Next time you are out and about on your local high street, take a look around. See the most mundane thing you can. Take a picture of it. Print it and put it in an envelope, with a note saying "Not to be opened until 2076". You and I may not be around (if I am, I'll be 114!). Leave nothing to say why you too it. What will whoever opens it make of it?
I saw a quote from Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. He said there are no pictures of him as a child, as his family were too poor to have a camera. I was lucky, my Dad had a camera and was a keen photographer. My Mum also had the bug. They would quite often snap the mundane. At the time, these pictures seemed dull. Now they are priceless to me. I've put various ones on my Flickr site. Here are some of my favourites.
1. My Mum snapped this picture in the mid 1990's. A mundane high street scene. Two institutions that were fixtures of many London High Streets. Now just dim memories.
2. Dad took this snap in the 1960's. I suspect that there was a business related reason, as he ran MacMetals crash repair business. Usually such pics were related to disputes over payment with insurance companies. The picture was taken in his car park. There are a few details of interest. Howard Farrow who owned the van were a local builder. In the background is the old Mill Hill East to Edgware railway goods depot, now Flower Lane industrial estate.
3. This is a picture I took, A casal glance might think this dull, but there is something a bit odd. It was taken during lockdown. It is almost impossible to get such a picture with no carspassing, just the lorry emerging from Marks and Spencer car park. Nothing passing on the M1 either
4. I took this picture during lockdown on a trip to UCLH at St Pancras. Again, you'd not see it this quiet during normal times.
5. As I mentioned above, Dad ran MacMetals. This was his new panel shop in 1966. He was very proud of it! It is still there but the setting has changed beyond recognition. Click here to see it on Google Earth.
6. Dad would've taken this in the 1960's outside the Sacred Heart Church, as some rellies I don't recognise emerged from a car. I am more interested in the cars and shops across the road. I find it tragic that modern cars are so boring looking! The COOP and Payantake stores were a integral part of the Broadway, like most things, they are gone. As are the red and white awnings.
7. Fast forward to the 1990's. Mum would've taken this picture. Who'd have thought Midland Bank would disappear and that the Broadway would have no banks at all! The knitting shop also is a thing of the past. I rather like the Cortina and the Jag in the picture!
8. Taken in 2019, just before Lockdown in the Midland Hotel, Hendon. The False Dots were playing. Our drummer Rambo posing by the chalk board. They couldn't even be bothered to put our name up. The pub is no longer open sadly.
9. I don't really know what possessed me to take this rather badly composed picture but I rather like it. The False Dots have played a few toilets over the years! We are playing tomorrow at The Barfly in Camden at 6pm if you are at a loose end.
10. Graffiti fascinates me, as do ghost signs (old signage from long lost companies). This is one of my favourite ones that you see as you pass Kentish Town. I have passed this thousands of times on the train to London. I t constantly evolves. This was taken in 2020.
I hope I've managed to persuade you that mundanity is a wonderful thing! That's all folks
