Magicplum's Blog

*Magicplum Present

This will be a work in progress…

Firstly, I live in London.  Right on the edge of it…  This town is described as one of the most deprived areas in London.  How does an area become deprived?  That’s a whole book in itself.  But I guess, once it does, people tend to give up on it, feeling perhaps that the area and everyone in it has given up on them.  Some leave to live in a nicer area, who can blame them? – If I were suddenly to have enough money to leave, would I??  I think that when an area starts to go downhill and people give up on it and people leave, it can only get worse.  I like the idea of staying and making an effort to improve things, but that is partly idealistic.  If you are subject to serious crime and violence in a town, then the bad memories alone are enough to make you want to leave.  I’ve had a few incidents of trouble, bullying and vandalism from neighbours, but I’ve been lucky enough to somehow get back on track with them.  I know others are sometimes not so lucky, and feel that staying is unbearable.

When I go out and about in this ‘deprived’ area, I love it when I see little isolated efforts at beauty and care.  A lengthy ugly concrete sprawl of an estate, the blunt grey face of it bare, some windows and doors boarded up.  But magically, just in two or three places along that front, the concrete is blooming.  Whoever lives inside that flat has covered the front and balcony with window boxes stuffed with bright bursts of colour.  The flowers bold, yell ‘Up Yours!’ to the ugly grey walls.  Some have ornaments too, plastic butterflies alighting on window sills, ceramic ducks or squirrels nestling in a flower tub.  Sometimes quite garish, but still beautiful for the very fact that someone is taking care of their own little patch, lighting it up – ‘My home matters’. 

My favourite boots right now.