Its actually been good to sit quietly after all the walking I have done this weekend.
On Friday we travelled down to London for Peter's birthday present. We met up with friends Judy and Stephen at Euston station, dropped off our bags at the hotel, then boys headed off to the Oval for the London v South Africa one day international match, armed with their packed lunch and a warning to take it easy on the booze. Judy and I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather to go for a stroll. We wandered along the north side of the embankment dropping into Tate Britain for a look at the free art exhibitions. I really don't understand some of the art, there were actually several painting that looked very similar to work that Rufus produced last week! We then headed up towards Trafalgar Square where we went for lunch. The original plan for this trip was that Judy and I would go to a show but rather than be shut inside we decided to try one of the evening walks which left from Tower Hill. Anyway after lunch we headed back to the river and chatted, sat, people watched, walked and finally arrived at Tower Hill around 4.30pm. Revived with a cup of tea and a muffin we headed for a wander round St Katherines Dock, somewhere I'd not actually been before. Our chosen walk was to be the Jack the Ripper Walk it being the anniversary of the first murder. 31 August 1888. Our guide Simon was very informative and at times scared to life out of us. We walked for 2.5 hours all round Whitechapel stopping at relevant points along the way, ending back at Tower Hill safely deposited at the tube station. I would recommend doing one of these walks just for some history if nothing else. Note to Judy - the walk from the hotel to Tower Hill was 5.5 miles and that doesn't include all the side stepping!! No wonder we were foot sore.
We met with the boys in a pub near to the hotel, they were happy, England having won the match. All in all we had all had a great day.
Saturday - more walking. As usual for me I don't sleep well in a strange bed so I was tired. We however decided to walk. We took in Buckingham Palace, through St James Park, watched the Horse Guards parade, then on to Downing Street, along the South Bank to the Globe Theatre, over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul's where we said goodbye to Judy and Stephen. We walked on via Fleet Street, onto Covent Garden, then into Soho where we had a late lunch.
Whilst away we had news of the early arrival of a friends' twin grandsons born at 25 weeks. Our thoughts are with you all for the weeks ahead. Congratulations to you all
What a nice quilt. I like the windowpane effect.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice trip to London. I like walking in a city. I think you notice a lot of details you wouldn't otherwise. Haven't been to London for quite a few years, but I could picture some things as I read the description of your rambles.
sounds like a lot of wonderful things have happened lately! a nice trip in london, a finished quilt [which looks beautiful, by the way, i love those details in what rings to me as a window design in the center!], and the birth of two baby boys!
ReplyDeleteglad you enjoyed your pleasant, if busy weekend. :]
Woah, you say it's not perfect, but I couldn't make a quilt that beautiful, I think it is wonderful! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe lap quilt is very pretty! It will be nice with the cooler weather just around the corner (or maybe you never stopped having cooler weather over in the UK this summer?).
ReplyDeleteYour day in London sounded perfect. I would have loved to do the Jack the Ripper walk when I was there last year, but just didn't have time to fit it in. Next time for sure!
Your quilt has turned out well and looks extremely good. Looking forward to seeing the real thing on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteOh, the nostalgia reading your walking tour of London. I used to live in Southwark/Bermondsey and went on walks similar to those you describe with my parents on sunny Sunday afternoons. We spent many a happy afternoon soaking up London's history or sitting on a bench outside the Tower of London people watching. We met up with some cousins last year and did the walk along the south bank from London Bridge westwards towards Waterloo. They really indulged me as I disappeared into my memories. All I can say is that I wish I could have been a companion with you.