Well, with everyone suffering from colds, it has been difficult to get everything done this Christmas. I was the first to go down with it, and it wiped out a whole week of plans, including two concerts I was to sing in. Thankfully, I’m now coming out the other end of it, but my hubby now has it and coughing well, and my eldest son who still lives with us is at the beginning of it.
Somehow in the last couple of days I’ve caught up with myself and baked a quick fruit cake yesterday (see above) and made my family favourite treat, marzipan sweets. This morning I’ve baked a batch of mince pies and made the stuffing ready for tomorrow. Presents are wrapped, but not under the tree as our puppy will just tear everything to shreds! Basically, I’m done and can relax a little until tomorrow when the juggling of various dishes takes place in the oven!
Home made marzipan sweets
Mince pies
Before the snow we had, which lasted about a week, we had some very heavy frosts, which were photogenic. Here is a selection of photos I took, as well as those I took of the snow. I can’t remember another time when we had snow before Christmas. It’s rare in the south of England. Usually it arrives in January or February, though I do once remember having a snow shower in June. Now that is rare!
Pattern in the shed window
A misty and frost morning
And then came the snow
Back garden
Introducing Rue, my son’s 5 month old King Charles Cavalier, who snuggled up with me on the sofa when I wasn’t well.
Patterns on the porch door
Hope you enjoyed that little selection of photos. Have a lovely Christmas and see you soon. Thank you for reading my blog this year and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you in 2023.
I’ll finish with this haunting song. Not exactly happy, but I love it and it makes me cry, like watching The Railway Children.
I had an unexpected trip to London on the 10th December. A friend asked if I’d like to go to the Africa Fashion exhibition at the V&A with her, as the friend who originally was going with her was unwell.
The exhibition was colourful and interesting and spanned the mid-20th century to the present day through textiles, music, photography and video.
Kente cloth comes from Ghana
I found that prints could be political, but also tribal, as well as influenced by colonialism. There were prints here with Dutch influence. I am a member of a Christian organisation known as The Mother’s Union, founded in Winchester back in the 1876, but the organisation now has global outreach and members. The members in Africa soon began designing a ‘uniform’. Just have a look at this blog page and the photos to see what I mean. In the UK we don’t have this. The nearest we get is a scarf or t-shirt from the merchandising shop in London, or if a representative goes on a visit to Africa, they might be presented with a dress to bring home. At talks, a member will bring one along if she has one. Of course, the African congregations living in London really know how to dress up! I love the colourfulness of them. It means so much to them to wear these dresses.
That is a little aside, but the textiles on show, reminded me of this and the pride Africans have in their designs and wearing them.
The images I have chosen to show here are mainly my personal favourites. The one above has a lovely line to it, and I love the colours.
Designed for the LGTBQI+ community
I hope you enjoyed your whistle-stop tour of African textiles with me. As we were leaving the V&A there was this rather lovely exhibit (see below), The Christmas Tree by Korean, Miss Sohee. Read about it here.
Nest Monday will be Boxing Day, so I won’t be posting then. Instead, I shall try and post something festive on Christmas Eve. Whatever you are doing this Christmas, have a lovely time.
Covent Garden – sleigh and trees. You can have your photo taken in the sleigh.
I needed to buy a present from the shop at The London Transport Museum, so it was a good excuse to enjoy the delights of Covent Garden. I’d heard there were flurries of snow on the hour too. The snow was a little disappointing, but hey, it was fun.
Inside Covent Garden
We mustn’t forget the history of Covent Garden
One of the streets off Covent Garden
Of course, Covent Garden is well known for its street entertainers. Here is a little clip from one of them.
The flurries of snow came from a balcony. I took two videos to try and get the best shot of this deluge!
After leaving Covent Garden we decided to walk to Leicester Square tube, but we missed it, so we carried on walking back to Waterloo Station. At least we got to see other pretty lights.
St Martin’s area, near Trafalgar Square
At Charing Cross station there was a rather lovely tree. I don’t know, no videos for ages and then four come along at the same time!
Walking down toward Embankment tube station
From the walkway at Charing Cross to Hungerford Bridge
Crossing the Thames with an almost full moon – photo doesn’t do it justice, but I only had my mobile with me.
South Bank with The Royal Festival Hall to the right
At South Bank
The Christmas tree at Waterloo station
Well, I hope that’s got you into the Christmas mood! Until next time, stay warm (it snowed here last night!)
It wasn’t the nicest day for a walk, but sometimes my free days don’t coincide with one! I did know that due to the mist, I’d have to take my bridge camera to cope with a view from Primrose Hill. I’d failed to recharge the battery and only one line remained, but hey, sometimes you have to take chances. In the end, I got four or five photos out of it, and the ones I wanted. Phew!
I’d borrowed a book from the library entitled Walking London: 30 Original Walks in and Around London by Andrew Duncan. I used it for part of the walk I took in Kensington last week. The walks are easy to follow (even for me!) and take you off the beaten track to the back streets where there are some interesting finds, things I would probably not find on my own.
The walk is three and half miles long (walking time about one and a half hours) and begins at Chalk Farm underground station (Northern Line). Coming out of the station, I crossed the road and headed up Bridge Approach. Here I crossed the bridge over the underground. I crossed the road at the end and walked up Regent’s Park Road, where there are some rather nice shops. I nearly got distracted by a book shop (as ever!). The road leads to Primrose Hill, and I followed the path to the top where the above photo was taken.
The bridge over the underground
The shops in Regen’s Park Road
A man of interest
Walking up Primrose Hill
Another view from the top of Primrose Hill
I retraced my steps a little and then took the first path right and walked to the end of the park (there are toilets here) and crossed the road and took a right over the bridge. Looking down, there was Regent’s Canal.
Regent’s Canal
Another view from the bridge
I realised that I have only walked through Regent’s Park when visiting London Zoo. There is so much else to see.
Into Regent’s Park
I remember this drinking fountain. After that it was all new.
Don’t these trees look gorgeous even on a damp, misty day?
Following the path around the playing fields, I finally came to the lake full of birds of all descriptions.
Canada geese
I love this view. See those buildings? They are described as pepperpots. They are in Sussex Place.
I love all the little bridges in the park. This one eventually leads to the children’s boating lake.
Majestic Heron!
Nothing like a splash of autumn colour
London Central Mosque
I found this lovely cafe overlooking the lake and decorated in the style of Queen Mary’s Gardens (part of Regent’s Park and yet to visit on this walk). The stop was most welcome. A chance for a hot drink and a warm up.
Through the window
The work of John Nash, whose buildings can be seen also close to Trafalgar Square.
Holme Green Bandstand. On 20th July 1982, the bandstand was the target of a terrorist attack by the IRA. Seven bandsmen were killed and a further 24 injured during a concert by the band of the Royal Green Jackets. Eight members of the public, who were watching the performance, were also taken to hospital with injuries sustained in the bombing.
Nice to see some colour still
The Sunken Garden, Queen Mary’s Gardens
Walking past the Open Air Theatre, you come to these gardens.
The fountain
Queen Mary’s Gardens
Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens
Now out of the gates I was heading towards some of the back streets of Regent’s Park, and what a surprise I got!
The terraces come with their own private gardens (right)
Just stunning
Walking between one stunning terrace to another, yet still opposite Regent’s Park
I’m almost at the end of the walk now.
Down an alleyway of Peto Place where you can see the Royal College of Physicians in the background.
The BT Tower shrouded in mist
The walk in the book ends at Regent’s Park station, but as I was opposite Great Portland Street, I decided to travel back from here. This was a most interesting and lovely walk, but it was nice to get warm again as the cold had seemed to get right into me by then. I hope you have enjoyed this walk too.
The above photo (design by Dali and Edward James) is from the exhibition Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design which is currently on at the Design Museum, Kensington High Street. I’ve always rather enjoyed surrealist art, especially Salvador Dali, but this exhibition was more about design, though there were a few paintings.
There were a lot Dali’s designs. I didn’t know, for instance, that he designed fabrics nor that he worked with Disney. I particularly liked some of the tables, though the one made using bicycle wheels might have been tricky in a room. Where there brakes?!
This chair is by Gaudi. And I rather like that table behind!
Here is the cycle wheels table!
And for those all important cocktails!
Fashion – the black & white outfit is a design by Dali
Another Dail piece. If I used a compact, I’d love this.
Max Ernst painting
The Uncomfortable Chair – why? Because you can?
After leaving the museum, I followed part of walk I discovered coincided with where I was. I set off to find the former house of Ford Madox Ford, writer of around 80 books. He is the grandson of the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Ford Madox Brown, whose painting Work I admire. It features a street in Hampstead, where I’ve walked, which was quite exciting for me (not sure my friend understood my feelings!).
You can’t see much of the house at 80 Camphill Road in Kensington as it is walled and gated.
It was interesting walking along the back roads of Kensington. The Elephant & Castle Pub/Restaurant looked rather inviting.
And this row of shops down Kensington Church Walk was a nice find.
I love it when two things come together and I find places I’ve not been to before. Streets off the main highways quite often surprise. And I did enjoy the exhibition. Should you be in the area, Holland Park is just behind the Design Museum, with its Japanese Garden. That’s always worth a stroll around.
On a dreary day, I made my way to Richmond. Initially, I was going to view the recent statue of Virginia Woolf overlooking the riverside. Virginia (part of the Bloomsbury Group) and her husband lived in Richmond for ten years and set up the Hogarth Press. I wasn’t sure where the statue was, but I found a photo online and asked my son, who used to work in Richmond, where it was. Virginia was well camouflaged set in several rows of benches overlooking the River Thames.
Virginia Woolf overlooking the river
Nice view
And yes, I did sit next to her! The temptation was too much.
I then set off along the Thames Path in the direction of Kingston I have walked this section before, but not in this direction and not in one go. I remember back then I thought it was too far. Ha, ha! I’ve walked a lot further in one go now, but those were my early days of walking.
By Richmond Bridge
Loved this quirky Three Pigeons insect hotel
It was nice to find some flowers still blooming along the path, though don’t ask me to name them!
The plaque below on the obelisk itself says: Thames Conservancy; Lower Limit, 1900.
Teddington Lock, where the famous Monty Python ‘fish slapping dance’ scene was filmed back in 1971. See below.
If you look at this photo, you can still see the building where the filming took place. Behind it is now the riverside is built up with lots of apartments on the Teddington side.
Getting close to Kingston now.
Autumn is really here now
Apologies if I’ve posted this photo before. This has often been my stopping point when walking from the other direction.
Egyptian ducks
Turks Boatyard. See this article to learn more about Turks boatbuilding.
Arrival. Christmas is coming. This is taken by Kingston Bridge (the railway bridge can be seen in the distance)
Kingston Christmas Market
I bought this from a little stall on the riverside. It was unmaned and had an ‘honesty box’. Everything was being sold in aid of the local Scout group. I couldn’t resist this!
There was a lot of excitement last Tuesday as a friend and I headed towards The Royal Albert Hall for Peter Frampton’s farewell tour. In 2019 he was diagnosed with Inclusion-Body Myositis, a degenerate muscle disease. These days he isn’t so mobile and walks with a stick. He knew that eventually he might not be able to play guitar again, so he began planning his farewell tour.
My friend and I have been fans of his since the days he joined The Herd. We had his pictures on our bedroom walls! He was the baby-faced member of the band, but he was only 16 and our heart-throbs! This was a concert not to be missed.
We booked into a hotel in Earls Court, which was a good move as the concert didn’t end until 11pm. After an early dinner, we headed out for the 20 minute walk to the Royal Albert Hall. Our seats were high up in the gods which was a bit scary at first. The support band Cardinal Black were excellent and sang five songs before the main event. And what an event. Helped on to the stage, Peter Frampton sat down to play his set – a two and half set at that, including an encore.
Support band – Cardinal Black
The stage is set
My mobile can’t cope with photos with lots of spotlights, so there are only a few photos that turned out in the not-too-bad category. So apologies for the standard. Peter Frampton was brilliant and it was good to hear those old songs again, like Baby I Love Your Way, The Lodger, All I Want to Be (is by your side) and Do You Feel Like We Do, perhaps my favourite of the night.
Apologies for blurry photo
After the encore
We went back to our hotel with Peter Frampton songs in our heads and they have been going through my head ever since. I believe there is to be a film of the concert available at some stage, so I’ll be watching for that.
Before returning home the following day, we had a walk in Kensington Gardens (opposite the concert hall). It was a lovely November day and so warm.
The Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens
Kensington Palace behind
Peter Pan
An ice cream van with a difference
Before we parted, we went into The Swan near Lancaster Gate tube station for a cuppa and reflected on what a lovely short break we’d had.
This will be an occasional series of places I have visited that particularly stand out for me. They also fill in when I haven’t anything else to post (shush!). We start off at Barnes Wetland Centre in south west London. I’ve been here twice and still love it. I admit I can only recognise a handful of birds, but that doesn’t stop me enjoying it. There are otters and fish, frogs and all sorts of other creatures. For the kids there is pond dipping. Around the site there are hides with guides to birds where you can sit and look over the lakes. There is a cafe with outside seating and it is just a nice place to spend a day. I find it amazing that this is London!
Sir Peter Scott who set up the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
For my next trip, we head into London itself to visit Charles Dickens Museum. This is a beautiful house and has a great cafe, also with outdoor seating in an enclosed garden (sadly the day I was there the weather wasn’t good enough to sit outside). The rooms in the house are interesting and beautifully decorated. Charles Dickens is a fascinating man. On the one hand, he stood up for the poor, bringing them to light through his stories, as well as campaigning with some of the well-known campaigners of his time to make things better for the poor. On the other hand, he was cruel to his wife, disowned her and tried to turn his children against her. A very complex character.
Charles Dickens Museum, 48-49 Doughty Street, WC1
Dining Room
Lastly, this week we visit Limehouse and a glimpse of one walk I took early one year when there was ice on the river and ducks were sliding around on it! I stayed in a retreat house, The Royal Foundation of St Katherine on a B&B basis to explore parts of Limehouse Cut and Regent’s Canal. Before the days when I had Google Maps and carrying just a poor physical map, I did get myself lost at one point. Thank goodness for walkers much better prepared than me!
If you are interested in walking in this area, here is a walk, part of which I walked, but I headed in a different direction. This walk is closer to mine. If you look at the map, you can see that I headed towards Three Mills Island and the Olympic Park along Limehouse Cut. I then headed towards Victoria Park and the Regent’s Canal, before heading back. A good circular walk for around six miles.
Limehouse Basin iced in!
West Ham Football Club, Olympic Park
Three Mills Island
Fish Island
And that wraps things up for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed this whistle-stop journey through parts of London you may not know.
While my husband was still getting up on Monday morning, I nipped out for an early walk along the riverside towards Norwich City Football Club, which I knew wasn’t far. In fact, I’d looked at a hotel there originally, but decided if Norwich were playing at home, it wouldn’t be a peaceful stay! My ultimate choice was the best one all round, especially for location.
I’m not a Norwich City fan either. I’m a Spurs fan. Still, I do seem to like taking photos of footballs clubs when I’m nearby! The club is just off the river front and close to an interesting bridge.
Another view, just in case you missed the first!
View from a bridge. I’m assuming this might have been part of the original City walls, but I could find no information there.
The bridge, which I assume could rise (a bit like Tower Bridge) to admit tall craft. I’m not sure how often, if ever, it gets used today.
This is the building on the other side of the road.
And here is the bridge from the footpath
There are lots of old warehouses here. Some may have been turned into apartments, but others looked derelict. However, new building is taking over the City like everywhere else in the UK. During part of the walk, I had to come off the path due to building work.
Later in the morning we walked into the City and went through Castle Quarter Shopping Centre, one of many shopping malls in Norwich.
We were heading for the castle and museum. We already knew that the castle was closed as there is massive building works going on with a crane on site. The museum was still open, and I was hunting for some World War I medals which I’d found out they held and belonged to my grandmother’s cousin who died in France aged 19. It turned out they held quite a few, but they were not on display (though might have once been). To view them, I’d been to make an appointment for a private viewing. Time had run out on us, but it’s nice to know they are there.
There are lots of galleries to view in the museum, mainly nature, Norwich in the past and art galleries. I was elated to find an Edward Burne-Jones painting! And I loved the paintings of old Norwich.
View from the top
I was very disappointed that the Roman chariot ride was for children only. I really wanted a go on this interactive piece!
At the museum they also had an art exhibition by the Singh Twins. Anyone who watched Grayson Perry’s Art Club on TV during lockdown will know of them. Their work is very thought provoking and political. I loved it! Worth seeing, and despite the subject matter, very bright.
The Singh Twins
About the best view I could get of the castle (above). The photo above that is a typical street.
Our final walk was along the river using the same route we used on the first day, but further this time, and on the other side of the bank.
The Cow Tower from the other side of the River Wensum
The Cathedral
Along here too were new apartments and building was still going on.
We were in St James Quay for some of these photos.
Walking randomly (sort of!) you come across little gems. See photo below for description.
One of the many bridges across the river
In the middle of a green I came across this wonderful sculpture by Barbara Hepworth
My last photo. A very old building in the Creative Quarter of Norwich, not far from The Playhouse.
It had been quite a packed visit to Norwich, but an interesting one, full of variety. I still love the river walks best, though. Nice to get away from the busy centre of the City.
After visiting the Cathedral we found an excellent place for lunch close by. The Revelation is a former church which is now a wonderful cafe and Christian Book Shop. They had an extensive menu, friendly staff and space to relax away from the bustle of the City. Portion sizes were generous and afterwards I spent time browsing the bookshop, which had a large section of secondhand books. We actually set out to have lunch there again on the Monday, only to find this was a day they were shut.
The Revelation
I am not sure what this used to be, but these days it is a cafe/restaurant.
There is some nice architecture if you spend some time looking up.
City Hall
Art Deco City Hall
The Forum was where people were registering for the Norwich 10k run due to take place on the Sunday morning. We, meanwhile, were trying to find out where we could pick up our bus to take us to the wedding venue at lunchtime on Sunday. With roads closed and diversions in place, we decided it was easier to have a taxi, which we did.
Busy, busy, busy
The famous Norwich Union now known as Aviva.
The Norwich Union building
On the way back to our hotel we stopped off at an antique shop
Anglia TV and looking down Prince of Wales Road towards the countryside
Our hotel overlooking the River Wensum
On the day of the wedding it rained! However, we were lucky enough to have a sunny slot long enough for photos outside. In the morning, I had set off out into the rain to see the 10k participants running through the City. That uphill slog towards the castle would have killed me! I do hope they all made it safely.
Passing our hotel
Monday would be our final day in Norwich. There was still much to look forward to. The final part of this Norwich trip will be coming shortly.
My London+ 