Lovely Indeed
I am not sure I agree with Phil generally but
these pictures do make the first snowfall there look charming.
In Toronto we had some snow last week which lasted about an hour on the ground, and some scraping of frost off the car the same day. But it was not that pretty. On the same day, the SillyWife was subjected to a blizzard, maybe a hundred miles or so away.
Several days later I was in her town, having driven down there in almost 70-degree-Fahrenheit weather, and there was still snow like this in a nearby parking lot! And with some remarkable colored leaves immediately at the side!
Such an unpredictable time of year in this part of the world!
Labels: London, snow Toronto, winter
Arsenal!
Over the last few years I have physically been present for three football matches involving leading teams in Europe.
Surely completely by accident, all three have involved an Arsenal team.
I had the good fortune to attend
this match - can it really have been 6 years ago? It was unforgettable to me - I have never been driven out of the stadium at a North American sports event.
I believe I saw the 2001 Arsenal-Fulham match accurately described
here, largely because my closest London friend and I could think of nothing better to do on the day. In the end I think there would have been nothing better to do on the day!
And this week, thanks to the sacrifice of
Mavis Pilbeam, I was able to watch the second match of the Aresenal-FC Twente back to back in the Champions' League.
Here's Arsenal's team warming up, or maybe just conferring.
And here is a broader picture of the amazing Emirates Stadium (not like the football stadiums I recall from 30 years ago).
Labels: Arsenal, London, soccer
South Bank Busking
I am baffled by this busking 'skill' but clearly one young fellow is impressed.
(London, South Bank, August 29 in the evening.)
Another skill is having no head.
Labels: buskers, London
History Is Alive in England
I still picture the medieval contractors with their carts of tools being dragged by yoked cattle through the prescribed entrance.
(
V&A Museum last week, with the real explanation
here).
Labels: London, medieval
Typical London Skyline
Cranes everywhere!
Labels: cranes, London
Large White Birds
In my peregrinations about London (UK) in the last couple of days, I had been pretty disappointed at the avian diversity, meaning the lack of same - I had mostly seen pigeons and gulls. And then wandering through St. James' Park I was relieved to see swans in the distance, and then realized their bills were not quite right.
My puzzlement was removed by
this web page.
Labels: London, pelicans
How Far Away does one have to go?
...to escape this sort of thing?
(outside the Canadian Embassy, London, August 26, 2008)
And here is a more pleasant shot of the Embassy from the same day:
Labels: contract-breaking, desertion, London, protest
Ahh, the colonies
Labels: colonies, London
Nice to be Back
Up the Walworth Road, by the Imperial War Museum, across the bridge.
Look! No scaffolding! On the other hand, there is a crane sneaking into the picture.
While earth may not have anything to show more fair, you won't see it from most of the bridge, as there is fencing protecting a construction site most of the way across. At least you can read
the poem written in several places on the fences.
Then along Whitehall, past all the statues of military luminaries, climaxing with Nelson in Trafalgar Square. Decide not to visit the National Gallery today, head up into the quite different spirit of Leicester Square, wander around a bit looking for somewhere to eat, and, giving up, head to
Covent Garden. Snack and rest a bit while the buskers do their thing in front of Saint Paul's Church.
Then down through Charing Cross Station and across the Hungerford Footbridge.
Cranes everywhere!
Settle on the patio by Royal Festival Hall, and await my dinner companion.
That blister! And my legs are tired.
Labels: London
The Flush of Glory
Media saturation here in England, as the medallists return and fill the talk shows.
Boris Johnson, flush with his appearance at the Olympic closing ceremonies, cannot help making promises!
Labels: London, Olympics
