A Working Neighbor

The sunlight was perfectly hitting his back so I aimed the camera at him. He noticed me and smiled. He asked me to take a picture of him so I got closer to ask what he was doing with just the broom brush on his hand. Although I had some trouble understanding his accent, he was able to show me how the drain in front of a flat’s door had clogged, therefore he was sweeping the water out of the way. His hand was quite dirty and his smile was clean and permanent. I was amazed to find out that it wasn’t even his flat’s door, he lived on the floor below. It didn’t seem like it was his job, as he had no proper tools for it, nor a conventional uniform as the construction workers on the building behind were using. But it seemed like he was proud of the work he was doing.
I gave him my broom and he made sure he remember my flat’s number by repeating it a couple of times. Later, when I came back home, the broom was there.

London, April 2023

A Nothern Soul Club Ran By Youngsters

On one random night that London is able to provide you when you go have a beer by yourself, I met Edie Rae. Who besides being an extraordinary music artist also has a great music taste and introduced me to Nothern Soul Music. She would end up taking me to a place where people of all ages meet to sweat as much as they can dance, some of them experts in northern soul dance. I was amazed when seeing a woman in her 70s using her feet to dance in a way I could only dream of. When complimenting her dancing skills, she replied: “It’s easy when you have 50 years of dancing on your feet!” It looked like I had travelled to one of my grandmother’s memories when everyone was just there without being somewhere else.

London, June 2023

Event: instagram.com/heartofsoul.peckham/

Check the very unique Edie’s “X-Rae” EP. , I’ll promise you it’s worth checking out.