Yes You Can Can

Welsh Wedding Can Can




Now you may well wonder what a group of guys doing the Can Can has to do with London so I`ll tell you.  The photo is of my sons and their friends doing the Can Can.  I enter competitions and recently the Meto London paper ran a competition to win a cookery day with the famous chef Raymond Blanc. The task was  to send in a photo doing the Can Can to win .  Well all the boys won with the above photo so well done boys!  I promise to cook you something good soon as you are taking me as a guest. Making me a winner too. 


Sunday I am going to the Thames River Pageant and hope to get some amazing photos. I am sure it will be wonderful but to be honest the whole Jubilee thing is now starting to feel like a Bridzilla on Steriods!

I  am also going to have a little rant about those horrible words `The Peoples`!!!

We hear `The Peoples` Pageant `The Peoples` Royal Family` `The Peoples` Olympics`.


We have one of the riches languages in the world and since Princess Diana  and the witty press officer of Tony Blairs dupped her `The peoples` Princess` it is used all the time. 

A fitting tribute for Diana but honestly its time to be a little more creative.

The Queen

From wildlife on Pinterest. Wild life by Juanfe Martínez   Doting Mother reproduced via Pinterest



   Career Woman



Norman Parkinson



google- Crown

                                     



 

google Dog Lover

                    

  
 






google Vintage Hats Fashion  



Horse Woman  Phote taken by myself in Hyde Park



Pinterest





PHILLIP!!!  DO PUT THAT AWAY!



Traveller - My Photo



Pinterest boards Olympic and Jubilee Photos

http://pinterest.com/chrismse1/olympics/

Link above

I have been creating a Pinterest board about the Olympics which is like creating a mood board.  Just hover over the link above.

Hope you like it.



This is my Jubilee Board

http://pinterest.com/chrismse1/jubilee/

link above



Pinterest is a way of people sharing their work or ideas or simply creating a board of things they like. I think its a fantastic way of getting ideas.


We are all looking forward to the Parties here in London next.

http://pinterest.com/chrismse1/party-time/

link above

Royal Fever

Take a look at this awful photo of the Royals thats just appeared on the South Bank


http://bit.ly/JBI4XP #jubileewrap

Surely the money for this could have been better spent on something the crowds would enjoy. Even a few more mobile toilets would have been a practical alternative to this silly 35 year old photo.

Hyde Park

It is so nice to see the sun here in London today I thought I would take you on a walk through Hyde Park.

 This is a stunning place to sit and read - Hyde Park



Fun in the Sun - Hyde Park

Wander past speakers corner and down the paths of Hyde Park, deckchairs sprinkle the grass and picnic rugs hold families enjoying the sun. Dogs play and horses stroll elegantly through the pathways. Have a coffee in The Lido Cafe next to the Serpentine Lake and watch the ducks fight for bread with the birds.

Go and see the fountains, the flower gardens or the statues which scatter the park.  Take a boat out on the lake and glide sedately with the swans and geese.  Watch dedicated runners pound the park and office workers in suits and trainers walking home. 



Serpentine Lake Hyde Park







Fountain - Hyde Park




Keep walking through the park and you see just how lovely it is.   Who wouldn`t want to sit and watch the world go by near this pretty fountain.

The Gatehouse Hyde Park

If you want you can go through Kensington Gardens and finish your walk near Harrods.

Chelsea flower show is on in London this week and sounds wonderful but for a free show of fabulous London you can`t beat a walk through the parks. 

 

Theatre and Torches

Willie Clark (Danny DeVito)
and Al Lewis (Richard Griffiths)

starring in

The Sunshine Boys

Savoy Theatre London

This looks like a really good play when two elderly men who haven`t spoken for years are asked to do one last comedy show.

What is equally impressive is I`ve just booked tickets for Wednesday 20th June at 2.30 pm for £12 per ticket.( http://saga.eolts.co.uk/index.php?pg=72&showid=3184)  hover over link for site details.  I love finding a bargin for the theatre as I just adore the whole buzz of a West End show.  I am sure in another life I would have worked in the theatre, not on stage I am far to shy and would never be as good as these amazing actors.

I like the thought of being involved with the costumes and sets but in reality would no doubt have been making the tea or selling the ice cream.






from above site

from sky news

from sky news



The Olympic Torch arrives in the UK





Now this Olympics is beginning to feel a little like hearing from a Bridzilla who only wants to talk about her wedding.  Its good the torch is here safely and lit but really thats enough now.  Lets wait till the games start before we are showered in anymore games news.

There are only 3 topics of conversation in London at the moment 

1. Queens Jubilee
2. Olympics
3. Weather

Thats it readers nothing else going on in the world.  Or so it would seem. The arm candy David Beckham did look very proud and will star in all the papers tomorrow.  The frumpy horsewoman Princess Ann and other   Olympic VIPs will fade into the background with David around.

I took this photo recently in Hyde Park  when we had sunshine!

Olympic Orbit Tower, Cable Cars and Banksy

 What do you think of this, the new Orbit Tower at the Olympic Park London. It looks like a child's attempt at creating something from bendy wire to me.

The above photo was in a national paper and I am sure the tower will give the media a good view of the games. It will cost £15 to go up to the viewing platform but I bet it is fully booked for the main events for media covering the games.

I would rather keep my £15 thank you I can easily imagine it becoming a white elephant (red) after the games are over.  

          

The new cable cars linking the 02 Centre to Excel Centre in London are now unlikely to be ready in time for the Olympics. It was announced today that the safety checks required are likely to delay the opening. These cable cars do look like they would be good for London as long as the price is reasonable. If they were to breakdown though you would have to be lowered by ropes to a rescue platform.

How scary is that! this ride is only for the brave I think but then I don`t like fairground rides. You would get a great view of London from them but if there is any wind I should think you would be counting the minutes to get off.  Would like to go on this just once for the photos I could get but I think I would change my mind at the last moment.

Photos from flickr.com.

Banksy

It has been suggested that the street art, drawn on Wood Green High Road in North London, is intended to highlight the disparity between the wealth and opulence of the West and the poverty - and the age - of those who are used to make the goods we buy. (Summary from news on orange webpage).

I think it is excellent and due to the recent thoughtless destruction of his work in Australia what better place for Banksy to make a point. 

Prizes and Premiers

St Pauls from flickr.com


St Pauls Cathedral has been very busy today with the Dalai Lama receiving The Templeton Prize. The Cathedral was packed and the service very moving. The £1 million prize money was donated to Save the children Charity by the Dalai Lama.

The Premier of Snow White And The Huntsman is just beginning here in London with Leicester Square being turned into a garden for the occassion.  
 Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth  are all walking the red carpet.






Looks like a good film.

Rock of Ages

I went to see Rock of Ages a few weeks ago and it is a really funny show. Not a show to take young children as it can get a bit rude but it is well worth seeing. I paid £17.50 per ticket for the upper circle but was lucky enough to be moved to the Royal Circle as they closed the upper circle. This happens sometimes if the theatre is not full.

Justin Lee Collins is superb and the Shaftesbury Theatre is big busy and easy to find. A great night out.

Chester - Tudor and Roman meet 2012



Chester

I spent the last full day of my holiday in the ancient Roman town of Chester. It is a living history lesson to walk through Chester's main streets. Tudor buildings sport modern signs and the old and new merge together. The stunning clock in the picture above sits on a bridge with its four faces keeping watch over the town.



Chester High Street


Wander along the side streets and you will find more Tudor buildings selling fast food and leaning on their stilt like legs. They seem to whisper of Roman Soldiers marching over the cobblestones on their endless journey to conquer the world. A few minutes away crowds at Chester Racecourse shout for the winner of today's Gold Cup Race. Chester has been drawing crowds through the ages, to see its Roman Walls, Tudor houses, Zoo, Racecourse and Cathedral. It has good shops and tiny resturants with big names.

Follow the signs and steps away from the bustle of the streets Chester Cathedral can be found looming up to the skyline. It is magnificent do go and see it if you are in Chester.



Stained Glass Cathedral Window

This is just one of the many beautiful stained glass windows in the Cathedral. There are so many surprisingly lovely things to see. From arches to marble tombs, a hidden garden and a one thousand pipe organ. It costs £6 to enter the Cathedral but it is money well spent. Light a candle in the tiny St. Stephens Chapel or see the mermaid fountain in the garden.  Listen to the commentary on head phones and sit on the benches where nobles nodded their heads in prayer. Then have a coffee in the Cathedral Cafe and wonder at the number of saints along the walls their halos faded but their names still clear,



Chester Cathedral



Inside Chester Cathedral

Cathedral Doorway

 

I have left the North now and will be back writing about London from Monday. I am going to St Pauls Cathedral to see the Dalia Lama presented with a peace prize. I look forward to writing about that.

A Tourist in Wales for a Weekend



Beaumaris Castle

 I have been in North Wales and its such and interesting beautiful place. I hope you find it pleasant to leave the city and visit the sites with me. 

Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey was built in 1295 by King Edward 1. It is one of the best preserved Castle in North Wales.
This is the only Castle to have its original moat and is now a World Heritage Site. It overlooks the wild Menai Straits near Bangor North Wales.

You can take a boat trip from the waterside to nearby Puffin Island but the weather has to be calm. Today the wind and rain lashed the water and ensured only the bravest fishermen went out to sea. Tourists like me were left vowing to come back another day to visit the Puffins and walk through the history of Beaumaris once again. The town itself is pretty, tiny tearooms sit next to practical shoe shops, and bakeries sell pretty cakes and pies. 
It is one of the few places that find me looking at the house prices and staking out where I would love to live. It is out of my price range but then William and Kate have made Angelesey very popular. It is certainly a very lovely part of the country.

Beaumaris Castle











Beaumaris castle.




A Transport Fair was held near Llandudno North Wales

Tram


A huge transport fair covered acres of land during the recent bank Holiday Weekend. The collections of old cars was a walk down memory lane when the Cortina, Mini Van or Capri sat gleaming in a row. These are the cars you coveted as your moped stalled at the traffic lights.

Beetle

How about a V.Wagon Beetle you know you have always wanted one. This is a real classic.

No trip to North Wales is complete for me unless I go to Conwy. I like to wander near the harbour then buy fish and chips and sit near the smallest house in Britian which is on the quayside.

The seagulls swoop hopefully down and the castle walls spread around the town. The harbour is crowded with small boats and time seems to merge easily between the past and the present. I can picture the knights in their armour and the hawks as they eye their unsuspecting prey and the horses when they rode at speed with their messengers aboard. North Wales is enchanting and its castles are where fairy tales are born.

Conwy Castle Bridge



Street Art and Music

Floor Painter

Dedicated Busker near London Eye



Pianist Busker on South Bank London

On a day when the weather is being nice to us all what could be better than walking along the South Bank and watching the buskers.

The variety of music and the skill of the players is enchanting. The Pianist above played music from the old dance halls and feet tapped to the beat. She looked like she had walked straight out of a different era to remind us of a time when front rooms contained pianos not play stations.

The skill of the floor painter and the patience she needed to complete her complex picture in chalk was humbling. She had no control over the amount, if any, of coins people would pay her for her work. The rain could come and steal her hours of love and wash it into the Thames.

While you are on the South Bank try the Skylon Restaurant it has set menus or you can choose a carvery and the upstairs seating looks out over the Thames. It is particularly lovely in the evening when the riverside buildings are lit and boats twinkle up the Thames.



HMS Ocean Arrives at Greenwich

Captain Morgans Rum

HMS Ocean arrived in the Thames today and there won`t be a problem finding her.  She is docked at Greenwich and is huge. It is all part of the Olympic Military show to ensure that the Olympics are not disrupted by any threat. 

Although it is understandable that the government want everyone to feel safe I personally think its all a bit much. This weekend is a Bank Holiday so it is an ideal time for practicing Olympic security which is why HMS Ocean is here. Such a shame any country has to worry about such things.  I am not sure such shows of strength won`t put people off actually coming to London. We will have so much security lets hope it doesn`t feel oppressive.

Olympic Park Photo on Google

 




You can now walk around the outside of the Olympic Park. It looks quite amazing and is huge. It costs £9 for an adult  to go into the Olympic Park but it is worth it to get a close look and a guided tour. The London Tubes are going to be very busy which is a complete understatement. Anyone who travels on them  during rush hour will wonder how they are going to cope.  I am sure they will though and everyone will have a wonderful time.

London Tube station Sign

Anyone for Tennis? - Wimbledon Starts In June

How To Go To Wimbledon and Get In

Go on the last Saturday
Women's Finals  Day 




If you have never been to Wimbledon go even if you only have a ticket to get into the grounds.

My friend and I went on the final Saturday for women's finals day we only had tickets for court number one not Centre Court where the match would be played. We paid £32 each for the tickets and got them by joining The All Tennis Club online. You can also simply go to the ticket office and get a grounds only ticket. They had plenty for sale at 11 am last year. You are not going to get the same tennis as in the first week as the finalist are now known but its still great to go there and be part of a finals day.

Centre Court Wimbledon

The grounds are smaller than you expect after only seeing the place on TV but it is amazing. The atmosphere is fantastic on Henmans Hill (or Murray's Mount) depending on your preference, it is crowded and fun. We wandered around all the courts before play and you are allowed to go to Centre Court and take photos before the match starts. Gaze approvingly at the new roof that seems bigger than the court itself  and see how close you are to the players. We were lucky and had fabulous weather, we didn`t leave untill 7.30pm saw some great tennis and had a lovely time. Do take your own strawberries you need a bank loan to buy them there.


The doubles matches being played on number one court were exciting as was the junior matches. We watched  Radel practising for his final the next day and seen him encouraging the younger players before their match.  If you find yourself not too engrossed watching the women's final on the large screen on Henmans Hill wander to the practise courts at the back of Centre Court. This is were the crafty men's finalist practise for their own match the following day. Hoping to go unnoticed as everyone roars for their favourite female  player.



Radel on Practise Court

After the Woman's Finals we stood near the players bridge which leads from the Centre Court to the VIP reception area  We saw Martina  who waved cheerfully to us, Pat Cash and many other tennis greats.
The grounds themselves are impressive and it does feel an honour to wander about.


Wimbeldon is a magnet for tennis lovers so go and have fun take a straw hat or a brolly. There are buses waiting at the nearest tube stations so for a few pounds you can be at the entrance. The walk from the tube station is not far but we got the bus going and walked when we were returning to the tube.




Radel Practising at Wimbledon

 



Centre Court






Take a picnic food is expensive and don`t forget your camera.

 


Get into wimbledon The Easy Way and Go into the Grounds on the Final Saturday .