A-Z

The first entry in the Nottingham A-Z is Aaron Close in Wilford NG2; the last is Zulu Road in Basford NG7. Guess where I'm walking on Sunday? This cheeky urban ramble is the brainchild of Richard, my psychogeography friend, and promises to be great fun. There'll no doubt be a lot of pointing at stuff and general chitchat, while members of the public look on in bewilderment wondering why we on earth we would find a particular roof detail fascinating or want to take photographs of railings.

For those of you unfamiliar with NG postcodes  Aaron Close* is south of the river (Trent), Zulu Road** is north. Depending on the route we take - and how far we stray off piste - it's around five miles, so not too taxing by any stretch of the imagination. And yes, I have got a boozer in mind at the end where, no doubt, we shall plan our next sortie.

* If you've ever been to the cricket at Trent Bridge you're not a million miles away.

** Not far from where they hold the famous Nottingham Goose Fair.

Toy Box

I was contacted recently by a like minded soul on Twitter who asked me if I'd be interested in joining a psychogeography group he was setting up in the area. Why not I thought? I love cities, urban walking, architecture, photography, and generally seeking out life's flip side - so what's not to like? I've added my name to their online forum where there was a bit of a digital meet and greet, ahead of hooking up in person and discussing, in a pub - probably, the direction of travel for this most interesting and unusual of groups. 

The term psychogeography, I must confess, is kind of new new to me (even though it was coined back in 1955) and there are, as you might expect, a million and one definitions. However, the one I like best, the one I think neatly describes this fascinating intersection of psychology and geography: "A whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities... just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness." Yep, I can relate to that. I'll keep you posted.

Portishead - Toy Box (1995)