Two sides to the coin

Police today confirmed what all the papers had already reported. That the torso dragged from the Regents Canal at Broadway Market in Hackney was that of East Enders actor Gemma McCluskie. She was just 29. So many of my 'purple snaps' have been of the beautiful and quirky bits of the canal. And if I took a picture a day for the foreseeable future, and not just for Lent, that would no doubtedly still be the case. It's a breath of fresh air that little watery strip between the high rise flats, like a vein carrying oxygen to the backstreets of beyond, even though the high rises are increasingly being replaced with swanky penthouses with glass fronts and trendy cafes on the canalside. But it's a dark place too. And no darker than this week with the police divers and the incident vans and the blue and white tape and the flowers...