Yesterday turned into a beautiful day -- cool and clear and sunny. Dave and I met our friends Susi and Greg, who I know through the Royal Photographic Society, for brunch near Canada Water. I've wanted to photograph this cafe with its colorful furniture for a while, and having brunch there gave me the perfect excuse!
After brunch we went walking through Rotherhithe and along the river. There were kayakers out on the water.
Susi took us to see the remains of a Banksy work near Bermondsey. There's not much left of it these days, but it once depicted a boy hooking a syringe on his fishing line.
We also stopped off to see Antony Donaldson's fountain in Shad Thames. (Donaldson, you may remember, is also responsible for Hitchcock's head.) I took more detailed pictures here about five years ago -- the fountain is now fenced off and there are plans to move it to make way for controversial new construction.
On our way back to the tube we passed Jacob the dray horse in Queen Elizabeth Street. Jacob is a representation of the horses that used to haul beer to London from breweries in Shad Thames.
Dave and I got home about 2 p.m., and our friend Carolyn was due to come over with her small daughters Zoe and Ella at 3 p.m. We did a quick cleanup before their arrival, and then they stayed for a few hours, throwing Olga's Kong toy and plastering us with stickers.
So overall, Sunday wound up being the perfect antidote to dreary Saturday, with lots of sunshine and social time!
Very impressive those kayakers on the Thames, I mean, isn't it dangerous with the tides there? Two appointments on one day would be too much for me. Yes, Olga IS great :-)
ReplyDeleteA lovely day, and Olga's sticker is apropos!
ReplyDeleteLovely photo of the sky garden
ReplyDeleteTrelawnyd looks mighty boring
Of all of these beautiful pictures, I think the sticker on Olga is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteOwen was just asking us yesterday what a "social" life was. We tried to explain. It's harder than you think! But yes, you definitely enjoyed some socializing yesterday!
I love those purple buildings with the staggered balconies.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfect day of social discourse. Love the staggered purple building behind the dray horse. Very dramatic.
ReplyDeleteOH NO!! They are going to move my favorite fountain??? I'm devastated. I was planning on visiting it when I was there. I hope it gets moved to some where else where I can visit it.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your photos of the area! I also noticed a LOT of cranes on the skyline. The city keeps changing all the time. I walked by the horse and those apartments many times when I stayed in that area.
Yesterday was the final day of the Tour of Britain (bike race) and Sir Wiggin's farewell tour of the island. We were astonished that they could shut down that much of London, and how good the weather was. The skies were so blue! It was a an excellent day.
ReplyDeleteThe sticker on Olga made me chuckle out loud - which is high praise :) Love the horse statue, and that fountain is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYour sunday was very busy with a good variety of stuff.
ReplyDeleteKaki V: Not only the tides, but the water isn't the cleanest. I was impressed they were out there!
ReplyDeleteE: It is, isn't it? She IS great. :)
John: You make it sound pretty interesting!
Ms Moon: Yeah, as a concept, I could see how that would be hard to explain!
Ellen: They are cool, aren't they? A perfect backdrop for Jacob.
37P: It's a dramatic spot. There are identical buildings on the other side of the statue, too -- so it's basically surrounded by those blue-tiled structures.
Sharon: Don't panic! It's supposed to move to the adjacent square, which I think is called Brewery Square? It will be nearby if all goes as planned. But there is opposition to the plan to renovate the fountain's current location, which will lead to denser development and potentially more noise and activity.
Allison: I had no idea that race was going on! We were completely clueless. But yes, they couldn't have ordered better weather.
Jenny-O: We laughed, too. She didn't seem to feel it, but when they put a second one on her head she brushed them right off. One was fine but two was too many.
Red: It was!