Brian Pigeon’s Guide to London – The Rooftop Ledge
Not quite the shelter of a window ledge, but often with great views, there’s always the rooftop ledge.
Best just for a stop off rather than an overnight due to the high winds. Getting blown off during a bit of shuteye is not only embarrassing, it can be quite confusing.
Here are a couple of examples of London’s rooftop ledges available in Camden.
This one is on Pratt Street:
The ‘standard flat’.
The best thing about rooftops in Camden is they’re close to Camden Market. If you want a decent throwaway or fancy shitting on some goths, Camden Market on a Saturday and Sunday is the place to go.
Here’s another ‘standard flat’ in Camden:
This one’s near Georgiana Street.
The big advantage of Camden is there are lots of council houses and therefore lots of ‘standard flat’ rooftops. The trouble is though, what you gain on the flat roof you loose on the window ledge.
London’s all about compromise, especially for a pigeon.
Brian Pigeon’s Guide to London – The Alternative Ledge and The Protective Ledge
Here are two great ledges in the North London area.
First off, a classic example of the Alternative Ledge:
Alternative Ledges tend to be brightly coloured low based ledges usually found on council blocks.
And this one is a good example of The Protective Ledge:
Protective ledges are usually found on buildings used mainly for corporate occupancy (i.e. those with a shop or restaurant downstairs where the owners tend not to use the upper floors).
As with this example, there are some that exist with an upper ledge. This type of ledge can be ideal as it’s totally protected and hard to view from street level.
However, this one is located in Kings Cross which isn’t so good night, particularly if you’re traveling with young ones, but it is centrally located and within easy access of the West End.
Brian Pigeon’s Guide to London – London’s Best Ledges
Getting going on a Pigeon’s Guide to London. By a pigeon for the pigeons. Everything a pigeon needs to know when visiting London. Thought I’d start with something simple. London’s Best Ledges.
A pigeon likes nothing better than to chill and enjoy a great view. Okay, so we get views when we fly but because the focus is on the flying, we generally miss out on the enjoying it bit.
So, to kick off, here’s one on Pottery Lane in London’s fashionable Notting Hill.
This is Phil enjoying a bit of peace and quiet:
Looks like Phil may have been there a while…
There are two good things about this particular ledge. First off, it’s right near Holland Park. A lovely spot and with great throwaway potential to be found on Portobello Road.
Secondly, it’s a boarded up window. Boarded up windows are great. You can chill at your leisure with little risk of being disturbed, apart from possibly by another pigeon.
One word of warning. It’s worth checking out your selected ledge before dragging the family down there. Properties are moving fast in London these days and what looked great from the air a few months back may have already been turned into a selection of wank apartments with no ledges whatsoever and 24/7 hawk patrol.
Brian Pigeon’s Guide to London!
Right – decided to give Pigeon Blog a bit of purpose.
Met some dude called Brummy Pete:
This is Brummy Pete looking all lost and shitting himself in Trafalgar Square.
Brummy Pete flew all the way down from Birmingham for a day trip in the Smoke, no fucking clue where to go or what to do.
Got me thinking – with all the long haul flyers everywhere these days, more and more pigeons are heading to London. Day trips, mini-breaks, sabbaticals, they’re all at it – then, when they get here, there’s no info anywhere telling them where to go or what to do – best places to hang out, make pals, get some kip, pick up the ladies, tuck into a fine throwaway, get pissed, play ‘Shit or Miss’ etc.
So, I’m gonna do it – ‘Brian Pigeon’s Guide to London’.
By a pigeon for the pigeon. Everything a pigeon needs to know when travelling to London.
For starters, how about Best Places To Make New Pals. Obviously Trafalgar Square rocks, but you’ve got to be brave. Can be a bit daunting for an out-of-towner like Brummy Pete.
Best thing to do is come on a Thursday. Thursdays are good. Thursdays are flying practice with Wing Commander P.R. Geon. There are beginners lessons and everything. Not so good for pulling though coz everyone’s a bit focussed.
Took this last Thursday. This is a bunch of dudes learning to fly in formation:
And this is Norma putting in a bit of landing practice. Norma’s from Teddington. She rocks up every Thursday trying to get to grips with the parallel feet manoeuvre:
Tricky stuff. That’s Wing Commander P.R. Geon bottom right, running for cover.
Top day out. Right laugh too.
Anyone else out there got ideas for great places to hang out, eat, shit, or whatever for a pigeon new to London, email them to me – brianpigeon AT gmail DOT com.
A Pigeon That Looks Like…
George Bush
George: “Yo, Swan… buddy… dude… fancy being my best pal? Huh?”
Swan: “Er… no thanks. I’d rather eat my own head.”
George: “Ok guys… hey, you guys… you look fun. We could have fun together, and be pals… whaddya say…?”
George: “Hey… guys… wait up…!”
Shit or Miss For The Tourists
Today, because it was Saturday, and it was hot, Me and Mart decided to cruise down Oxford Street.
Came across these dudes. Flew all the way in from Walthamstow. Decided to pitch up for a spot of ‘Shit or Miss’, but on tourists. Picked the best spot for it I reckon. Millions of them knocking about this time of year.
Couple of them kept lookout:
Not sure what they were looking out for – guess it just added to the drama.
This lot were perched down below picking out the targets:
Then one of them, think his name was Pat, spotted this:
Fucking perfect. A bloke with a bald patch.
So Pat goes, “Oi, geezers – check it out bottom right… bet you can’t land one on that!”
“Fuck off, mate, piece of piss!”
Then, just when they were about to drop one, the bloke looks up. Fucking funny.
Probably felt the stare of the pigeon.
So they turned round and pretended they were just ‘having a chat’:
“Lovely weather we’re having for the time of year.”
“Rather. Dum de dum.”
Then one of the lookout dudes flies down:
And only goes and lands one on some Chinese bloke. Fucking great shot. Right in the middle of the head. He didn’t even look up. Walked off down Regent Street covered in pigon shit. Probably still is.
Told Mart we’d play it tomorrow if the weather was nice.
Chiswick Pigeons Get It Good
No wonder the pigeons of Chiswick shag all the time, they get to eat shit from places like this:
Fair trade happy clappy organic wank caffs.
Fresh baked organic wank bread available from ten till three. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
Bastards.
Saying that, I looked up ‘artisan’ coz I’d never heard of it and, according to Wiki, artisans were the ‘dominant producers of goods before the Industrial Revolution’ so, unless it’s been in the freezer, reckon it’s prob a bit off…
Bavarian Beer – Never Again
Me and Mart got back from Bavaria yesterday – see post below. Totally fucked. Two days getting there, two days on the piss with Franz and the boys, two days feeling shit trying to get back. Jesus. The ferry was hell. Puked everywhere. Felt like a mental case we drank so much.
One day it got so bad we couldn’t fly anymore.
Staggering all over the place in the middle of bumfuck nowehere:
Nightmare.
Then I walked full on head first into this:
What the fuck kind of plant is that, and what’s it doing in the middle of a field? Nearly took my eyes out. Mart pissed himself. I didn’t, not even slightly.
Decided I hate the countryside, and Bavaria.
The odd sip of a spinnie is cool – knocking back the wheatbeer all day is not.
Anyway – back now and feeling loads better – esp when I heard about some racing pigeon dude called Bradley who dropped out of a race after only a couple of hours in the air. Couldn’t be arsed, so he spent a week in a holiday camp and got a taxi home. Dude!
Hilarious.
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