Monday, June 30, 2014

June Scavenger Hunt: London, UK


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.



London Skyline
The Old and the New



View From Our Flat in Notting Hill




Junes's List

1.  B is for ?
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).  
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


A Barbour in Her New Barbour Trench Coat
 Trafalgar Square
(This is for Kezzie!  My favorite London Fashionista!)






2.   10 a.m.
10:00 Hour in the Morning on Portobello Road



Sewing Supplies on Portobello Road
(10:00 a.m. London Time ~ 4:00 a.m. Colorado Time) 



A Very Famous Clock Tower
Nicknamed Big Ben
(Technically, Big Ben is the bell inside Elizabeth Tower)




3. Spoon
Silver Spoons ~ Portobello Road




4.   Puppet
King Henry VI
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  



The Chapel Where Tradition Says
That Henry VI Was Murdered





                         
This is one event in the Tower of London's Bloody History



5. You Again
The E-P Suffering from Museum Overload


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
Cygnets Swim in the Serpentine
Hyde Park, London




Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
Hyde Park, London




7.   Habitat
The Long Water Reed Beds and the Serpentine Bridge
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

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




The Geological Society, London

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
Blaschka Radiolarian Model
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 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
Mounted Sentries at Horse Guards


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.



12.  Steam
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.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

There's No Place Like Home!


Anyone who knows me
knows I love to travel!


Leaving on a Jet Plane ~ Iceland Air
Denver International Airport (DIA)



It doesn't matter how or where.
I love to experience new people and places.



Heading for the Runway


When my plane gathers speed rolling down the runway,
my exhilaration mounts
and soars 
as the plane lifts into the air.



Liftoff



Up! Up! 
It's such an incredible feeling!


On the Wings of a Big Bird!


And away!

Plains Near DIA


Cloud Land is endlessly beautiful
as I head into new adventures.

Cloud Land



Paris

Evening in Paris
(Rue de Buci ⊥ Rue de Seine)



Boats on the Seine
Looking Toward Pont des Arts ~ The Love Locks Bridge





London

Constitution Hill



Trafalgar Square




Reykjavik

Faxaflói Bay and Esja Mountain Range



Enjoying a Summer Evening
Jorundur Bar and Restaurant on Austurstraeti




I can see things I've dreamed of all of my life.

The Eiffel Tower from the Top of the Arc de Triomphe
Terry and Sara with Me (in red) 



Walk where kings have trod.

Steps ~ Wakefield Tower Area, Tower of London



Explore natural wonders.


The Blue Lagoon, Iceland



But there comes that moment,
when I have gorged on all that is new,
and satiated, 
my thoughts turn to home.

I can't get there fast enough!


Route, Iceland Air

Ice on Hudson Bay, June 15, 2014
(with possible tip of one of the 1,500 Belcher/Sanikiluaq islands)




HOME

Denver International Airport



Home


One of the loveliest words in my language ~
With wonders of its own.


Double Rainbow
June 18, 2014














It's good to be home!


Happy Summer
June 21 ~ Summer Solstice
(Shortly before sunrise with uncooperative clouds)