Time for a photoblog.
This one's for Ame as she and hubby are coming over to London in February to experience all the rain and misery they can't get in beautiful, sunny California.
And because she used the word "neato" in a comment yesterday.
This is actually a little travelogue I put together for Mum last summer when she wanted to see all the things I see on my walk to work.
This is, of course, after the 4:40 alarm call, the drive from the Norfolk Broads into Norwich and the two and a half hour train drag into London Liverpool Street Station.
We join the journey when I'm at the station and continue it all the way to Westminster.
If it's tipping it down, I'll only walk to Mansion House, then dive onto the tube, but I do this walk at least three days a week (both ways); more in the spring and autumn.
Unfortunately, you'll have to click on the pictures to get the text big enough to read, but it's quite a nice walk so I think it's worth it.
You'll notice there's only one picture actually taken in rush hour. Mainly because stopping to take a picture in rush hour is a monumentally stupid thing to do, unless you wish to learn some colourful new words and possibly have your camera take a photo of the inside of your bottom …
And to keep fit, you must do this journey at breakneck speed, carrying a coat, a brolly, today's Guardian, a bag with all sorts of junk in it and another bag with a stupidly heavy Apple seventeen inch widescreen Powerbook in …
… in ALL weathers.
Enjoy:
Another couple of hundred yards and I reach my office, some pictures of which are in this old post.
Then I put in a full day's work and go all the way back home again.
Every day …
And you wonder why I get tired sometimes.
35 comments:
Morning, Lynn. Temple's lovely, isn't it?
For the rush hour shot I simply took a few random shots over my shoulder while being carried along in the tide, and this one came out best.
Kate: Don't be jealous. We're all jealous of YOU!
Like the new look on your site, by the way.
I've been trying to post a reply to your "What were you hit with as a kid" post, but Blogger won't let me, so I'll post it to you here instead:
My comment was supposed to read:
GREAT song this morning, Kate.
As for me, it was belt, cane, slipper, leather strop, hand, and being locked in the dark in the outside privy.
It worked for me …
I'm sitting here in a storm force gale with trees blowing down and roofs coming off and rain drenching everything and you're in beautiful sunny Oz, wondering why I'm jealous?
And you have great architecture. You have the Opera House; the second most beautiful building in the world after the Taj Mahal.
And you Aussies have Kath and Kim, you lucky hornbags!
morning/evening, dive. what a lovely tour. it's so nice to see london town again - haven't been there since 1999. too long.
i'm with kate on this one. i'm totally jealous of your life, although tokes is pretty cool too. oz is the arse end of nowhere and has a lot of natural beauty but most of the architecture could be so much better. even the weather's shite where i'm from (melb).
oh, and i checked the link for the old post and saw your workspace. i have complete computer envy.
Hee hee. I do love my G5s!
And I'm so totally jealous of you, too.
I MUST get to Tokyo before I drop dead running for a train. That's the reason for the Japanese lessons.
So do I, Kate … So do I … sigh …
have you not been to japan before? i assumed you had coz of the japanese obsession. hm, you don't need to learn japanese for a visit, do you? i'm not proud of this, but i still have bugger all japanese and i manage to get by... just, sometimes, but i get by.
if i'm still here when you pop over, i'll show you around.
oh, and what about yer teacher then as a gf (still haven't got around to responding to comments on my blog.)
The fact that you made these for your mother is...well...sweet. I only have a second right now, so I can't read the captions, but I'll be back. wonderful postcards, you've made.
GG: Mayuko is married (damn)!
Good morning, Robyn: I thought you might appreciate something a little less smutty with your breakfast today.
Yes i miss The Temple Dive. It was Middle Temple where i was and lunchtimes if i could spare them were spent walking, sometimes to Holborn, sometimes Fleet Street, Strand, St. Paul's, covent garden, used to have my hair cut at the Savoy ahhhhh the memories you've stirred today! My partner at the time was in Old Bond Street so often at the end of the day i'd walk, sometimes taxi, there to meet him. Or occasionally he'd drive to the Temple at lunchtimes with fresh salmon salad in a picnic with a glass of champagne. He was lovely in that way..
Your mother would be horrified to see you telling porkies (and i am sure they are) about being wallopped like that as a child Dive. Rapped knuckles for you!
Dreadful weather here too. Winds of 80 mph, rains storms, the fields at the back of my house are no longer and the whole town of Tewkesbury is more or less a lake with the shopping bit spared so far. I'm si...nk...ing!
My favourite lunch spot is St.James's Park. Leaning on the railings of the bridge, looking down the lake at Buckingham Palace one end and Downing Street behind the Island at the other end.
And from there, you can walk across Green Park to Hyde Park; miles and miles of lovely grass and trees and lakes.
I do more "country" walking in London than I do in the country.
Ooh yes Dive. I loved that walk too. I recall going along Pall Mall (occasional lunches at the RAC club where women were tolerated under rules of limited access) too and entering The Mall and feeling strangely proud to be British. Round by Buckingham Palace and eventually to Pimlico was it? Some lovely shops and villagey atmosphere...as you say Dive it's amazing how countrified and villagey the city can actually be, if you know where you are. Oh no i've got the London bug again Dive and it's all because of you!! Whine... I know it's all changed since the eighties but i want to be there now, marching around from bit to bit and walking gently, stopping on benches and in cafes, oh no! What have you done to me Dive.
It IS kind of addictive, Lynn. And yes, Pimlico is more like a lovely village than my lovely village.
Ame, I hope you're taking note of all of these places. Although in February I would imagine you'll be doing the museums and galleries and indoor stuff unless you're really lucky with the weather (and I hope you are).
Hyde Park i used to park in then taxi or walk. Once met Leo Sayer (that's twice i've mentioned him in a week what's wrong with me) he asked me to lunch and i said no thank you. We were both parking our cars at the time. The park fills with all sorts and is a real escape space. I love it. The Serpentine running through it, horses, ohh it's lovely. Evenings at the Albert Hall (I had free seats there at the time, company thing) Holland Park, mmmm...I have serious London withdrawal symptoms now, must ...get..there...soon. Groan. what HAVE you done Dive? Help.
Come to London … Come to Londooooon … You are feeling drowsy …
When I snap my fingers you will come to London.
You know you want to.
he he ... i do i DOOOOO ! Yes, Dive, I'm coming, i'm coming I'M COMING !!!
...to London, obviously. Blush.
Wow. Is it wrong to say that I'm insanely jealous of the walking part? I took that walk once and loved every second of it (of course, I wasn't going to work).
I went to the Rose Theatre (and to that pub). Grand.
That commute is murder, though. I think I'd cough up the dough to have someplace to sleep during the week, even if it meant sleeping in shifts in a flat shared by hundreds of people.
Well i think i agree Sassy, though Dive's efforts make me think. I've often wondered if i could do the same from Cheltenham, perhaps two or three days a week if i could only get some paper or mag to take me on on that basis. I'd like to very much. Probably be a similar commute for me.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn...HEY! What's going ON here...I'm gone for a few hours and LOOK! The fun continues withOUT me! ;)
Dive, this so awesome! What fantastic shots...makes me wanna hop that plane TONITE! LOL! ;)
Thanks for doing this...you're better than Rick Steves ANYDAY!
Taking note......taking note!
;)
Hi, Sassy.
The walk is lovely. The whole thing would take about 1 hour forty if I were enjoying myself, but I have to leg it to work in fifty minutes, which kinda takes the edge off the pleasure. Still enjoyable though (when the weather's good).
Ad I could sleep over and flatshare, but hey, I'm forty-eight. And I've got a life and a home I like to get back to. London is NOT the easiest place to get a good night's sleep!
And I do get one day a week working from home (which is where I am right now); more in bad weather, so it's not so bad (sometimes) …
Lynn: I'm sure you could do that. The best of both worlds.
Ame! Good morning, sleepy-head. Read some of today's earlier comments to see what the weather's like over here and I think you'll want to stay in Sunny California a little bit longer.
Hey Divey! Nope-nope-nope-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE! Comin' and that's the end of THAT! Too much fun to be had! Hope that doesn't mean I'M gonna be HAD! ;)
Besides, I bring sunshine along wherever I go....so I'm one hundred percent POSITIVE Mother Nature will cooperate! ;)
Hmmmmmmmmmm..."X" STILL MARKs the SPOT!
GRRRRRRRR~
Oh, yeah. I get wanting to go home. I had a nightmare commute for a while (well, more like a little spook compared to yours), but I always wanted to get home. Even if I had to wake up at the bum-crack of dawn to make it to work, sleeping in my own bed was worth it.
Dive,
Thanks for the wonderful vacation. I am sure it will be the only one I take to London..at least in the forseeable future.
Yetta2
Just back from Japanese class.
Mayuko sprang an assessment on us and I got another 100 percent (grins very smugly indeed).
Sassy; you're right. There's nothing like your own yummy, snuggly bed, and I'm about to get into mine. Mmmmm …
Hi there, Yetta 2. You'll be able to come to London again when the pics of Ame's visit are posted in Feb (though it's likely to be a lot colder and greyer then).
Me? I like the little trips to Cape Ann that Sassy invites us on.
Spinny. I could afford a room in London but I don't want to live in a room. I like to have my library and my studio and all my toys to hand. And I like peace and quiet.
I hadn't noticed the "stand out in the crowd" guy, but now that you point him out he does look a bit incongruous.
I'm the same: I can't wear what everyone else is wearing. From memory that day I was wearing a tutu and a pinwheel hat.
I've been to London mostly passing through. I did stay in East finchley once, oh and I have no idea where that is but I'm sure its a suburb of London.
I used to live in Westminster st, different city though.
I wondered about that crowd shot, you should have just followed the pretty lass to the left around for a few hours, er I mean no thats wrong.
Finchley Old K? Goodness i know it quite well or at least i used to.
Well there was this pub on the corner, I don't remember its name but I think the place was black in colour and I got a bad pint there, my hotel took forever to cook dinner and I won't be going back.
hi dive, just doin' the rounds so thought i'd say g'day.
have a good one.
G'day, GG.
To coin an appalling Americanism: "Have a better one."
Perhaps one day I will find enough time to create my own blog (daily Photo) of my meanderings around the beautiful Lakes Region of New Hampshire. We have some pretty spectacular scenery. Sassy can attest to that!
lemmccarthy please do! We'll be waiting.
Yes, please, Yetta 2.
Pretty please?
Soon?
Wanderings through Peyton Place might be an appropriate title. I actually live in the town the Book was written about.
YETTA2
http://meanderingsinpeytonplace.blogspot.com/
Well Dive,
Here it is. I am good at assignments..so is this soon enough?!LOL
Yetta@ (aka Dear Prudence)
Brilliant, Yetta!
Thank you so much.
Your Place is beautiful.
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