London Night

I have lived in London for most of my adult life. I still cannot get used to the changing faces of the city; especially the ones between day and night.

Autumn or Spring are the perfect time to observe this. Summertime day fades gently, almost imperceptibly to night. At the start of Autumn, days before the clocks take a step back an hour from British Summertime, the transition from day to night comes in moments.

Although the weather forecast for today was gloomy; and indeed I was woken at 4am by the cat who thought he should let me know that it was raining; it turned out nice. The wind melted away and the rain dissipated.

About 6:30pm waiting for the bus

Ten minutes later at the train station

Face the other way it's dark and quiet

Still the sun is fading; just before 7pm

Cutty Sark; 10 past the hour; night is here

And Canary Wharf is all lit up

Google Doodle - Jump!

Today Google is celebrating the 216th anniversary of the first parachute jump. A whimsical animated doodle, which is worth replaying as where you land may vary!

 Touchdown in the sea, by the river, or even in the jungle!

Sunday Social (72)

Linking up with Ashley and Neely

1. What do you value most in life?
My husband, my family, my friends and my cat.

2. What do you think is the greatest invention in your life and why?
I'd have gone with the internet, but amazingly it is older than me, dating back to the cold war in the 60s. I will therefore go with cellphones. Thinking back to the first brick that my father had when I was in my teens and to the smartphones that are around now and the things that they can do are fantastic. I am rarely without mine; it does everything... reminders, calendar, taking photos and sometimes even making calls.

3. What do you think is the secret to a good life?
Happiness and contentment. If you can be happy with what you have and make the best of what life throws at you then life will be good.

4. What would you most like to be remembered for when you're gone?
Being a good wife to my husband, a good family member to immediate and extended family and a good friend to everyone I know.

5. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Never giving in to MS and not letting it conquer my life, not letting it dictate everything I do and carrying on (as much as possible).

Sunday Social (71)

Linking up with Ashley and Neely

It's all about blogging this week.

1. What was the first blog you ever followed?

I'm not sure I even remember - it would have been five or six years ago! I think it was probably from following a profile of someone who commented on my blog and Charlton Average no longer updated; I think he might have moved!

2. What was your first blog post about?

This is more difficult to answer than you'd think - as this isn't my first (or even second) blog. I'll limit myself to this blog... In October 2006 I wrote a post "First Post - I start another blog"; that tells the tale of the other blogs. Then... nothing for four months. So the fist real post was in February 2007 "Monday Morning Blues" - that was the real start.

3. Who left you your first blog comment?

That would have been would have been the mysterious 'Uncle Bunny' whose blogger profile isn't public so I know nothing more about him.

4. Who was the first blogger you ever met in person?
Most of the blogs I read and follow are not based in the UK, so I've only ever met one other fellow blogger Jodi.

5. What was your first "blogging milestone"?
Just over two years ago the 1,000th post.

My Bits of London - catch up

Sometime last September I began what has turned out to be a very occasional series on bits of London.

London is full of hidden surprises, or famous sites that London workers and dwellers take for granted. In case you missed the start here is where we've been so far. Watch this space for future instalments and for more detailed guides take a trip to our sister blog The Occasional Tourist).

Part 1 - Channel 4 Headquarters, Horseferry Road, Westminster
Part 2 - Derelict Office Block, Westminster Bridge Road, Southwark (now demolished)
Part 3 - Piccadilly Circus lights, Westminster
Part 4 - Four Bronze Horses of Helios, corner of Haymarket, Westminster
Part 5 - Parliament Square, Westminster
Part 6 - Golden Boy at Pye Corner, Giltspur Street, City of London
Part 7 - City Dragons, City of London
Part 8 - City Churches, City of London
Part 9 - Burlington House, Piccadilly, Westminster
Part 10 - Horseguards' Parade, Whitehall, Westminster
Part 11 - Itsu, Piccadilly
Part 12 - Battersea Power Station, Battersea
Part 13 - Wembley Stadium, Wembley
Part 14 - Tower Bridge, Thames (east)
Part 15 - Justice, Old Bailey, City of London
Part 16 - St Paul's Cathedral, City of London
Part 17 - Temple of Mithras, City of London (currently not on display)
Part 18 - Bench, Walbrook, City of London (removed)
Part 19 - Bank, Monument and Mansion House, City of London
Part 20 - Shepherd Market, Westminster

I work in Westminster and visit the City a lot which is why those are the locations of a lot of the spots so far - we'll try and branch out in future visits!

NFL International Series (London Game 7)

Another year, another NFL season, and we're back at Wembley - this time for the first of two games. 

Sunday 29th September saw the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both Husband and I commented on the huge amount of support for both home and away team compared to previous years.

With no strong feelings for either team we both ended up supporting the Vikings... it was a cracking good game. We were holding our breath at the last play when the Steelers were heading towards levelling the score and taking things to overtime. Fortunately this didn't happen... next time it will be earlier as the clocks will have gone back by then and the game will kick of at the usual five instead of six.

Highlights, as always; included the free flags (not stolen this year as Husband went and fetched them from our seats), our game of 'team bingo' where you have to spot someone wearing apparel from every team in the league (spouses don't count) won as always by Husband, the overpriced but welcome beer (and sausage/hotdogs) and talking to random strangers. Not just a game of football, ever, always a day out.

 

Bingo Winner (Husband)

Bingo Loser (Me)

NFL13

A set by nat_grove

» You can also view all 83 items as a slideshow

 

 

Anyone for conkers?

Not if the tree at the end of our street is anything to to by...

Do children still play conkers? For anyone not familiar this is how it works. You collect the best specimen of a conker you can find (the fruit of the horse chestnut tree). You take it home and get a responsible adult to bore a hole through it, and then thread it on a  piece of string. You possibly undertake some strengthening activities; in our house soaking in vinegar and lightly baking. Then you challenge a fellow competitor. One player holds their conker still as the other lines up to whack it as hard as possible. Points are awarded for damage and ultimately destruction. A 'niner' would be a conker that had annihilated nine others.

As children we used to form hunting parties going out with tubs and buckets to collect conkers. Now the tree at the end of the street has its bounty left on the pavement to be squashed or eaten by squirrels.

Bye Bye iGoogle

Google, continuing the trend from Reader of shutting down loved institutions is saying goodbye to iGoogle.

However, there is a new kid in town. Log into any Google service and you will be introduced to the new home of Apps.

That tiny box of 4x4 square hides quick access to a selection of Google products (non-customisable).

If you use Chrome it gets better though. You can attach a little button to your task bar - the same 4x4 button (now in Google/Chrome colours).

This time it is customisable.. you can choose your contents.

You also get the same choices on a new tab inside the chrome browser. Assuming that, as this is attached to your Google profile, this somehow crosses into an Android phone (I'll let you know next month when I get one) this could be a step change in the way we interact with Google.

Sunday Social (70)

 

Linking up with Ashley and Neely

 So, back to our (long forgotten) youth this week!

1. What were you like in middle school and high school?

As far as I can tell middle school is roughly equivalent to being a junior at Secondary school (the first three years) and high school a senior (GCSEs and A-levels). What was I like? Shy, very quiet. I spent most of my free time in breaks at the Animal House where we bred mice and rats and kept a heap of other pets (rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds and even a terrapin). I had a few very close friends but they're friends for life as we still are friends 20 years after leaving school! I was an average student, could do better was the refrain of my report cards. I loved music and belong to the choir, I loved reading and ended up as a library prefect.

Above first day as a senior (left) and last day of school (right) - happily have no photos of me as a junior.

2. What were your favourite pastimes?

I loved music (and still do, although my useless fingers mean I don't play much now). I played piano, guitar and violin (sometimes in the village orchestra!) and also sang in the church choir. I also spent time with my friends; I used to cycle to their houses when I couldn't get a lift from my folks!

 
3. What songs were you obsessed with?
I didn't actually listen to pop music much at all; my tastes were far more towards the works of Mozart and Beethoven or the soundtracks from stage musicals. I did have, for several years, a total obsession with Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Phantom of the Opera"; to the extent I could pretty much recite the entire libretto... when I watched the anniversary concert on DVD I found I still could! I do remember that my French Exchange partner adored 'Hazard' by Richard Marx and (in the days before internet) we listened to it about 20 times to get the lyrics down!

  4. What fashion statement do you look back at and cringe?
Umm... all of them. I didn't know who I was at that age, and spent a lot of time trying to find out... and unfortunate amount of which seemed to involve dyeing my hair. Also half of that time was in the 80s... oh, dear - bright colours and no coordination! 

 
5. Who was your celeb crush?
Christian Slater (we're talking the 'Heathers' era here). I had his picture on my 'rough book' (school exercise book for note taking, customarily covered in magazine photos and sticky back plastic!).

Image from Filmbug.com

6. What was you favourite movie?
Without question "Dead Poets Society". I am fond of poetry and Robin Williams, and dramatic stories - so that ticked all the boxes. 

Robert Sean Leonard as Puck

    "If we shadows have offended,
    Think but this and all is mended,
    That you have but slumber'd here
    While these visions did appear.
    And this weak and idle theme,
    No more yielding but a dream,
    Gentles, do not reprehend:
    If you pardon, we will mend.
    And, as I am an honest Puck,
    If we have unearned luck
    Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
    We will make amends ere long;
    Else the Puck a liar call:
    So, good night unto you all.
    Give me your hands, if we be friends,
    And Robin shall restore amends." from A Midsummer's Nights Dream