South Bank

From a rather unappealing concrete wilderness this place has been transformed with modern sculptures, beaches and a general sense of liveliness.

Paddington Station

I am a fan of this station, oddly enough, as it may seem strange to like a station when one is always in transit and encumbered.  But it is comparatively small, well-lit and human.  There are fascinating statues on Platform 1: Brunel, looking neat and thoughtful, and the imposing and moving War Memorial to the men and women of the Great Western Railway who gave their lives.

My ginger nuts for emotional health!

Market jitters

Five crosses for this phrase because it makes me very, very, very, very, very cross.  Who are these people who raid pension funds, do complex money dealings that no-one else understands, give themselves fat bonuses and then get the jitters like some Victorian maiden with the vapours? I'm the one who should be jittery: it is my money they play with - what there is of it! Yet I soldier on, baking ginger nuts to save cash and going to the gym to avoid expense to the NHS. I'm not lying on a chaise longue sniffing smelling salts.  I am made of sterner stuff.

Hammersmith Bridge Jubilee Saturday

Hammersmith Bridge

This bridge is lesser known than the more central ones but I think its quiet yet ornate gold and green are marvellous.  It is not showy but it is dignified. It looks particularly fine in the sun - remember that big yellow blobby thing we used to see sometimes in June in a blue sky.  Here I am by the bridge on the Saturday before the Jubilee River Pageant, where we all contracted semi-hypothermia but had a marvellous time. 

Jubilee River Pageant

The herald on the tube.

Jubilee River Pageant

I just love life's quirky little moments. After the Pageant, seen from a place of honour on the Millennium Bridge: flotilla, bells, Queen's barge, Dunkirk boats and all the rest, we met a herald on the train. Such a time-jump! He explained the work they do when not on ceremonial occasions. Another world.

For poem about Dunkirk boats see Lancashire to Monmouthshire: a poet's journey, also hyperlinked from the right-hand side of this site.

Five ticks for the Millennium Bridge for the River Pageant