London on an April Sunday Pt. 3

Could not decide which photos to post as it is so close to 'the wedding' but here is a little of Westminster Abbey and 

St. James Park

and

for those who have asked if I will be going into London on Friday, the answer is NO.

Already today (Wednesday) people have begun to camp along the route and the ones we saw on TV were from Canada

The best view in my opinion is from the TV screen

Westminster Abbey in the centre of the picture

The Back of the Abbey

Westminster school to the left

looking through to the courtyard

beginning to put the scaffolding up for the media

This wedding is said to be having the greatest media following ever worldwide

We have left the Abbey now and are passing the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, part of the Supreme Court

and walking along Whitehall, we are about to turn down King Charles Street, past the Foreign and Commonwealth office on our way to St. James Park where we will eat a picnic that we have just bought.

Downing Street is the next road along but that is for another day

Looking back

and into the park

The toilets across the lake

They are free

Most toilets in London cost 50 pence to use 

Pelicans on the lake

nearing the Palace

One can see the eye from many places in London

The park is certainly busy on a warm April Sunday

(double clicking you will see just how many people are out there)

If you are wondering why I am  not 'visiting' as much as usual

I have a brand new computer

a top of the range 17 inch laptop

and a 23 inch HD monitor and wireless keyboard so that I can use it also as a desktop

Because it is so up to date, everything is new and different so as I am learning, especially Windows 7, it all takes longer at the moment. Even the soft touch keyboard is proving an issue with my long nails!

Not to mention  getting everything off my old machine 

Even the new E-mail account is daunting

I am sure that in a few months I will be wondering what all the fuss was about (I hope so anyhow)

Everything is not always Rosy in the Garden

Gardens never stay the same. Always evolving throughout the years

My neighbour on one side had a new fence erected

Certainly a good move as the previous construction was an eye sore

However as they are in their nineties it involved a lot of hard work for us as we endeavoured to dig out lots of stuff on their side for them in order for the men erecting the fence to be able to do their job

However it also meant I had to remove the shrubs I had growing up trellises next to their fence. This has left me with quite a bare area so not wanting to increase my workload I have planted 3 Eunonynous that will 'eventually' cover the area needing only miminal pruning

Here we see a large gap where I have removed a very diseased Variagated Virburnum. I have planted a Choisya in it's place which will take quite some time to fill the gap.

As we see here our bottom shed has decided enough is enough and is leaning at an angle.

When a shed decides to 'lean' it exposes the 'stuff' that has been hiding behind it

On the brighter side a few of our house church prayer walkers last Sunday - the others are behind me

We have a good advantage point of our town from the top of this hill - in a heat haze

A hint of the beginning of Bluebells in the woods

Not normally flowering until mid-May

This week has seen a heatwave reaching into the low 80's here in the South East. Unheard of in April ever before.

As I type it is breaking a little with a thunder storm.

So what have I been doing in the heat?

Lots of gardening, pruning, cutting back, planting and weeding.

Have chosen a new car to replace our ancient one

and bought a top of the range laptop PC with a 23" monitor and wireless keyboard etc. for when I want to use it as a desktop. Also an all-in-one high tech photo printer

Quite a bit of my time is now well taken up with learning Windows 7 and all that is entailed transferring so much data not only to a new computer but to a new system. I will be running the two alongside each other for quite a while I think!

Obviously clearing out an old shed and setting up a new one will be a priority too. Life is never dull!

Lots more of London to come.

Easter Greetings to all.

London on an April Sunday Pt.2

Having walked through St. James's park

We now turn left down The Mall towards the Palace

All traffic suspended as preparations have begun for the Royal wedding in 3 weeks time

The broadcasting stand all sealed off

and gates to Green Park closed

Something has 'tickled Alan's fancy' as they say

(made him smile)

as we walk past the beautiful Spring flower beds

I read in the newspaper just last week that because of the unseasonal warm weather the tulips are way ahead and will be finished by the wedding. The faded bulbs will have to be cut back before then.

The Queen Victoria memorial

Buckingham Palace

The Royal Coat of Arms

Taken through the railings


and just to the side, Clarence House, the official
London residence of Prince Charles and the Dutchess of Cornwall
and the Princes William and Harry

Friday 15th April

Dear little Rebekah is 2 years old today

Happy Birthday

Here she is in a picture I took last week when visiting

She just refused to look at the camera and ran so fast that this was all I managed

I can put up my own chair thank you!

The card I made for her

The present

Then Janie is celebrating her 12th Wedding anniversary

This is the card I made for her and Chris

Alan and I popped to Leigh-on-Sea in the afternoon to visit a very sick friend. It was sunny but misty on the estuary

And lastly some shots in the garden today

The Heron keeps coming back and we are not seeing any of the mature fish now but there are a lot of babies so we are hoping they will survive