Start Here :

 

Start at one of the two PAGES in the headings above, which organise the content. This page is simply a scrolling list of blog posts in no particular order.  It is not a diary. 

The SCRAPYARD Page is a collection of notes on offbeat places and the events and people that shaped them, created while grazing in pastures of irrelevance. (cornucopia. goats. ok?) I doubt that you share my fascinations, but if you root around a bit, you might find something that catches your eye. The content wanders but has a London bias. My gaff, my rules. 

It is primarily configured for reading on a phone, but the Blogger software is imperfect, so there will be glitches, and the graphics can wander around the page. I don't have an excuse for the typos and factual errors. 

NOW WITH LESS FEWER TYPOS AND MORE COMMAS ! 

The SOAPBOX Page is a reliquary of my former professional involvement in planning and development. My interest was in making things happen. Some of the posts here comprise material I prepared for journals or when asked to get involved in the nitty-gritty of policy and training professionals. The more recent posts are simply musings on the changing scene since then.

Why Oil Drum Lane? The boomers among you might recall the TV comedy 'Steptoe & Son'.  They were Rag & Bone men who lived and worked in another imagined scrapyard, set in Shepherd's Bush in West London. It is an area I know well, and although it has radically changed over time, some of the locations used for the series are still identifiable. Local history is important. If you want to understand why a place is like it is, you have to know what it was.  

If you are looking for my bike routes with their detailed notes on places to go & see, go to  www.pootler.co.uk