My Celebrity Whirl – Panto Edition. November 23, 2009
Posted by pottaz in entertainment.Tags: Aladdin, birthday, Christmas, Dot, EastEnders, Gordon Craig, John Altman, Nasty Nick, Nick Cotton, panto, pantomime, shopping, stevenage, Tesco, theatre
add a comment
It never rains, it pours.
Next up in my pantheon of stardom is John Altman, best-known as Nasty Nick Cotton from out of off of off of EastEnders.
I’d been meaning to mention the panto at Stevenage and John has forced my hand. So there I am in Tesco getting some bits for my son’s birthday party and who’s that inspecting the lettuce – my new best pal John. He’s playing the lead in Aladdin at the Gordon Craig Theatre, cultural beacon of Stevenage and the one landmark you could pick out from the train if you were just passing through.
Must be opening night soon. So are they putting John up in a swanky hotel somewhere nearby (the Ibis is perilously close) or have they found him a nice place to rent for a month? My money’s on the latter.
Checking a YouTube interview, John says he’s staying up in Henlow – that’s about 20 minutes away. Still reckon it’s a house.
In the meantime, you can keep up with rehearsals with this fascinating behind-the-wall, fly-on-the-scenes video-blog!
STOP PRESS: Hat man has new hat! November 10, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Parking, Uncategorized.Tags: Derek, French, General de Gaulle, hat, headwear, kepi, navy, train
add a comment
And it’s another kepi – a proper navy blue General de Gaulle job. Do I like it? Well I prefer it to the other one. The white and tan leather job was way too consciously ethnic. “Hey everyone, I’ve got Bob Marley’s entire back catalogue!”
Did I miss a meeting? Are these on-trend? I don’t think so. Derek (I believe) has found his niche and he is working it, baby! What’s going to happen with the other one? Is he going to alternate? I’m not sure I’ll sleep tonight.
First glove of the season. October 30, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Parking, Uncategorized.Tags: abandoned, bridge, glove, gloves, lost, mittens, Parking, property, reunited, season, shopping, stevenage, trolley, woollen
add a comment
Crossing over Lytton Way on the bridge, I see the forlorn shape of a black woollen glove, abandoned, waiting for its owner to return. But lost gloves and glove losers are so rarely reunited.
I wonder, can Parking in Stevenage become a force for good? Could it become a sort of Gloves Reunited site? After all, I’ve already explored my altruistic sensibilities with my shopping trolley rehousing project earlier this year.
But no, there is already too much to report on in this blog. I just can’t afford to offer people with odd gloves false hope. If I see another – like you all undoubtedly will – I shall simply offer up a silent prayer for the fallen.
Parking in Stevenage is One! October 28, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Parking.Tags: Amazon, anniversary, birthday, blog, car, first, Google, happy birthday, internet, one, Parking, stevenage, Swingate, web, year
1 comment so far
Wow. Who knew? One year and 1,556 page views later, Parking in Stevenage is still going strong. We’ve covered shopping trolleys, transvestites, Duncan Norvelle, Lewis Hamilton, hats and gloves – all human life is here!
It feels like such a significant event – like the anniversary of Google or Amazon or the internets.
“Why did you start this blog in the first place?” you’re not asking yourself. Well I’ll tell you. It was as much for my own amusement than for any other audience (fortunately). I don’t have to submit my first draft to anyone else to approve. I’m my own boss. I can write what I like. For better or worse.
So thanks to Swingate, Danesgate, Daneshill, Southgate and St George’s multi-storey for having me. To Stevenage station for giving me somewhere to catch the train from. And to First Capital Connect and National Express for transporting me from East Herts to King’s Cross (and back again).
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank both my readers for sticking with me. Believe me when I tell you, things can only get better – that’s probably quite easy for you to believe, truth be told.
Here’s to another 365 days of Parking in Stevenage. It’s gonna be real!
Hat man is called Derek. October 21, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Parking.Tags: camera, commute, Derek, hat, kepi, leather, photo, ponytail, rasta tan, train, white
add a comment
And he looks like one too. Overheard a mate talking to him as they were getting off the train. I wasn’t earwigging, I just caught it in the wind.
As for the hat, I think it’s some sort of kepi. A colleague of mine also sees Derek and his kepi. He’s shown me his surreptitious photo of the two together. One day it may appear on this blog. This could turn into a sport – a bit like Dick and Dom’s bogey game. They have to say BOGEY as loud as possible in a public place. Our challenge is to get the clearest, closest shot of Derek and kepi. I think I’m winning at the mo’.
An ad for shadows? October 19, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Parking.Tags: ad, advert, billboard, campaign, platform, shadows, sony ericsson, stevenage
add a comment
Thankfully, the Sony Ericsson campaign seems to have lost interest and stopped following me. The billboard on the platform at Stevenage has been replaced by this one; apparently an ad for shadows. And why not. They’ve been under-represented for ages.

- BLANK -
The Britney of King’s Cross. October 14, 2009
Posted by pottaz in Work.Tags: Britney, Britney Spears, commute, Kings Cross, oops I did it again, platform, Spears, stevenage, train, tube
add a comment
Occasionally I need to get to work at 8.30. It’s not too much of a hardship. But the last few times I’ve noticed a new character in my cast of fellow commuters: the Britney of King’s Cross.

The real Britney - before rehab/shaving/general loopiness.
Train timetables and habit collude to have me standing at exactly the same spot on the platform and at roughly the same time when aiming for an 8.30 start.
Amid the SuperDry jackets, the Diesel jeans, the pinstripe suits, the jean and jacket combos and the beauty clinic uniforms, one young woman stands apart. Or rather sits.
At precisely my spot on the platform, there she is, sitting and waiting. And dressed a bit like Britney 1.0 – you know, the pseudo-schoolgirl sort of look. Always the knee-high socks, short skirt and bright pink top, along with perilously bleached blonde hair.
I’m way past looking. I see her, but I’m not looking per se – though in a predominately grey/brown/black world, pink/white/flesh does tend to stand out.
But she’s there sitting on her own. I arrive, wait for a train and squeeze on board when space allows. And as it pulls away, there’s Britney, still sitting there. Waiting. For what, I wonder…
Sometimes it’s better not to know. The reason is no doubt extremely dull and unexciting. As with many things in life, the interest is in not knowing.
There. That was nearly deep wasn’t it. I’ll balance it out with another post about Duncan Norvelle soon, I promise.












