A Walk In The Park

Today we wandered around London. We started off by catching the tube to the Bomber Command Memorial in Hyde Park. I took a couple of shots of Rotten Row and a Christmas Market that was being held and then we went to the memorial. The statues of the airmen are amazingly detailed and there were written tributes from relatives and descendants of aircrew. Poignantly, there as a little posy of flowers at the feet of the stautes, looking tiny against the huge boots.

We went into St James' Park. The leaves were being blown about by a fairly strong, gusty wind and I tried - with more or less success to capture this. My blip for today was taken at this point when I saw this chap walking down the avenue of trees.

The Household Cavalry went past on the far side of the park and as we walked along the lake it was frustrating to see birds that normally disappear down the river as soon as they see me when I'm on a walk at home, were sitting almost begging to have their photo taken about ten feet away!

We went back on to the tube and the Docklands Light Railway and out towards the cable car system which goes across the Thames at Docklands. Unfortunately, that was closed due to the high winds, so back on the train for a few stops and then under the Thames through the pedestrian tunnel dug by the Victorians.

In Greenwich, we went into the Maritime Museum and had a cup of tea and a sandwich, and then looked at the Arctic Convoys Exhibition. By the time we'd finished that, it was time for us to be heading back to our stations to catch our trains home.

I arrived at Paddington at about four o'clock for the six o'clock train, which left about eight minutes late. It was very good to sit down after all the walking. Unfortunately, the train then got later and later - due to slippery tracks, was the reason given on the tannoy, which I'm sure meant leaves on the track! Anyway it got in about an hour late, which meant I'd missed my connecting train, so had to get a taxi. After waiting in the queue at the taxi rank, two drivers refused to take me home as it was too far, so on the advice of a very kind man, I walked to the private taxi firm round the corner and got one after about five minutes, getting in at about 11 o'clock.

Sorry this has been a bit long winded, but we did fit a lot into the day.