Carnival - Bank Holiday Monday

In the U.K is today is a Bank Holiday Monday and in London's Notting Hill area, the Carnival is in full swing. Monday is traditionally the day the majority of people will go and get their groove on.

Below is a short poem which captuures what the carnival means to me.

Colourful costumes, spicy food and waving your national flags

A sea of people moving to a tribal beat

It's loud, sexy and so much fun.
This is what the carnival means to me.

For more information on the history on the carnival please click here.

Carnival Bank Holiday Weekend

Today is the first day of Europe's biggest carnival. It's historical roots are from the carnivals from the Caribbean Thousands of people all over the world will converge on the narrow streets of Notting hill to experience the diverse sound systems, Caribbean food, people floats.

Sunday is children’s day and a great opportunity for children to experience the many floats and costumes.

Above is a Muslim lady with a woman in a fabulous costume.

For more information on the history on the carnival please click here.

Nicholas Tolley Footballer Portraits - The Royal Opera Arcade (ROA) Gallery

This compelling exhibition features life-size portraits of some of the sport’s most iconic international personalities. Passionate in quality and intensity, they radiate freshness and a particular energy.

The exhibition runs from Monday, 17 August to Saturday, 5 September, and is open from 10am to 7.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and on the middle Sunday, 23 August, from 12noon to 5pm. Please contact the gallery or the artist if you would like to arrange a private viewing.

This is a great exhibition for anyone who loves football (soccer for those in America). With the start of the new season this exhibition come at the right time. For those who live in London, please visit this gallery.

The Royal Opera Arcade – (ROA) Gallery is in Pall Mall London between Lower Regent Street and Haymarket Street opposite the Institute of Directors and close to the Theatre Royal.

Puerto de Malaga - Malaga Airport

Going to Spain for five days... Sun, culture and a thousand opportunities to take a picture.

My English Garden - Flowers in Macro.

My garden is not the greatest example of the great English garden,

but I have some flowers that look great in macro.

Pop Art - Sin City Style

I came across this picture which Sally (Sally's World)  and done a few months ago. As you can see were messing around with the one of the functions of my Mac computer. Any ideas on a title for this masterpiece?

Salsa at the Rivoli

I truly love going salsa. I have been going for the last eight or so months and met so really great people. This is a picture taken by Sally this wonderful Japanese Korean lady who shows that any one can salsa and have great fun.

Gone - A Poem

I wrote this poem in the memory of the people that I have lost in recent years.

I wrote this from their point of view.

As I saw the tear disappear down your face

I realized at once

I was going, going

Gone

As I felt the warmth leave my body

Like a leak in my soul,

Slipping away, away from my grasp

I was going, going

Gone

Feeling your breathe

Feeling your hold

Is fading, fading

Please don't leave me

Gone

Distant voices I can’t hear you

Why can’t you hear me

Don’t go, don’t go

Gone

Floating away

Feel no pain

Peace at last

I now say good bye

I love you and I will miss you

Going Going

Gone

I realise that I live in your

heart and your memories

and it then I realise that although I've gone.

I still live on

In you.

Gone

Written by Trojan Gayle

© 2009 T.Gayle, all rights reserved.

37 Followers - Thank you!

This post is in part inspired by various people.


Firstly my partner in blogging crime Sally from Sally's World. We started our blogging journey together and really discovered alot about each and otherselves in the process.

Secondly, our new blogger partner Gloria my mother who writes the wonderful Gloria's Spanish view.

She has just started her blogger journey and has found much love and support from our readers. So thank you.




Thank you to Corve for being my 37! follower! Welcome to my little corner




Lastly to my fellow blogger companions who have supported this blog by posting such wonder and positive comments. In particular I would like to thank Erin (My Camera & Gentle Giant), Julie (Scottsdale daliy photo), Garcon Stupide (Ka-os theory) and Christopher Raun Leth all producing some wonderful, creative and postive posts. I am humbled and greatful to have such great followers!

Tower Bridge - London - Viewed from the River Thames

Tower Bridge seen from the River Bus along the River Thames, currently being refurbished, it is still one of the iconic symbols of London known around the world. Its simply a gorgeous bridge full of history and beauty.

The London Millennium Footbridge From the Thames

The River Thames runs through the centre of London. I recently took a river bus from Embankment to the O2 (The Dome) to watch G.I Joe (Check out my Review).

On the river bus you get to see some of London's great landmarks from the iconic Thames river. In future posts I will be posting other picture along the Thames river.

Tree Hugging In Seville at the Alcazar Garden

I saw this tree and thought it was absolutely stunning and guess what I gave it a hug!

The this was taken in the Alcazar Garden, named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain, lies adjacent to the Art Institute and Mingei Museum. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles and shady pergola. This formal garden, bordered by boxwood hedges, is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year. The garden has been reconstructed to replicate the 1935 design by San Diego architect Richard Requa.

This picture was taken by my mother, Gloria - check out her fantastic blog called Gloria's Spanish view!

Hello Mr Spanish Geese

During my visit to Seville in June, I had a great picnic by the river Guadalquivir made by my mother (check out her blog on (Gloria's Spanish View). There was some ducks and geese on the bank of the river sunbathing.

This particular goose did'nt like the idea of his picture being take and decided to hiss at me and he started to have a pee. Not very attractive I know, but I got the message.

The river Guadalquivir is a beautiful place to have a picnic if you want have scenic place to have a place to eat. We saw people swiming and rowing canoes in the river; as well as various lesiurse boats.

Granada - Spain - A view from La Alhambra

Earlier this year during my visit to Spain, I went to La Alhambra in Granada. I will be visiting my mum later this month and during my visit I hope to revisit Granada and explore this wonderful city. Above is a view of the city from the La Alhambra.

Take a Walk With Me - A Poem

Take a walk with me
And let’s have a conversation
Let’s talk about what really matters
The things that we really want to say,
Lets be real and lets be true
Take a walk with me and lets really talk from the heart.

Take a walk with me
I want to experience your company and spend some quality time with you.
Talk about our dreams and have fantasies about the lives that we want to live
Lets laugh, let really laugh, till our bellies hurt, till tears roll down our cheeks
Take a walk with me and really have some fun.

Take a walk with me
Walk with me past the milestones of our life,
As a friend, partner or a part of my family.
Share the joy of my highs and help me during my lows
And when I can’t walk no more, lay me down to rest and remember our walk through life.

Written by Trojan Gayle

© 2009 T.Gayle, all rights reserved.

Trojan's Corner Film Review - G.I Joe - Rise of the Cobra

Action-adventure based on the popular toys, cartoons and comics, starring Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans as two soldiers who join an elite team of operatives known as G.I. Joe, in order to fight the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organisation. This is my review of the movie.

New Blog - Gloria's Spanish View

Gloria's Spanish View is a new blog which explores the life a British expat making a new life in Spain.

Those who know me personally will know that my mother moved to Spain just under three years ago. Gloria (my mum) has just published her first post and I would recommend that you over to her site and give her some of the love you guys have shown me.

I took this picture during a visit to Spain last year. We visited a neirbouring town called Iznájar, which is very pretty and has some stunning views of the country side.


To visit Gloria's Spanish View click here!

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO)- London

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation stone being laid on 10 August. At this time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal (initially filled by John Flamsteed), to serve as the director of the observatory and to "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." It is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park in Greenwich, London, overlooking the River Thames.

Manolo Vazquez - Fearless matador with grace and gravity

Manuel Vázquez Garcés was born a Spanish bullfighter in the neighborhood of San Bernardo in Seville on August 21 1930 and died in Seville on August 14, 2005.

He was known by the nickname "The Socrates of San Bernardo" and "The Wizard of San Bernardo." Took the option on the Real Maestranza in Seville on October 6, 1951 before the bull of the herd Perdulario Domingo Ortega, acting as his godfather brother Pepe Luis Vazquez and witness Antonio Bienvenida.These swords will confirm the choice the next day in the Plaza de las Ventas bullring in Madrid on Sunday Ortega, receiving a severe fighting during the corner. He retired in 1968 after participating in their lives in over 300 runs. He reappeared 50 years with the April 19, 1981 in Seville bullring to Juan Pedro Domecq. That evening he gave an alternative to his nephew Pepe Luis, acting as a witness Curro Romero.Among the best of his artistic operations, which are held in the bullring of bullfighting in Mexico Distrito Federal in early 1954, which cut off a tail, of the Feria de San Isidro in the year 1957, when he cut the two ears of a bull to the herd and Cobaleda Corrida Corpus on June 18 1981 in the Maestranza in Seville, where he alternated with Curro Romero and Rafael de Paula, which had a sensational performance that allowed leave for the first time in his career by the Gate of the Prince of that place.Is permanently withdrawn from the bullrings on October 12 1983 in the plaza de toros de la Maestranza in Seville, having a hand in hand with Antoñete. That evening was a resounding success, cut four ears, one of a bull the herd of Juan Pedro Domecq, two other iron-González Sánchez Dalp and an animal Núñez Moreno de Guerra, left the arena for the second time in his life to shoulder through the Puerta del Príncipe.

Atlanta - CNN Heroes Tribute Sign

During my visit to Atlanta last year, CNN was promoting CNN Heroes:

An All-Star Tribute is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. It is hosted byAnderson Cooper. It started in 2007 and continues now, with the awards show aired at the end of the year.Over the course of the year, viewers can nominate and vote for the heroes they want to nominate for recognition and honoring.

Full Moon - The Night Sky in South Norwood

The moon in the nights sky over South Norwood, South London. This is my first time taking a picture of the moon. I was inspired by a fellow blogger Scottdale daily photo who has taken some brilliant shots of the moon eclipse, Please check out her site and see her wonderful pictures - www.scottsdaledp.blogspot.com .

It's Time for Love - Poem

It is time for love,
Let the pain I once felt , fade away.
Embracing that inner sunshine

which will light up the shadows that lie in my heart.

It is time for joy,
That look, that touch, that smile
that makes your heart go BOOM!
Allowing it to overwhelm my senses like a drug

It is time for me
To be happy
To be loved
To wake up from a kiss from your lips
It is time for love,
So here I come.

© 2009 T.Gayle, all rights reserved.

Trojan's Corner Film Review - Moon

Plot:Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his contract with Lunar. He's been a faithful employee for 3 long years. His home has been Selene, a moon base where he has spent his days alone, mining Helium 3.

The precious gas holds the key to reversing the Earth's energy crisis.Isolated, determined and steadfast, Sam has followed the rulebook obediently and his time on the moon has been enlightening, but uneventful. The solitude has given him time to reflect on the mistakes of his past and work on his raging temper. He does his job mechanically, and spends most of his available time dreaming of his imminent return to Earth, to his wife, young daughter and an early retirement.

But 2 weeks shy of his departure from Selene, Sam starts seeing things, hearing things and feeling strange. And when a routine extraction goes horribly wrong, he discovers that Lunar have their own plans for replacing him and the new recruit is eerily familiar.Before he can return to Earth, Sam has to confront himself and the discovery that the life he has created, may not be his own. It's more than his contract that is set to expire.

This is my review of this new film.

London Skyline Seen From The Greenwich Royal Observatory

London Skyline from Greenwich Royal Observatory - what a gorgeous view!

Kingston Upon Thames - Stepping back in time

Kinston Upon Thames has a wonderful mixture of both old and new. This is an example of Kingston Upon Thames stepping back in time.

Royal Navel College - Greenwich

Royal Navel College, with Canary Wharf in the background, a mixture of the old and the new of London.

The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich a World Heritage Site in Greenwich London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape ensemble in the British Isles” .

The site is managed by the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College (Foundation), set up in July 1998 as a Registered Charity to “look after these magnificent buildings and their grounds for the benefit of the nation”. The grounds and some of its buildings are open to visitors. The buildings were originally constructed to serve as the Greenwich Hospital, designed by Christopher Wren, and built between 1696 and 1712. The hospital closed in 1869. Between 1873 and 1998 it was the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Looking Up - Stairwell in Queens House - Greenwich

Looking up at the spiral stairwell in Queen House - Greenwich

The Queen's House is nowadays part of the National Maritime Museum. It was originally part of the Royal Palace of Placentia. It was meant by King James I to be the home of his consort, Anne of Denmark. Inigo Jones was the architect, and construction started in 1616. The Queen died in 1619, however, and work was stopped until ten years later, when King Charles I gave it to his new Queen, Henrietta Maria. Inigo Jones was recalled and the exterior work was completed some six years later. The Queen stayed there only briefly, however, and in 1642 the Civil War started.

After the Restoration Charles II had the House enlarged by John Webb in 1662 to provide a residence while the new palace of Placentia was being built, as the original had been badly damaged during the time of the Commonwealth. (This is now the site of the Royal Naval College). It is not known if he ever actually lived there, however, and the building was in fact used by Henrietta, by now the Queen Mother, until her death in 1669. In 1690 it became the official residence of the Ranger of Greenwich Park.

When first built, the House straddled the main Deptford to Woolwich road, and it was possible to pass from the Palace gardens into the Royal Park without being seen crossing the road. In 1699 the then Ranger, Lord Romney, moved the road to its present position, effectively separating the Naval Hospital, the predecessor of the College, from the Park. In 1806 the Naval Asylum School moved into the House; it was linked along the line of the old road to extensions on either side by colonnades in 1816. The school (renamed the Royal Hospital School in 1821) moved out in 1933, and the buildings were opened in 1937 as the National Maritime Museum.

The interior was completely restored in the 1980s and the House was reopened in 1990 after a six-year closure. It is fitted out in the style of the 1660s as much as possible, and contains a mixture of original and replica furnishings. There are many carvings, paintings, sculptures, and other works of art on display; again, some are replicas, some original

Greenwich Royal Observatory - London

A couple sitting on a bench with the Greenwich Royal Observatory in the background.

The Greenwich Royal Observatory was founded by order of King Charles II to study astronomy and to fix longitude; see the page about the Prime Meridian. The oldest in the group of buildings comprising the observatory is Flamsteed House. It was built in 1675, with Sir Christopher Wren as the architect. It was built as a home for the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed. He lived in the four rooms of the ground floor, and worked in the Octagon room above until his death in 1719. His successor in the office was Edmund Halley, famous for the comet that bears his name. Later Astronomers Royal lived there until 1948. The time ball on the roof was first erected in 1833, providing the first public time signal. At five minutes to one p.m. every day the ball rises half-way up the pole, reaching the top at two minutes to one. The ball drops at exactly one o'clock. Since the ball can be clearly seen from the river, ships have used the signal to check their time.

Without Trust - A Poem

Without trust we truly have nothing,

Because without trust,

Love can not live and the love that did,

Will be killed by distrust.

Without trust we truly have nothing,

Because peace, will be conquered by fear

And fear can make us do the things that live in the dark places in your soul

Without trust there can not be faith

Because without faith who can we believe in without evidence?

Trust is one of life's most precious things once it has been lost, its very hard to regain it.

Look after the ones who trust you

be mindful of your words and deeds

as they may sow in the seeds of distrust,

which may undermine your good deeds of the future.

Written by Trojan Gayle

© 2009 T.Gayle, all rights reserved.

Doctor Who Waters Of Mars

The trailer for this next adventure suggested a dark, exciting drama with the Doctor appearing to be on a futuristic base, threatened by some sort of water-based menace. The brief sequence of clips delivered a sense of danger and tension, heightened by the Doctor ominously noting, ‘Water always wins’.

I have always been a fan of the new series of Doctor Who, with the current Doctor being my favourite. the recent Torchwood series Child of Earth was fantastic and this trailer this new feature looks like it wont disappoint either.