Day 14: Top Tips

On the way to work this morning, I walked past a television that had been abandoned on the street - somewhat amusingly - outside a police station in Camden. I then stopped, and walked back to take a photo. I'll always regret not doing this sooner.

When I first moved to London I stayed in a lovely little house in a place called Bounds Green, in North London. It was a pretty dull residential area, so I admit I never really took the time to explore the area - my only insight into the world around me was represented by the long thin alleyway to the tube station that ran behind the houses of the local residents.

Every day something new would be abandoned in this alleyway. A Mattress. A Sofa. Half a washing machine. A small selection of office furniture. A suitcase, full of unwanted clothes. The next day - sometimes even later that day - these would have vanished without explanation, usually having been replaced by something equally incongruent.

I'll never forget the night I walked home to find the eviscerated remains of a huge novelty cuddly toy splayed across the path, its polystyrene innards rolling around silently in the midnight breeze.

We were always fascinated by the sheer quantity and variety of junk that was abandoned - often in exactly the same spot - in this alleyway, joking that it must've been Bounds Greens' favourite hobby. In the two years of watching this strange collection of rubbish fleetingly appear, I never did more than talk about the idea of creating a blog specifically documenting this fascinating phenomenon.

The photograph I took this morning did nothing to ease the mild regret I have about not doing this, but it did act as a somewhat humbling reminder: All you have to do is stop, walk back, and take a photo.