The London Eye, - London

Northumberland Avenue - London

Northumberland Avenue is a London street, running from Trafalgar Square in the west to The Embankment in the east. The avenue was built on the site of Northumberland House, the London home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland. Several ministry buildings are located in Northumberland Avenue, among them, Northumberland Avenue has a square on the Monopoly board named after it.

Northumberland avenue begins at Trafalgar SqauareIn 1608–09, the Earl of Northampton built Northumberland House on the eastern portion of the former property of the Chapel and Hospital of St Mary Rounceval, at Charing Cross. This was a considerable property consisting of house and gardens, running down to the river, and adjoining Scotland Yard - to the west. The house suffered some damage in the Wilkes' Election Riots of 1768, but the Duke saved his property by the expedient of opening the nearby Ship Ale House, which drew off the rioters.In June 1874, the whole of the Duke's property at Charing Cross, was purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works for the formation of Northumberland Avenue.

HMS Belfast - London

Decommissioned in 1963 following a number of overseas tours Belfast was initially expected to be disposed of as scrap. After a campaign by a private trust, she was preserved as a museum ship in the Pool of London. Opened to the public in 1971 Belfast has been maintained as a branch of the Imperial War Museum since 1978.

Leadenhall Market - London

More pictures of Leadenhall Market taken on a Sunday afternoon. In 1991, Leadenhall Market was extensively restored. The ornate roof structure, painted green, maroon and cream, and cobbled floors of the current building, designed in 1881 by Sir Horace Jones (who was also the architect of Billingsgate and Smithfield Markets), make the building a tourist attraction. It was used to represent the area of London near The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It is also popular among local city workers.

Remembering Michael Jackson

Rest in peace.

Off the wall

Thriller

Bad

Classic Albums - music that will last the test to time.

Leadenhall Market - London

Leadenhall Market on a Sunday afternoon.

The market dates back to the fourteenth century. It is open from 07:00-late Monday to Friday, and sells fresh food; among the vendors there are cheesemongers, butchers and florists. Originally a meat, game and poultry market, it stands on what was the centre of Roman London.

City of London magistrates court

A black and white picture of the historic city of London magistrate court,

Sirus Black The Cat

Today I decided to post a picture of my gorgeous cat. His name is Sirus Black, although we call him Cee. Now that it is summer, Cee spends most his time in the garden sunbathing (yes you read right) and chasing birds and mice. We put a bell on him to warn the birds as he was catching way to many. I hope to post more pictures of him in the future.

St Martins in the Field - Christ Child - Part 2

Thanks to JC for pointing me in the right direction on this wonderful piece of art.

The Christ Child -1999 - Portland Stone

The Christ Child is by sculptor Mike Chapman. It was commissioned by St Martin's for the Millenium and was the crib in Trafalgar Square in 1999.

Nestling at the top of a four and a half tonne block, the tiny baby still bearing its cord lies in the very centre of London, and was created for the Millennium celebrations to commemorate the birth of Christ.

It's inscribed 'In the beginning was the Word... and the Word became flesh and lived among us' which is from the start of John's gospel.

For additional information on this wonderful sculptor please visit his website http://www.mikechapmansculptor.com/

The Donkey Sanctuary

The Sanctuario de Burros

. Its three spectacular sanctuary sites are havens for abandoned and mal-treated donkeys and a final refuge for the Córdoban (or Andalucían) variety - a species that is close to extinction.

St Martin-in-the-Fields - London - Part Two

Outside St Martins of the field church stands a block of concrete with baby attached to the umbilical cord. Although I pass this church almost every day on my way to work I had never realized that this was even here. The detail of the baby is quite remarkable and beautiful.

I have been trying to find out the history of this piece but havent found out anything yet. I will update you once I find something out. In the meantime I hope you like it as much as I do!

Awards - attitude of gratitude.

Sally from sally's world is a total superstar and has given me this award, I am truly honoured! I love these awards and the questions, they are such a great way of getting to know one another better.

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award:

1.Put the logo on your blog or post.

Done!

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude.

Fresh eyes on London has a great eye for capturing great images of London. This blog makes me glad that I live is such a wonderful and diverse city.

Clueless in Boston/a great blog that shows the many facets of an American city.

Christopher's photo's one of my favourite photography bloggers, give me great feedback and fantastic pictures of his home city of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Ka-os is new blog that I discovered. Thought provoking content and aims to broaden your mind on a range of diverse issues especially on sexual diversity.

The gentle giant - one of my favourite blogs which explores the life of raising an autistic child. i am grateful that I am able to learn from this family who lives many miles away from me. Keep up the good fight.

Lastly I will like to nominate Sally who has continued to fight despite the obstacles she has come against.

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

Also sorted, as you can see, I'm getting very clever at this now!!!

4.Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award.

I'm on it!

5.Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude.

Thank you for being such a good friend, a good drinker and a fantastic salsa dancer (o.k i lied on one the three!). Joking aside over the past 8 or so months we have got to know each other really well and watched each other grown.

Flowers In St James Park - With A Flower Poem by Emily Dickinson

I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too --
And angels know the rest.

I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.



- Emily Dickinson
From: Poems by Emily Dickinson Series One
Edited by two of her friends
Mabel Loomis Todd and T.W. Higginson

Seacole sculpture design revealed - London

Yesterday it was announced on the news that the design for a memorial statue dedicated to nurse and Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole has been chosen.

Artist Martin Jennings created the winning sculpture, which will stand in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital in central London.

In 2004, the Jamaican-born woman was voted the greatest Black Briton of all time.
The Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal was set up to create a permanent reminder of the 19th Century nurse.

In 1854, Seacole approached the War Office asking to be sent as an army nurse to the Crimea where there was known to be poor medical facilities for wounded soldiers.

She was refused but funded her own trip to the Crimea where she established the British Hotel near Balaclava to provide comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers.
She also visited the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded, and became known as "Mother Seacole".

-
This is my own tribute to Mary Seacole I hope you like it

The Battle of Britain Monument

The Battle of Britain Monument in London is a sculpture on the Victoria Embankment overlooking the River Thames in central London, England which pays tribute to those who took part in the Battle of Britain during World War II. It was unveiled on 18 September 2005, the 65th anniversary of the Battle, by His Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall in the presence of many of the surviving airmen known collectively as "The Few", following the Royal Air Force Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday. This service is an annual event, taking place annually since 1943; the first service took place in St Paul's Cathedral and since has taken place in Westminster Abbey.

London - Day and Night

London has an iconic skyline. with many famous building both old and new dominating the view.

London has an ever changing history, each building, each area and every park has a story to tell. London has done quiet well to retain its heritage as well being a world class city.

Below are shots of the London taken during the day and night.

Many people say I love New York, I feel the same way about London.

Atlanta - Midtown - Mixing the old with the new

I spoke to my good friend Constance yesterday via yahoo messenger. We had not spoken for a long time and its always good to hear from him (even if it's via yahoo messenger). I hope to see him as well as other friends who lives in Atlanta Georgia, USA.

I visited Atlanta last year and took the above pictures. As you can see Atlanta is going through a regeneration with older houses being torn down and new buildings being built in its place. This was most evident the midtown area. Although I am not against regeneration, it is a shame that the architecture of the past is being slowly erased with the soulless and characterless new builds.

The thing I like about Atlanta is the mixture of the old and the new, like London and many European cities the architecture illustrates its the past history and its future aspirations for all to see.

Any how, I would like to take this opportinity to say hi to both Constance and Eric. Many thanks for your continued support with this site and I hope to see you guys later this year.

Heavens Special Child T shirts

Yesterday the sun was out and I thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit and repost a video Sally and I done a while back.
Sally is a great friend of mine and run a company which produces T-Shirts for people who have or wish to support special needs.

The thing I enjoy about this video post is you can see that we was having a great time and we was flying from the seat of our pants!

Any how please watch it and if you wish to support this great cause ( a percentage of the profits go into the aaron Stephenson foundation).


To make a purchase to to find out more information please go to www.heavenspecialchild.co.uk.


If you liked that please check out our other video blogs on youtube


Trojan's Corner http://www.youtube.com/user/TrojansCorner

Sally's World http://www.youtube.com/user/sallyannestephenson


Check them out!

Apollo Theatre - Harlem, New York City

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with African-American performers. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,and is the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a nationally syndicated variety show consisting of new talent.

I having been reading several post this week about the Apollo theatre celebrating 75 years in business. Now Although i have never seen a show there, however I did pass the venue on my second trip to New York city. As you see i have very short hair (i started growing my hair later that year). The theatre at the time of my visit was going through some renovations so the picture shown is not particularly great, but I remember feeling pretty excited to be standing outside such a famous place that I had seen on TV.

My good friend Ellis and Bill live a stone throw away from where the above picture was taken. I learned yesterday that Bill lost his grandmother. So this post is dedicated to his grandmother.

Tulips BY A.E. STALLINGS - Pictures and a Poem

The tulips make me want to paint,

Something about the way they drop

Their petals on the tabletop

And do not wilt so much as faint,
Something about their burnt-out hearts,

Something about their pallid stems

Wearing decay like diadems,

Parading finishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer,

The tulips make me want to see—

The tulips make the other me

(The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right),

Glance now over the wrong shoulder

To watch them get a little older

And give themselves up to the light.

I have been giving my garden some much needed attention and here are some tulips that I grown. I have also been growing some berries (strawberries, gooseberries and black currents). I will publish some pictures of those plants in due course. Hope you like them.

St Martin-in-the-Fields - London - Part One

I pass this beautiful church everyday on my way to and from work. It was recently renovated and it simply looks gorgeous.

The church survived the Great Fire of London which did not reach as far as the City of Westminster, but was replaced with a new building, designed by James Gibbs in 1721 and completed five years later. The design was criticised widely at the time but subsequently became extremely famous, being copied particularly widely in the United States. The church is essentially rectangular, with a great pediment in the Classical style supported by a row of huge Corinthian columns. The high steeple is topped with a gilt crown. Gibbs was certainly inspired by Sir Christopher Wren as the interior is very similar to St James's in Piccadilly.

Because of its prominent position, St Martin-in-the-Fields is one of the most famous non-cathedral churches in London. Its ethos as the "Church of the Ever Open Door" (a title coined by Dick Sheppard, Vicar in the early 20th Century when the work with homeless people was started) continues today, even though it is not possible for it literally to be the case. It is famous for its work with homeless people through The Connection at St Martin's which shares with The Vicar's Relief Fund the money raised each year by the BBC Radio 4 Appeal's Christmas appeal. The church is also known for its regular lunchtime and evening concerts: many ensembles perform there, including the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields which was co-founded by Sir Neville Marriner and John Churchill, the then Master of Music at St Martin's. There is a popular Café in the Crypt, where jazz concerts are held. All profits from this go to the work of the church. The crypt is also home to the London Brass Rubbing Centre, an art gallery and a book and gift shop.

The O2 Arena- London

The O2 in London is one of London's hottest entertainment venues.

This picture was taken when i went to see Prince in 2007 and I have to admit i thought the venue was brillant. Now that i have a more able camera, I plan to revist the venue to take some better pictures. Beyonce has played a couple of concerts there recently. Her is a clip of her performance with George Michael. Enjoy

Horse Guards Parade - London

Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. It was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehall's tiltyard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII. It was also the scene of the annual celebrations of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth I.
The area has been used for a variety of reviews, parades and other ceremonies since the 17th century. It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat. For much of the late 20th century it was put to a rather less dignified purpose — as a car park for senior civil servants — but this use was ended in the 1990s.
The catalyst for the clearing of the parade ground was the Provisional IRA's mortar attack on 10 Downing Street on 7 February 1991, which was carried out from a vehicle parked near to Horse Guards Parade in Horse Guards Avenue. Vehicles are no longer allowed to park anywhere in the area.

A Hawk in Trafalgar Square Repost

This is a close up of the hawk that flies in Trafalgar Square that was posted yesterday.

Thanks for the positive comments that was posted yesterday.

A Hawk In Trafalgar Square - London

I took this picture on the way to work last week. I been wanting to take a picture of the hawk for a long while and I am really pleased with the results.

A hawk is flown daily on Trafalgar Square by the company Van Vynck as part of a programme to reduce pigeon numbers. The sight of the swooping Harris hawk keeps pigeons away from the area, as it is one of their natural predators. The GLA is now working with Westminster City Council to expand the area the hawk flies, helping to protect the wide North Terrace and its surroundings.

Hopton's Charity - Cottage, London

In central London there are a wide variety of architecture both old and new, good and bad! This cottage is quite unusual as it is located in central London just minutes from Tate Modern and the River Thames.

The charity was started with money left by merchant Charles Hopton who made his will just five days before his death in 1730. The site in Hopton Street was described at the time as "the cheapest, best and most convenient piece of ground that could be had for the building."

European elections - Are gonna vote today

To day is the European Elections, which is being held across the European Union. Thousands of people cross Europe will be casting their vote, sadly I will not be one of them.

You may be aware that in the United Kingdom, for the past three weeks there has been a number of revelations of MP's expenses claims. Due to the continued revelations of the corruption its has made it particular difficult to find a reason to vote. I cant vote for a party just because i have voted for it in the past and with all the other alternatives they seem just as corrupt as the others. So with this in mind I have decided not to vote.

The Alan Wheatley Art is a gallery is not far from where i work and I noticed a picture displayed in its window which captures my current view of British politics.

A modern gallery, located in the prime spot of St. James’s, offers diverse selection of modern British and International Art, with particular emphasis on Pop Art and photography.

For more information on this gallery please click on the link below

http://alanwheatleyart.com/home.php

The above picture is a good indication of the British view of our Members of Parliament (MP's) due to the expenses scandal and although this picture focus is on Labour, its would and should apply to all the main political parties.

Tiffany & Co - New York City

New York City is one of my favourite cities that I have visited. I have always enjoyed my time there and as mentioned in earlier posts, got some great friends who reside there.


Any how, on my visit during 2004, I passed the famous Tiffany & Co store and got my picture taken. Later that year my good friend Sally (from Sally's World) bought me Tiffany cufflinks for my birthday. Every time I wear them it remind me of New York and the great time I have had there.

One Lovely Blog Award

I got this award from Chris at Christopher's Photos. Please check out his great blog, he represents Denmark well through his photo's. Many thanks Chris!

The rules for sharing this award are different than other awards because instead of just passing it on to just anyone, you are supposed to pass it on to blogs you've recently discovered.

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. You can also make a comment about the person who gave the award to you by asking your readers to stop by their blog, pay them a visit, leave a comment, or even 'follow' their blog if they feel led to.

2) Pass the award on to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Contact these bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. Just go to their site and leave a comment to one of their posts telling them you have an award for them and to please come by your blog to get it. Just a little note: You pick the number of blogs to pass the award to, just give it to those you have recently discovered.

These are my recently discovered blogs:

1. The Gentle Giant
2. casa az
3. This Sh!t
4. Structured Chaos

South Norwood Lake Park - London

South Norwood Lake is set in attractive parkland and is the only large expanse of open water in Croydon. The lake is man-made and has an unusual history; it was built to supply a canal.
At the beginning of the 19th century the land now occupied by the lake and cricket field was part of Norwood Common, and the land to the north belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1799 an engineer called Ralph Dodd was commissioned to survey a line for a canal to link the busy market town of Croydon to the Thames and to the London market and port. A horse drawn barge would bring general merchandise and coal to Croydon and would return with agricultural produce, timber and lime.

Dodds' scheme was not adopted, however in 1800 another engineer, John Rennie, was commissioned. Rennie supplied two alternative schemes based on a line from West Croydon via South Norwood, Penge Woods, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Brockley and New Cross to Deptford. To save on cost and water a scheme of inclined planes (instead of locks) was devised and in 1801 the Croydon Canal Act was passed. It was then decided that a canal with locks was feasible if two reservoirs were constructed, one at Sydenham (now no longer visible) and one dug at Norwood. The reservoirs were to keep the highest of the locks supplied with water.

The canal was to be 34 feet wide with locks 60 feet by 9 feet, the barges were to have a capacity of 30-35 tons.

On the 22nd October 1809 the 9¼ mile canal was opened, a 21 gun salute met the first barge as it entered the canal basin at West Croydon, cheering crowds had gathered and a band played the National Anthem.

The Canal Company owned its own barges, horses and crews and raised its income by levying tolls on the goods they carried. They also raised money from fishing licences and the sale of Osiers (used for basket work). Unfortunately the Company never really prospered and in its last years started to lose money. In periods of dry weather there were problems with supplying the higher levels of the canal and the railway was giving greater competition.
The London and Croydon Railway Company purchased the canal in 1836 and used the canal bed for the railway track once it had been drained. West Croydon Station was built in the canal basin and the line was opened in 1839.

The lake lay derelict for many years following the close of the canal, but in 1881 a sports club was formed and the lake was used for fishing, swimming and skating in winter. The lake is fed by springs rising on the hillside where the geology changes and the gravel meets the London Clay beneath. The water is very deep being about 18 feet at the centre, it has no shallow water.
A motor boat called the "Skylark" gave members of the public trips around the lake until 1955. There are still boats on the lake but they are now controlled by the Croydon Sailing Club.
The history of South Norwood Lake and grounds is closely associated with Norwood Sports Club. Alfred Steer, Lord of the Manor founded the club having built the clubhouse himself as a residence. He took a lease on 16 acres of land including the lake and cricket field, in 1888 a further 37 acres was leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners who had taken over the land of the Archbishops. The Club became the largest tennis club in the world with 54 grass courts.
In 1911 the facilities which included bowls, tennis, cricket and the lake were sold to Messrs. Middleton and Bersey who ran it as a Club - White Lodge Ltd.

During the 1914/18 war a golf course which had been established on the land was requisitioned for gun sites and balloons and was badly damaged.
In 1931 Croydon Corporation purchased 16 acres of the ground but the Club continued to lease the facilities, the lake and surrounds however were opened to the public. In 1933 the Corporation leased 37 acres including the former golf course and bowling green from the Commissioners and eventually purchased it in 1936.

In 1969 the whole of the grounds, cricket field, tennis courts and bowling green but excluding the clubhouse were opened to the public.
Waterfowl can be seen on the lake throughout the year, some of the birds are resident and others are visitors. The birds include many varieties of Ducks, Geese together with Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Moorhen and Gulls.