...fruit punch, mince pie, full Christmas dinner, cheesecake and fruit...(oh and a cracker) - still wearing my hat, it's not coming off for the meetings this afternoon... ;)
Oh and that view in the background I have got so used to that I didn't even bother to frame? All the way down the Thames to Canary Wharf... ;)
It's got me to thinking about December 25th and what time I need to be out of bed!
I spotted this the other day, right down at the bottom just beyond the glass back wall of the lift, really, unless you were looking extremely hard (as I guess I do), there is no way you would ever notice it (addressing no-one in particular) tucked away in the corner with no obvious way to reach it -
- here is a view of the space it points towards (from the lift when at the top) - you can see to get to it would require you to basically tip-toe along the wall at the side of the Thames -
- and a shot from the bottom (it's pointing at two square yards of paving slabs - and a few leaves - positioned behind the metal structure of the lift machinery)...so what is so important? It's basically saying - if - by a grand demonstration of river-side acrobatics - you have managed to actually get to the sign to read it - that you shouldn't have - these 10 paving slabs are not a public right of way...as if you needed telling...completely pointless!
...and yes, it is quite a big gap, you can see right through the pavement to the river Thames below...don't recall ever stopping to take a look at it before... ;)
It's right between the two black lines below the back of the yellow van (looking from the side)...
Only a little bit of time to look, but peering one way (West-ish)...
...peering the other way (East-ish)...
...lots of buses zooming past...
...lots of bikes...
...lots of coaches full of tourists...
...and a skull and crossbones!!
Into London Bridge...(and straight out again through the nice new barriers)...
...walk (smugly) past the huge queue for the bus stop I used to wait at for the number 17, cross the road and wander through Borough Market (trying to resist the Salt Beef breakfasts)...
...along the Thames and then up the steps onto Southwark Bridge...! Apart from the same old initial train journey the whole thing takes about 5 minutes (if I don't get distracted)... ;)
Wow, it's all happening today, first free cake then the Goodyear Blimp zooms past us up the Thames (going *very* fast actually)...click it to zoom in... :)
So I get up nice and early, hear the favorable weather report, grab my camera and rush into the office, gasp at the great conditions when I hurry from the lift, fiddle with my settings and boot the camera up -*AaaaaND*- dead batteries, 2 seconds of life, it *almost* manages to auto focus, then it just shuts off, so we'll have to make do with what the crappy camera on my phone can do, I even stitched them (very crudely) together...originals are below (you can click to zoom if you feel so inclined, very big version here, although you may need to log into Yahoo/Flickr to view it)- ...and now I promise to stop going on about it... ;)
Had a really great time on Saturday, my folks arrived early to pick up Thomas (baby-sitting duty) enabling Flyingpops and I to head off into London, not as commuters this time, but as tourists (which makes a very nice change in my case)...once we had done the journey up (went to Charing Cross), we started off with a leisurely GBK in Covent Garden - - I had the Blue Cheese, Flyingpops had the Veggie and Camembert (which refused to stay in one piece, so highly was it stacked with vegetarian goodness) then we had a little stroll around the area, checking out Trafalgar Square - - where they had a ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth - - and I got *very* lucky with the light for this shot - - which ended up looking almost HDR (but wasn't, obviously) - - and felt sorry for the poor (unable to pose) tourists visiting - as all the lions were surrounded by giant tarpaulin covered fences (I snuck the lens behind one) to get a cheeky picture...we then strolled down to Embankment (passing hoards of unused Boris bikes) - - to our destination, the Embankment Thames Clipper pier - - which, if anything, seemed to be busier on the weekend than during the week...The right hand end of the pier was turned over to the check in/dressing area of the RIB experience - - so we went ahead and checked in (being told - contrary to the clear instructions on the email confirmation - that we should have bought our original vouchers with us, but they managed to smooth it over with "head office") and then discovered that the entire river had been closed by the Thames Harbour Master because today was the day of the Great River Race! They admitted that had they realised they would have asked everyone to re-book on a different day, at this announcement a large group of men (a well behaved stag party) all paraded off to the pub, after leaving a mobile number, and we hung around on the pier watching the odd procession of rowing boats parade past (to cheers and encouragement from all the spectators watching from the foot-bridge above - - well, I say we, as soon as Flyingpops realised the pier was slightly rising and falling (she was on it for about ten minutes before noticing) she suddenly felt horribly sick and ran back to terra firma (not a good indication of things to come)...! Anyway, when the last of the stragglers hauled themselves under the Hungerford Bridge (about half an hour later) - - the two RIBs were able to return to the pier (having been stuck up by the O2 Arena, complete with passengers, for the entire race duration), a quick phone call to the Stag do to summon them back later, we were handed *very* waterproof coats and lifejackets ("Don't pull the red toggle or we will charge you twenty five pounds to re-charge the cylinder") - - (modeled here by Flyingpops) and then we were loaded onto the boat(!) - - and then (much to Flyingpops relief) we were off(!) - - starting with a quick burn down, past the Houses of Parliament and the O2 - - learning that the two bridges either side are painted the colours they are to match the themes of Parliament and the House of Lords (same thing with the gazebos where the members and peers nip out for a smoke) - - spotted St Thomas' (where baby Thomas got his name) -
- and then zoomed off for the first of several high speed runs (to the theme music to James Bond) I managed a few shaky shots as the London landmarks vanished past us at incredible speed - - (past the office) - - past the O2 - - and up to the Thames Barrier where we stopped and turned around -
- and absolutely blasted back the way we came -
- the driver demonstrating that RIBs can still operate at a 45 degree angle by pitching us towards immovable objects (including the bank) at about 70 miles per hour and saving us from dismemberment and subsequent drowning only at the last possible moment - - my goodness, this thing really had some power, and sat as we were, mere inches from the water it was staggeringly exhilerating...oh, and I can confirm (thanks to our drivers habit of deliberately crossing the wake of other vehicles, pitching us into the air and splashing us with lots of water, that the Thames is indeed a tidal river - the taste is distinctly salty...yum... >;P
