It's our weekly London Review and news roundup, starting with a few headlines that caught the eye in London this week, click the links for the full stories...
Best Feet Forward - Walking & Shoe News This Week
Walk More and Die Less Soon
Should we make that the basis of an as campaign and incur the wrath of the Advertising Standards Authority? Or simply file it under D for "doh!"? This week we read in The Guardian that, "Lack of exercise is twice as likely to lead to an early grave than obesity, research has shown."
Research done by some clever bods at Cambridge University it would seem.
"Whether it's going for a walk, taking a bike ride or using the stairs instead of the lift, keeping active every day will help reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease."
So not only are we good TO you, we're good FOR you. You're welcome.
An Odd Number Of Facts About A Typically Even Numbered Thing
And then we saw 11 Facts About Shoes on the Huffington Post. We liked this one best...
"In a 2010 interview with Cosmopolitan, Suzanne Ferriss, PhD, and editor of Footnotes: On Shoes, said that a woman's addiction to buying shoes triggers an area in the brain's prefrontal cortex that is called the collecting spot.
'Shoes are a collector's item, whether women realize they perceive them that way or not,' she said. Think about it: Many women display their shoes on very organized racks."
None of your rubbish on this blog, eh? First we're quoting Cambridge University boffins (is that the correct plural? Should it be "boffa"? Or boffi?) and now a PhD, no less. ( You can read the other 10 facts on Huff Post here.)
And then there was the self-tying shoe. Who developed such a thing? Scientists, folks, that's who. Scientists:
"The ingenious invention doesn't even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk."
If You Do One OTHER Thing In London This Week...
Our weekly slot in which we point you in the direction of other happenings and events in our great city. A new exhibition, a gig, a museum, a pop-up-shop - the best of London within a few minutes of a London Walks walking tour.
We've been tipped the wink on this one by Daily Constitutionalist David Smout (thanks David!) - Song Noir, described as a "dark song cycle" from Pumajaw will be performed at the Vaults Festival in Waterloo 28th Jan to 1st Feb.
Pumajaw aim to reinvent the music of film noir and cult movies, with their timeless themes of danger, delusion and social alienation, using evocative, electronic soundscapes, spine tingling vocals and retrofuturistic films to explore the fine line between reality and illusion. Song Noir features songs from 'Twin Peaks', 'The Night of the Hunter' and 'Kiss Me Deadly' alongside originals from their repertoire of seven extraordinary albums.
Song Noir is at The Vaults, Leake St , London SE1 7NN from Jan 28 - Feb 1 2015 at 9.40pm
www.pumajaw.co.ukSeen In London This Week...
And so farewell, then, Exit 3 at Tottenham Court Road Station. Here's the scene as the Crossrail development moves on apace...
What We Learned On Twitter This Week...
They do cakey workshops at Konditor & Cook. I caught sight of this on a low carbs/no sugar day on Wednesday about 3.00p.m and I almost burst into tears...
As regular Daily Constitutionalists - and many Canadian London Walkers will know - Guides News
London Walks guide Karen is currently fronting the TV show London Next Stop for Canadian TV.
We recently had this message for Karen on Twitter...
@londonwalks We're really enjoying the "London, Next Stop" series with Karen as the guide...any plans for another season?
- Tracey Cook Taylor (@snoostorm)January 7, 2015
Thanks for getting in touch Tracey - sadly there are no plans for a second series, but do come and join Karen on one of her London Walks! As we blog she's making her way to her regular Saturday morning jaunt in Old Westminster.
A highlight of Karen's postbag from the show has been a letter from an old army buddy of her late father, Lt Col Terence Pierce-Goulding. And on last Wednesday's Legal & Illegal London walk she was asked to sign her first ever autographs!
Karen says: "Thanks to everyone for their kind words about London Next Stop. It was such fun to make and I am absolutely delighted that our Canadian London Walkers are enjoying it!"
That's all for this week, we'll be back with more London Spying next Saturday. Have a great walking week!
A London Walk costs £9 - £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com
