Hi everyone. I hope you’ve all been coping okay with the blustery weather.

Here’s a surprising video I just came across from someone called Fabio. It seems there’s more wildlife in and around Canada Water than you might have realised…

Oo-er. It almost looks like an alien life-form at the start.

Thanks for sharing, Fabio!

Here’s an interesting project about the local area that you may be interested in.

Shipra Ogra, Producer at the London Bubble Theatre Company, contacted me last week to say that she’s looking for local residents (current and past) to take part in what sounds like a rather nice project.

In Shipra’s words:

We are looking for local residents (current and past) to come forward and share their stories about what it was to work in this area – whether in the docks, in an office or a factory and how changes in technology have changed their working lives. There are also opportunities for people to volunteer as interviewers, transcribers and researchers.

From Docks to Desktops is London Bubble’s latest enquiry – exploring the subject of work from 1935 to the present day, asking questions about how work affects life, how it impacts on an area, on friendships, health and community.

In case you’re interested, here’s a bit more about it (a press release about the project):

LONDON BUBBLE LAUNCH NEW LOCAL HISTORY PROJECT

Following the success of their Grandchildren of the Blitz project, local theatre company London Bubble, have received a second grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

From Docks to Desktops will involve local people, including children and elders in exploring the history of Work in Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Deptford. It will look at how the area has changed since the closure of the Surrey Commercial Docks and related industries. The project will also look more widely at how changes in employment have affected community life, friendships and health.

Director, Jonathan Petherbridge said:

“The Grandchildren of the Blitz was a fantastic process, involving hundreds of local people in exploring what happened locally in living memory and leading to a great show. Lots of the people we interviewed talked about the docks and how the area has changed. Bubble itself works out of a former sacking warehouse near the river, and the building retains some of its original features, including a small crane and loading doors. During the Blitz project one of the older participants told me she used to work here mending sacks and described the machinery in the buildings and the bustle of the surrounding streets. We want to find out more, and scratch beneath the surface.”

Bubble are asking for volunteers to help them develop the project. The aim is to collect personal testimonies from older people and members of South East London’s diverse international communities, talking about their working life and their reflections on how south London has changed in that time. These oral histories will then be developed into a play performed by an intergenerational community cast in the summer of 2013 to audiences in the area.

If you want to tell your story or would like to help Bubble – with interviews, local research, helping with events or simply want to find out more, register your interest with Claire Sexton on 0207 2374434 or email claire [at] londonbubble [dot] org [dot] uk

 If you’re interested in the Docklands area and its history, there’s a new blog that you might like to take a look at. Tony, the author of London’s Docklands Past and Present, promises to share historical material from his personal collection about Docklands.

He already has a fascinating aerial photo of the Russia Dock area, taken in 1983 when a huge area of it had been cleared for redevelopment.

Best of luck with the blog, Tony!