Happy summer, everyone!
This June Terry and I had the good fortune to spend two weeks
in Terry's sister's and brother-in-law's flat in Notting Hill, London.
This June Terry and I had the good fortune to spend two weeks
in Terry's sister's and brother-in-law's flat in Notting Hill, London.
London Skyline
The Old and the New
Junes's List
1. B is for ?
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London Double Decker Buses
B is for … Buses,
and so many iconic London things:
Beefeaters, Buckingham Palace, street buskers, the British Museum,
bobbies, telephone booths, Big Ben, Anne Boleyn, bearskin hats,
and Barbour stores (iconic for me ~ I'm a Barbour).
and Barbour stores (iconic for me ~ I'm a Barbour).
I could do a whole post on Bs!
Beefeater ~ Yeoman Warder in Daily Uniform
Tower of London
B is for … Beefeater,
and we had a fascinating yeoman warder as our guide.
Their official duties include looking after Tower prisoners,
safeguarding the crown jewels, and guarding the Tower of London.
Today they also act as tour guides
and are tourist attractions themselves.
The yeoman warders were formed by Henry VII in 1845,
but their origins can be traced back to the eleventh century
when the Tower of London was constructed.
Two interesting things I learned from our guide
were that the yeoman warders
must live in the Tower of London
and that one of them guards the Tower ravens,
because legend has it that the tower and monarchy will fall
if the ravens ever leave the tower grounds.
Source: britannica.com
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and we had a fascinating yeoman warder as our guide.
Their official duties include looking after Tower prisoners,
safeguarding the crown jewels, and guarding the Tower of London.
Today they also act as tour guides
and are tourist attractions themselves.
The yeoman warders were formed by Henry VII in 1845,
but their origins can be traced back to the eleventh century
when the Tower of London was constructed.
Two interesting things I learned from our guide
were that the yeoman warders
must live in the Tower of London
and that one of them guards the Tower ravens,
because legend has it that the tower and monarchy will fall
if the ravens ever leave the tower grounds.
Source: britannica.com
A Barbour in Her New Barbour Trench Coat
2. 10 a.m.
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10:00 Hour in the Morning on Portobello Road
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Sewing Supplies on Portobello Road
(10:00 a.m. London Time ~ 4:00 a.m. Colorado Time)
(10:00 a.m. London Time ~ 4:00 a.m. Colorado Time)
Nicknamed Big Ben
(Technically, Big Ben is the bell inside Elizabeth Tower)
3. Spoon
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Silver Spoons ~ Portobello Road
4. Puppet
.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
King Henry VI was the last Lancastrian king,
reigning from 1422-1461 and from 1470-1471.
His mental instability and his gentle, pious personality
led in part to the Wars of the Roses.
Henry VI was deposed and imprisoned in 1461.
Nine years later he was restored to the throne as a puppet king.
He was murdered in the Tower of London
on the night of May 21st/22nd, 1471.
Source: englishmonarchs
That Henry VI Was Murdered
This is one event in the Tower of London's Bloody History
5. You Again
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The E-P Suffering from Museum Overload
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You Again! Poor Terry ~ I found him waiting for me,
yet again, while I visited the magnificent
Assyrian Lion Hunts Gallery (You Again!)
one more time (this day).
King Ashurbanipal Hunts Lions
Narrative Panels
North Palace, Ninevah
668-627 B.C.
6. Water
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Cygnets Swim in the Serpentine
Hyde Park, London
Narrative Panels
North Palace, Ninevah
668-627 B.C.
6. Water
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
7. Habitat
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The Long Water Reed Beds and the Serpentine Bridge
Kensington Park, London
Kensington Park, London
This beautiful habitat, the Long Water Reed Beds,
was established in 2010 to improve
the water quality and the biodiversity potential
of the Long Water in Kensington Garden.
Reed beds are found at the margins of many waterbodies.
They stabilize banks and act as natural water filters.
The UK lost about 40% of its reed beds between 1945 and 1990.
Source: Sign by the Reed Beds in the Park
8. Soccer
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Pringles' Giant 'Lucky' Football Boot
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Pringles' Giant 'Lucky' Football Boot
Soccer Balls
in a Poundland Window
on Portobello Road
England was gearing
up for the World Cup
while we were in London.
9. Calm
The Geological Society
is a calm oasis near
busy Piccadilly Circus
Terry walks past William Smith's famous
1815 Geological Map of Britain.
A bust of Smith, the Father of English Geology, is in front of Terry.
10. Man Made
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Blaschka Radiolarian Model
Natural History Museum
Treasures in the Cadogan Gallery
Natural History Museum
Treasures in the Cadogan Gallery
Out all the man made marvels in London,
I chose this extremely fragile glass model
of a radiolarian (Aulosphaera elegantissima).
It was crafted by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the 19th century.
The techniques they used were lost when they died.
The techniques they used were lost when they died.
The model is displayed in the Cadogan Gallery
which contains some of the Natural History Museum's
most important artifacts chosen for their
scientific, historical, aesthetic and cultural significance.
11. Open
The Household Cavalry guards the official entrance
to St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace
outside Horse Guards in Whitehall.
The mounted sentry in back is relieving the sentry in front
by riding through the open door at the back of the guard box.
Steam Rises as This Crepe Cooks on the Griddle
Portobello Road
July's List
C is for?, 9pm, Stem, Pool, Dough, Liquid, Lever, On the wall,
Together, In your bag, Your view of today, and Sweet
Thanks to Jill (Greenthumb)
and her Made with Love blog
for setting up the scavenger hunt.