trendy and friendly vibe.

Follow my posts also on:

Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist

Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town

Bits and bobs

Pic from www.quoteslike.com

A week in review

Good morning and Happy Sunday!!!
Another week has gone by, another week of drama and intrigue in British politics with the coronation of Theresa May as the second ever female Prime Minister and the swift move to create the new cabinet.
Big surprise was the return of Boris Johnson to front line politics together with other big beasts like Dr Fox and Davis Davis and the blue collar make up of the rest of the cabinet.

Unfortunately also in the news the horrific demented attack in Nice which saw the indiscriminate murder of innocents including many children. My prayers and thoughts are with the families, the injured and the people who witnesses this mass murder

#PrayForNice, nous sommes tous avec vous

Monday blog
An equal pay case involving 400 female employees of supermarket ASDA could bring about a number of similar claims elsewhere in the private sector.

Tuesday blog
Law and business professors Lynn Roseberry and Johan Roos reviewed 60 years of gender-related research they use each chapter to addressing different common arguments against “gender balance in each chapter of this book.

Pic from www.grimsby

Wednesday blog
Following on and building on my previous blog Achieving gender balance at work  there is no doubt that diversity is a key focus for companies.


Thursday blog
Can a service provision change be a relevant transfer for TUPE purposes if the new provider sub-contracts the services? Yes, according to the EAT in Qlog Limited v O'Brien and others.

Friday blog
The Nice Guys is an old-school action comedy that displays all the politically incorrect pleasures of the Seventies and knowingly so. 
Fun, loved it :-)

Saturday blog
Camden Passage has ranked alongside Portobello, Kensington Church Street and Spitalfields  since the 1950s as one of London’s leading antique locations,  and now the area has added also many new shops, restaurants, cafes and market stalls.

Follow my posts also on:

Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist

Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town

Bits and bobs

A week in review

Good morning and Happy Sunday :-)
Looking at back the week in the news:
the Conservative Leadership contest is now hotting up and it is going to be an all female shortlist that party members will select the next Leader from and the UK Prime Minister.
Labour has not found a resolution to their crisis still leaving the country with no effective opposition.

On a more positive note, today is going to be packed full of great sport:
Wimbledon male singles final between Andy Murray (looking for his second Wimbledon title) and Milos Raonic (benefitting from the JohnMac effect) in his first Wimbledon and Grand Slam final appearance and the final of Euro2016 with France and Portugal battling for the trophy (#AllezLesBleus).
My week blogs:

Monday blog
4th July is the most significant national holiday in the United States. It celebrates the Declaration of Independence, adopted on 4th July, 1776.

Tuesday blog
There are many different ways to develop a career and/or business but one way which is frequently overlooked is networking.



Wednesday blog

I recently read an article about an interesting people practice; Amazon is offering its staff up to $ 5,000 to leave the company immediately, the so called "Pay to Quit" scheme (only available in the US to warehouse workers).

Thursday blog
Kevin Kruse captures/explains, in a series of revealing interviews with seven billionaires, 13 Olympians, 29 star students and 239 entrepreneurs, their 15 most useful time-management secrets in 15 Secrets Successful People know about Time Management.


Friday blog
In the late 1940 American dealer and collector Eric Estorick discovered contemporary Italian art and by 1993 he had accumulated an internationally famous collection of Italian art and sculpture from 1890 to the 1950s... 

Saturday blog
Welcome to Islington, the first in a series of blogs about my lovely borough with a bit of history thrown in, things to do and my recommendations for the week

Follow my posts also on:

Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist

Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town

Bits and bobs

Pic from happybirthdayimages.com

Happy Independence day

4th July is the most significant national holiday in the United States. It celebrates the Declaration of Independence, adopted on 4th July, 1776. The Thirteen Colonies of America declared themselves to be states and no longer part of the British Empire, though the revolutionary war continued for some time after that.

While the relationship between the settlers and British was once amicable, tensions began to escalate over British laws and taxes, such as the Sugar Act, driven by British financial needs. There was also a growing sense of nationalism in the country. 
These ill feelings escalated with a series of events which culminated in 1775 when the war of independence against Britain was declared. 

When the initial battles broke out in April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered radical. 

By the middle of the following year, however, many more colonists favoured total independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in Thomas Paine’s bestselling pamphlet “Common Sense,” published in early 1776.

When writing this article and re-reading the history of the American Independence from Great Britain, analogies came to mind with the current UK situation and the recently declared "Independence" from the European Union and I don't feel the bickering and recriminations are helping us at all at the moment.


To our cousins across the pond and here in the UK I hope you all have a brilliant day with your families, friends and loved ones.

We still do love you ;-)


To the Brexiteers and the Remainers, one quote comes to mind:


"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not". John F. Kennedy.


Happy 4th of July!

Bits and bobs

Pic from www.pininterest.com

A week in review 

Happy Sunday everyone :-)
I love Sundays, the papers, the lie-in, breakfast in bed, coffee, relaxing with friends.... Bliss.

Looking back at this week and the news I think, if some Aliens out there tuned in in our frequencies they would have easily thought that British politics is in reality a drama, a spin off of Games of Thrones (between the Conservatives and Labour it was incredibly entertaining).
In regards to the Brexit aftermath, I concur with the Queen, we just now need to breath and stay calm; the more negative thoughts out there, the more anxiety we create and it is easy to spiral into a vicious circle.

Feel good story of the week for me was and is the Wales success story at the Euro2016, absolutely incredibly well done (OK, Iceland did well too but I am far less happy about that).

My week was far less dramatic:

Monday blog
Is Competition between women more and more fierce?


Tuesday blog

It comes a time in the life of a small business where a set of policies is required : how do you design a Staff Handbook that doesn't put people to sleep?



Wednesday blog
After 'Independence Day'1 came out, we knew there was going 
to be some kind of sequel and here it is. Part 2, pardon, 

The Resurgence, is now out. 

Thursday blog

The Power To Shape Your Destiny will become your best ally as you use it to realise what you really want from your life. Listen to this CD set and apply apply apply...

Friday blog

Out and about in Islington, The Old Red Lion Pub and Theatre.

Saturday blog
Rest day and enjoying the weekend.

Follow my posts also on:

Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist

Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town

Bits and bobs

Week in review

Happy Sunday everyone!
It is a late start for me with my beloved coffee , looking back at the week gone by.
This week has been impossible escaping 2 things in the news:
Euro 2016 and the Referendum.

Well, as we all now know, England,Wales, Northern Ireland AND Ireland have all qualified for the next stage of the tournament:
fabulous and congratulations!!! Unfortunately, it didn't last long for Northern Ireland as they then lost to Wales yesterday (1-0). Very well done Wales now in the quarter finals.

On the other hand, the UK has decided in large numbers to part company with Europe as it stands at the moment. This seems to have caused a bit of chaos together with an on line petition to have a 2nd Referendum . For me, this is one of the things that can happen when voting or in a Referendum, e.g. someone wins and someone loses especially in a Referendum where is either/or while in elections you could end up with a coalition of different parties.

I feel it is highly undemocratic to say:
" I believe in the democratic process but only if it goes my way otherwise I will throw my toys out of the pram until it goes my way".
People have voted and the majority rules, that is the way it is. Otherwise, what is the point of voting?

Monday blog

When planning their career too many people focus on the job title when looking for the role that will progress them up the career ladder. Is this useful though?

Tuesday blog

With mental ill health costing the UK economy an estimated £70 billions each year it is time that employers really get serious about dealing with this issue; it makes business sense.

Pic from richmindrichlife.co,uk

Wednesday blog

In one of my previous blog Networking to develop your career  I wrote how networking is one way to help with career development which is frequently overlooked. But is networking working, and if not, why?

Thursday blog
Referendum day in the UK to decide whether to remain or leave
the European Union.
We sometime forget how important voting is and how many struggles people have gone through for centuries, and in some countries still do now, for this basic fundamental right. 
Universal vote has not really been in place that long in the UK. 

Friday blog
Rest day

Saturday blog
 A bit of nostalgia remembering on the best restaurant/hotel experiences in my life, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Follow my posts also on:
Twitter: Laura@PeopleAlchemist
Instagram: @the_alchemist_about_town