Views along the Thames 13th June 2013

My brother beachcombing at low tide.  I used to work in the modern office block on the other side of the Thames - seems a long time ago :-)

 

Three Blackfriars Bridges - I'm standing under the modern road bridge (from which Roberto Calvi's body was found hanging in 1982), with the 1886 railway bridge in blue.  The bright pink columns in between used to support the earlier railway bridge built in 1864.

 

Underneath the Millennium Bridge (solarised)

 

A ballet of wheelbarrows at the South Bank!

Graffiti artist from Sydney!

Commonwealth flags in Parliament Square

The View from The Shard 13th June 2013

My brother John and I were thrilled to visit The View from The Shard.  We took hundreds of photos as the weather kept changing and we wanted sunny photos as well as rainy photos.  The outside viewing platform is amazing as you are in "the elements" and it was very windy this afternoon - you could feel the building move slightly :-()

State Opening of Parliament 8th May 2013

Pomp as only the British can do it!

There were lots of horses to keep the crowds amused

 

 

And a band waiting to play God Save the Queen

 

 

Plenty of security, these policemen were outside Downing Street

 

 

And it would have been unwise to try to drive down Whitehall

 

 

The commander in chief of the forces in London was inspecting his troops on a fine white stallion

 

 

Attention!!

 

 

And here she is - I'm sorry she didn't wave at me...

 

 

St Paul's Cathedral 30th April 2013

This morning, in the bright sunshine, I had some fun with my infrared camera and Snapseed on my iPad:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liverpool 17th April 2013

Liverpool waterfront with the Liver Building in the background and the Leeds Liverpool Canal running parallel to the Mersey.  Amazingly we didn't get wet!

"So ferry 'cross the Mersey
'Cause this land's the place I love"

Choppy crossing today

Albert Dock

Glass roof of St John's Shopping Centre

Billy Fury's birth date 1940

No trouble in Liverpool on the day of Maggie's funeral

Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool 17th April 2013

I remember this cathedral being built.  My school choir used to sing here and I always loved the quality of the light from the stained glass windows.

Winchester Cathedral 4th April 2013

It was trying to snow in Winchester today.  The flag on the cathedral was flapping hard in a stiff freezing breeze:

The ceiling in the nave is 14th century

At the same time, the arches were all remodelled from round Norman arches to pointed Gothic arches:

The choir has a stone carved screen.  The figures on it were destroyed during the Civil War and replaced in Victorian times:

The choir stalls themselves have wonderful wood carvings:

I can never resist self-portraits in shiny sculptures, here with the cathedral behind me: