My Trip to London March 2011

[Big Sarge]

black? are ya'll emo or as my daddy gets confused and says "those emu girls"?

[TheMercenary]

Looks like you all had a great time!

[casimendocina]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I love black. It goes with everything - especially black.

Me too. I like to think that wearing black and black observes the kosher principle of keeping separate things....well....separate (having an inarticulate Tim Minchin moment there diguised as cleverness/too cool for school smartarseness).

[anonymoo]

Two succulent dwellars shared a room and there are no pictures? Shame, shame, shame

[footfootfoot]

we all have to make sacrifices...

[Sundae]

I blame Dana.
I told her in Scotland that I was up for taking a few artistic shots of her when we next met.
But she force fed me Being Human and then partied me too hard.
I was an unwilling participant.

Next time, I promise.
If I can make a promise about someone else's nekkidness that is.

I keep stopping by here hoping she's uploaded some of her photos.
But then I saw the work she is undertaking first hand. It's a serious commitment. They don't fund trips to London to study Social Trends As Evidenced by Coronation Street Characters 1960-2010 you know.

So I'm loathe to push her too hard. I have the rest of you to do that.
DANA - send me one of those mysterious zip files or something. I'll do the rest. No wait, weren't you sending me a dongle? See how I bandy about terms which mean nothing to me.

[footfootfoot]

Photos of you bandying a dongle about sound rather nsfw-ish.

[DanaC]

Pen drive, darlin, Pen drive ;p Or data stick...though that last sounds like something from a ST:TNG slash fic :p

Ok. I is home. Got home yesterday. Loved being back in my own bed yey.

Much as I enjoyed the hurly burly, sturm und drang of King's Cross, I am happy to be back in my little village, with my not so little dog. Who was so delighted to see me.

I will, I promise, get the photos sorted out. Along with what I have from Glasgae!

Right now I am quite tired. In fact I didn't get up until 12:30! The last few days research were quite intense. Trying to get as much stuff as possible before leaving. It can get scary, when you're basically just knocking stuff off the list of sources, and not finding anything lol. Or only finding odds and sods, nothing to write home about. But, the last few days in particular I started to find some interesting stuff.

Most of it I still need to read in detail. Particularly the sources from the National Archives, which I was able to photograph. I basically just read enough of each to see that it might be relevant and then photographed for later perusal. This includes two entire ledgers of around 200 pages each, showing a summary of General Regimental Courts Martials across a period of about 5 years.

Whilst at the National Army Museum I came across an unpublished history of James Pipon (Commissariat for Jersey) along with a transcription of his journal and letters. Couldn't take photos at the NAM study centre, but was able to order the entire document (110) pages as a photocopy. So, still need to read through that.

Much of the stuff I transcribed myself (btw, writing by hand in pencil doesn't half make one's wrist ache) I need to read more carefully. I don't really take in the details as I am writing.

Hey though, get this:

On Wednesday I went to the NAM and was sitting in the Templar Study Centre, quietly taking notes from an 1812 Officer's Order Book from Gibraltar, when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said 'Heya Dani"

It was Matthew, the academic who acted as my external examiner for my MA, co-conspirator of my supervisor on his Soldiering project. He was there with one of his undergrads. Also there, as he pointed out to me, was a lad who'd been at the historian's workshop in January, and who'd really impressed me as just being a very serious and knowledgable PhD student (Cambridge, I believe, and already on the board for the major journal in our field.)

The four of us ended up getting coffee and lunch together. Was really nice.

Also, whilst sitting at the big central table transcribing from the Order Book, Matthew slides a note across the table to me:

'Don't look. To your right. Peter Snow.'

My jaw dropped. And after a suitable pause I allowed my eyes to drift to the side and sure enough, there he was. Peter bloody Snow! I overheard him speaking to the archivist at one point: and it was so recognisably his voice lol. Awesome.

I am pretty sure I saw him once at the NA, but he was way over the other side of the reading rooms, so couldn't be sure.

That probably means very little to the Americans...but to the Brits, it might.


The rest of the photos are on my laptop, but I did take a handful of shots of Halifax station, which are on this machine. I'll post 'em in a mo.

I just love coming back to my hills. I see the craggy landscape and I know I am home. These are views from the station, including one of the old station, now part of the Eureka science museum.

[casimendocina]

Wow! Peter Snow. Very impressive.

[Sundae]

Thought I'd add my London pics to this thread.
Noting as I do that Dani never posted hers...

Went up to London yesterday to see David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing. The tickets were birthday presents for Mum & me, and my parents paid for the travel and the meal out. Wonderful.

We met my brother in London - he had the day off but was meeting ex work colleagues for lunch and doing some shopping for his wife's birthday next week. We went via the Tube (although it is overland at this point) from Amersham. Got on a new Tube as well - very swish! It's the first I've seen this far out of town. Previously we've ridden the really old, really bouncy ones. I posted a photo on RFN 2011.

We decided to change at Baker Street and go to Waterloo.
It's where my grandparents used to live, and they were having a Festival of Britain anniversary on the South Bank. Mum remembers the original (1951) but admits she was too young, and bored by a lot of it!

Here is a view from outside the Royal Festival Hall, looking down on the bunting and the various information booths. There were street performers, a fairground, an artificial beach, lots of food stalls and other things to spend on of course. But I liked these little Londoners taking advantage of a fountain for free play.

[Sundae]

So we walked our usual walk. over the Hungerford foot bridge and down to Embankment Tube Station.
This time we walked up Villiers Street, and as always I was on the lookout for free samples
I saw a shop called Chewy Junior and was simply intrigued by the name, so drifted over, only to find - yes! - they were giving away samples!
I was intrigued - they have a soft but chewy outside and cream inside. The sample I had (about a 16th of a full bun) was vanilla inside and chocolate on top. I could not for the life of me work out what it was like, except that it was lovely and I would gladly have eaten 4 or 5. Especially as I saw they did a cheese version!

Mum & I (who shared my sample) discussed where we thought they orginated. The staff were Indian/ Asian, but that means nothing in London. The buns were very like European cakes, but not quite like anything we had had, and we're reasonably well travelled between us.

Got home to find it's an original creation, by Kevin Ong, and the majority of outlets are in the Far East! In fact London is the only European outlet. Well, that told me!
No pics, but do visit the website.

From here up to Covent Garden, via Leicester Square. As usual, Leicester Square is being dug up. For the Olympics this time. We think it's something to do with the drains..? Leciester Square (the grassy centre square with seats) seems to spend 75% of its time enclosed/ out of bounds/ under renovation.

So we walked up Long Acre rather than linger.

[Sundae]

Covent Garden is the best place for street entertainment in London.
It can be a very cheap way to pass a couple of hours - cheap, not free. If you watch a show you really should put something in the hat as it passes.

We bought some water from M&S and had a wander.
I tried to get a picture of what the artists see when they are performing.
The first is a shot of people waiting for a show to begin - the crowd triples in size if it's good. And this chap was - he stretched a rope between two of the columns behind him and had a tightrope act, juggling knives.

Below is an opera singer - The Royal Opera House is part of Covent Garden, so it's all very relevant. She was singing popular arias and seemed to be going down well.

[Sundae]

Because it was a Monday it wasn't a market day.
The stalls were instead taken up with people selling "antiques" and bric-a-brac.
Nowhere near as wonderful as on a market day, but still some interesting things to look at.

Covent Garden outside and in.

[Sundae]

Another shot of the lower level - on the other side from the singer above.
And detail.

[Sundae]

The paella smelled gorgeous btw.

At this point we were joined by my brother, and started a hunt for a Pizza Hut that did the £5 per head Happy Hour deal.
we tried Covent Garden (were told yes on the door, then no after waiting 10 minutes for service - grrrr). No on The Strand. And then no at Leicester Squre, despite being told yes previously. I stood my ground, the greeter checked with another member of staff and yes, we were good to go.

We all left some pizza, but it worked out cheaper than sharing. Especially as we all have very different opinions on what a pizza should be. I suggested taking the leftovers home for Dad, but Mum said he probably wouldn't eat them anyway. And I'd have been stuck smelling pizza all the way through the play.

Mum & Steven's meals, partially devoured.