London 2

We braved the cold and rainy conditions in search of the oldest church in London, ALL HALLOWS, which was bombed and all but destroyed during the Blitz. It is nestled beside the Tower Bridge and was very interesting, with lots of unusual things to see, such as the model boats, sculptures, and brasses.

 

 

 

This church had a strong sense of community with a collection point for food donations for the homeless of the parish, a personal photo board with names of key people in church life, and friendly people doing tours.

The Crypt and the small chapels underground were especially lovely.

 

 

Next was the TOWER OF LONDON and as we approached the main entry, we saw these animal sculptures representing the lions once kept inside the first walls to discourage unwanted visitors. They were made of chicken wire and were superb.

 

The moat around the castle no longer contains water, but lush green grass used as a bowling green in some places.

This gate, known as Traitors Gate, was thought to be the gate through which Ann Bolyn was taken into the dungeons of the Tower Of London.

 

Gardens outside the walls of the Tower of London with the Tower Bridge in the background.

Walking across Tower Bridge.

Moored not far along the River Thames was HMS BELFAST. It is a permanent museum open to the public. It also provides sleep-overs for groups, eg Scouts, who are interested. There is a self-guided tour which takes you through all sections of the battleship and gives some idea of living and fighting conditions for the crew and officers. There are some realistic displays where models, of dentist and patient, for example, with sound effects, help to bring the scene to life. We went onto the gun deck and experienced a simulation of the six inch guns being fired, all noise and vibration! The boiler and engine rooms are huge with explanations of how things worked. It was fascinating and gave us some insight into our fathers' wartime physical environments, as they both served in the navy, my dad on destroyers and Glenn's on corvettes.

 

Very realistic models.

 

 

Sculpture from the set of The Navigator

 

Thursday 30.5.13

Another cold and overcast day so we opted for some museum amusement.

We caught the underground to London Bridge and walked to FASHION AND TEXTILE MUSEIM which has an exhibition of the work of KAFFE FASSETT - A Life In Colour. I was really surprised by the range of knitwear he has designed and handmade himself. He loves to knit and is very quick. He enjoys being able to knit and talk (don't we all), and the fact that knitting is so portable. He said that he learnt more about how colours work together through knitting than through painting. He aims for vertical movement in his pieces.

One of his cushions with a 'touch me' wall of fabric and knitted swatches behind.

Many quilts were displayed wrapped around boldly striped cylinders.

Tapestry cushion inspired by ceramic urn in foreground.

He also designs and makes colourful tapestries, inspired by vegetables in particular and old china. Other works on exhibit were knitted beanies, decorated with buttons, mosaic urns and panels and large quilts. I found his work interesting.

Further along Bermondsey St. we went into the LONDON GLASSBLOWING STUDIO. It has a stunning display of glass objects in sumptuous colours made by Peter Layton and others. Many of the pieces were exquisite.

Molten glass being shaped and smoothed.

We spent an hour or so watching a blob of molten glass being transformed into an object of beauty as it was put in and out of the furnace, rolled over pieces of broken coloured glass and returned to a state of white hot.... being twirled all the time. Eventually it was finished and put into an oven for cooling over a period of thirteen hours or so. Fascinating to watch.

 

 

 

London May-June 2013.

Our flight from Barcelona was delayed for almost half an hour because four people checked their luggage in and then didn't board the plane. As a result, the luggage had to be unloaded until their bags were located and removed. Maybe the police caught up with them or maybe they just changed their minds. Who Knows?

There was snow on the Pyrenees as we flew over them and that explains the cold winds in Barcelona the day before.

 

London. 25.5.13

We caught the Easybus from Gatwick airport and then the underground and the overground to Kensal Rise where we were met by Serge, owner of our exchange house. We were made very welcome by the family and Katy had cooked dinner followed by rhubarb crumble. Delicious.

We were also greeted with warm, sunny weather which continued for three glorious days. Alas! The rain is here on day four.

We spent our fist full day exploring our immediate area and getting our bearings. We followed Katy's directions and found the corner shops, bus stop and Queen's Park a short walk away. It was Sunday and a beautiful spring day at the beginning of the mid-term break so there were lots of families enjoying the fine weather and the beautiful park. It is one of many dedicated to the public and it has various attractions. There are all-weather table-tennis tables, playing fields, a children's petting farm, playground, coffee shop and park benches and tables under huge leafy trees.

 

 

On the other side of the park in the grounds of the Primary school there was a Farmer's Market with interesting fresh produce. We sampled the local goat's cheese but I still don't like it despite trying to develop a taste for it. It took me a long time to love oysters and mussels so maybe I'll persevere with the cheese.

The following day we caught the bus into London and had lunch in Chinatown. Below are some Chinese sweet treats we didn't eat. Aren't they so cute?

Lemon and honey tea. So refreshing. I've never had it like this before.

Hunger satisfied, we then meandered through the historic city streets, past the West End theatres advertising shows such as Billy Elliot, Les Miserables, Singin' in the Rain and lots of others.

 

We found ourselves in Trafalgar Square where the London Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for a twilight performance later in the day, so we sat and listened for awhile and decided to return for the concert at 6.30pm.

We continued until the entrance to the Whitehall Gardens and could not resist the attraction of such a scented and tranquil oasis.

We exited the park and followed the surging long-weekend crowds along the Embarkment and were surprised at the fast current in the River Thames. On the opposite bank, The London Eye absolutely dominates the skyline.

I love this powerful sculpture of Boadicea, queen of the British Iceni tribe who lead the uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.

 

We continued on past the iconic Big Ben which still tells London the time and into St. James park, yet another haven of calm beauty in the centre of the city.

 

Duck Island Cottage was built for the bird keeper in St. James Park. It is surrounded by a cottage garden and water and is picturesque in the extreme.

This little squirrel was not a bit shy and stood looking at us as we looked at it.

The next animal, belly up to the sun and sound asleep on its owner, was not the least bit interested in us!

We went home, packed a quick picnic dinner, collected some warm clothing and returned to Trafalgar Sq. for the concert. By then there were a squillion people seated and another million trying to get somewhere to sit.

We managed to get some ground space with a backrest before security closed all the entrances. We were reasonably comfortable, warm in the sun, with only the odd foot to the head from the people perched above us.

It was a balmy night and a wonderful experience to listen to such music in the open air. The concert finished at 8pm and we were home before dark. A Great Big, Day!