At the start of the week, I went on one of my little expeditions to gather images for the Greenwich Daily Photo section. DaveH48 had kindly suggested I pop down to to the East Greenwich Pleasaunce for some good snaps which, I must admit, is a place I hadn’t visited before. So I was snapping away and came to a gate. I was in photo journalist mode so a gate wasn’t going to stop me, and I duly let myself in. Then I saw a lady coming out of the small building, heading straight towards me and I suddenly clocked what was happening: There was me, a grown man, camera at the ready, standing in a kiddie’s play area outside a playcentre. The lady from the playcentre was perfectly pleasant but it was still slightly embarrasing to find one’s self in the position where someone might have thought I was up to no good, lurking outside a playcentre. A mental note has been made to be more careful in future!

Slightly later than usual this week, Andrew Gilligan’s latest column brought with it a wonderful moment of confession when our esteemed local columnist admitted the famous places in Greenwich he hadn’t visited. Maybe we should all join in. What famous Greenwich landmark have you never been too? I think I only visited the Royal Observatory for the first time recently. Interesting place, with quite a funny one way system for walking around it. I was just inside the entrance, I could practically reach out into the courtyard but the staff instead directed me to walk the entire way route around place to reach the proper “exit”. Slightly over-zealous since you don’t even pay to go in, I thought.

And that’s the abridged round up of the week here at Greenwich.co.uk!

This week was mostly decimated for me by bug and other ailments which should serve as a reminder for me to stay clear of small children.

On Tuesday, Andrew Gilligan wrote about the fatal flaws in the KPMG review which, according to a leaked email, seems to have convinced Boris Johnson that Greenwich Park is the right venue for the equestrian events. I think a site truly comes of age when it has a leaked email to publish!

On Wednesday, London 2012 organisers confirmed that Greenwich Park would indeed be staying as part of their plans. LOCOG have arranged a presentation for today (Friday) and tomorrow in the Pavillion Teahouse in the Park about what their plans might entail.

Apart from that, it was a fairly quiet, for me at least (although to be fair I was sleeping for most of it), but there’s one last thing: a date for your diary. Get your camera ready for June 2010 because a new luxury cruise liner, the Seabourn Sojourn, is having her naming ceremony in Greenwich. The yacht style, 450-passenger cruiser will then set sail on a 14 day maiden voyage. At least that’s the Daily Photo section sorted for that week!

On Monday, we published a comprehensive article from NOEOE which articulated the concerns of many over the planned equestrian events for Greenwich Park.  It went into exhaustive detail about the issues that campaigners have with Greenwich Park being used for the 2012 Olympics.

On Tuesday, I met up in Greenwich Park with Dave Hill from the Guardian website to walk the planned cross country course, paying particular attention to the Flower Gardens. Dave put this report together the next day.

Personally, I would place myself in the sceptic camp over the use of Greenwich Park in 2012. My scepticism isn’t because there’s unlikely to be much sporting legacy, although there probably won’t be. It isn’t because there might be damage to historic trees and park land, although there might be. It’s not because it is likely to cause traffic chaos on already busy roads, although that will probably happen. My scepticism is because Greenwich Park is so perfect as it is, that to do anything at all with it – however great that might be for a couple of days in the summer of 2012 – has to be a second preference in my book to just maintaining it and preserving so it can just be enjoyed now and forever as the park that people love, without any prolonged interruption or loss of access.

I would like to think that this website has space for all opinions on this contentious issue and would be more than happy to publish the opposing viewpoint. In actual fact, I’m desperately trying to find someone who wants it to go ahead but people of that opinion are proving quite elusive. Have you met anyone in favour? Keep ’em peeled, as they say, and let me know.

Also on Tuesday, we published the latest article from Andrew Gilligan. He welcomes Boris Johnson’s decision to postpone any further on the Greenwich Waterfront Transit scheme. Andrew, in customary fashion, was blunt in his views about GWT, describing it as “complete rubbish” and saying “Despite the name, intended to make it seem like something special, it is simply a normal bus service” at an “eyewatering” cost. The Mayor has also abandoned plans for a Thames Gateway Bridge – this was attacked by Greenwich council as a “shocking decision” over a scheme which has the “overwhelming support of Londoners”. In neighbouring Bexley, the council welcomed the decision, saying “This news will be welcomed by all those who campaigned so long and so hard to stop the bridge”. Pays your money and takes your choice on that one, I guess.

On Wednesday, there was a late night shopping in event with food and live music in the market til 10pm. Did you go? What did you think?

Over at the O2, Damon Albarn’s new opera, Monkey: Journey To The West, was enjoying its first night and seems to have got great reviews. It’s a new adaption of the classic Chinese tale, and is taking place in a custom made tent for the next month.

Earlier on Wednesday, the HMS Illustrious ended her stay in Greenwich and set again back out to sea, not before repeating that slightly tricky task of navigating her way through the Thames Barrier with only 10m to spare on either side. Yikes! On Thursday, the Greenwich Phantom had some fantastic pictures showing air carrier passing the Old Royal Naval college.

This morning, it was great to see a few other websites pick up on the fact that Andrew Gilligan is writing for Greenwich.co.uk – here in the Media Guardian and here at Journalism.co.uk. The growth of hyperlocal websites is quite an interesting topic and a challenge for established local media outlets. I was delighted to get Mr Gilligan onboard so it’s great to see it being picked up by the trade press. And I must take the opportunity to congratulate the Greenwich Phantom on her 1000th blog post – looking forward to the next thousand!