Love’s Labours Lost

A few weeks ago before The Globe season ended for this year I returned to see Love’s Labours Lost.  Also a comedy (though I wouldn’t mind seeing a tragedy/drama) it was another excellent afternoon’s outing. A revival of a 2007 production, it is now touring in America.  I cannot recommend highly enough getting to see Globe productions, wherever you may be.  They are very, very funny and treat the play with a lightness and sense of fun.  You can tell the actors are having a good time performing which is nice. Although these pictures don’t add much to the last Globe lot, here’s a slightly different set and viewpoint (because I had a different seat).

Note the leafy, forest banners

Groundlings in the knot garden - no sitting allowed

view to the left

view to the right

I visited The Globe twice this year and both were fantastic experiences that I hope to repeat next year when the season starts up again.

Sunsets on the Southside

Although my current accommodation doesn’t have great views (though there is a nice plant outside the window) my room in the last sharehouse did.  I was able to take some great pictures from up there as well as getting a few when visiting other parts of the city.  Here’s a a few.

the brighter coloured trails are from planes landing at Heathrow in the west

view of houses and the Gherkin on the left (a bit further left, not in picture would have been the London Eye)

sunset over Columbia Wharf and the Hilton Dock seen from Canary Wharf pier

sunset from Greenwich looking towards Deptford/Rotherhithe

Canterbury Tales

Not the most original post title ever but that’s what I’m working with.  I took a day trip to Canterbury for an appointment a while ago and although I’m not moving there, it was a nice day out. The town is lovely and it was interesting to see how it had changed since I visited it briefly nine years ago. I originally went to Canterbury while on a two week (I think) car trip around some of the more southerly parts of Britain with my Grandfather and Canterbury was one of our early stops on the drive from East Anglia.  This time I had a more work oriented reason for my journey but still had a look around.  The weather was really good - here’s what Canterbury looks like.

Royal Museum and Free Library (as per the sign) found on one of the main streets

Main gate of Canterbury Cathedral

This is the main entry point for the Cathedral. I didn’t get the time to visit on my latest trip but have been before and can highly recommend it (especially if you like Cathedrals). The building is stunning and the shrine dedicated to the murdered Thomas Becket is worth a look.  I would like to go again but that will have to wait for another visit.

There was a crooked house...

...and a crooked terrace of houses

The old city walls, now part of a carpark

The Canterbury Tales

And this beauty is the outside of a tourist attraction everyone should visit. It’s The Canterbury Tales - an animatronic rendering of the classic tale for everyone’s enjoyment. Sadly, like the Cathedral, I didn’t get to go in on this visit but I have been before. In fact, on my last visit to the UK I patronised a number of similar exhibits, a sort of oddly smelling, jerkily puppet-like tour of British history. I also visited the Robin Hood Tales in Nottingham because I am all class.  I do recommend it, they put a lot of work into it and they’re always amusing.

punting on the river

And last but not least, I finished the day off with a visit to Tiny Tim’s Tearoom for a delicious cream tea (also highly recommended) before catching the train back to London.

delicious afternoon tea

Thought of the day…

…brought to you by Borough market.

Actual pictures of Camden

Despite spending about a month in Camden I haven’t really posted many pictures of the area and although I’ve got some that I’ll put up now, I think I need to go back and take some more another time. Some of these pics are of the markets and others are from the Camden section of the Regents Canal towpath.

EDIT: Hurray!!!!! It no longer takes me ten minutes to upload one photo – so here’s a post I started trying to load days ago.

Camden Market

Camden Lock Markets

Camden Lock - hence the market name

 And here are a few photos of the Camden/Regents Park section of the Regents Canal. Sadly these photos cannot accurately convey the glorious smells present underneath some of the bridges close to the Camden Markets.

Smile

Work that pointy tail

twin skulls

And to see what some of the canal towpath looks like…

How's the serenity?

I can’t believe it’s mid October already!

I’ve been trying to finish a Camden post with pictures the last few days but the internet just does not want to load the pictures.  I’ll keep trying but in the meantime I thought I’d check in and give a little update.  So, I really can’t believe it’s mid October already! It’s just occurred to me that datewise I’m two days away from my two month anniversary in London. 

I’m still looking for work but hopeful that the right thing will come along eventually. I am hoping it’ll come along sooner rather than later.  Not because I’m particularly concerned about my unemployed status but because I’d like to be doing something again and it’ll help me figure out how much time I have to go somewhere interesting at Christmas/New years.

I’m also still moving. This weekend I’m moving house again but I’m staying in the same postcode. The new place will make home number four since I arrived in London. And I don’t see it as a long term option because I may have to move when I eventually start working again. 

All that said, I’ve been enjoying being back in London and I don’t want to come back to Australia anytime soon. I don’t think my chances of getting another job are any better there and I don’t want to give up on my adventure either.

They’ve made up their minds in Charing Cross

found in Charing Cross station

Weekend travel in the Capital

Welcome to weekend travel in a city of roughly 7 million people (and don’t forget the tourists).  Some of whom may actually want to travel by tube without having to change lines three times or catch multiple replacement buses.

The forecast for this weekend:

• Bakerloo – Good Service
• Central – Part closure
• Circle - Good Service
• District – Part closure
• Hammersmith and City – Part closure
• Jubilee – Part closure
• Metropolitan – Part closure
• Northern – Good Service
• Piccadilly – Good Service
• Victoria – Planned closure
• Waterloo and City – Planned closure

Note this doesn’t take into account station closures for refurbishment or anything else that might go wrong in the mean time (I  mean, there’s a whole other day till these planned closures start).  It’s a good thing I’m going to spend most of Saturday walking through London – here’s hoping the Bakerloo will still be going to get me back to the south side of the river, because after that it’s rail replacement buses all the way.

More East End images

I headed back to the East End for the Spitalfields Show and Green Fair a couple of weekends ago. It was a lovely little village fete and I had a quick wander around. Picturewise however, I found a few more bits of street art to photograph.

very stylish

I see you

cute mice (I think they're from an animated movie)

two for one

Spitalfields Show

Thames Festival – London in the evening

After my visit to Greenwich I returned to Westminster pier and encountered the Thames Festival in full swing.  The waterfront from Westminster to the OXO Tower (that was as far as I walked) was packed with people and stalls selling all manner of things. Although crowds aren’t really my thing, it seemed silly not to go have a look at all the stuff that was going on.

Crowds on the green

Parliament in the evening

Southbank and the Eye

Embankment