Can't complain abot the weather

Another lovely Saturday that we made the most of. With our trusty book of self-guided walking tours in hand and a packed lunch, and replacement thermos for our lunchtime coffee we trotted down to Crystal Palace Station.  With our usual knack for timing the train pulled in as we got onto the platform.  So off we go.

Yes it was cool, even a bit cold in the shade, but hey us colonials are a hardy lot. Our first ‘find’ was in Bunhill Fields. The name apparently coming from Bone Hill. , An ancient cemetery holding the remains of Daniel Defoe, John Bunyan and William Blake. Never heard of them? So google them. Here cheeky squirrels approached us every time we stood still. The Man broke a chestnut open and we were rewarded with a close encounter.

Following our guide we found ourselves waking through Liverpool Street Station. Oh look there’s a maccas, tie for coffee and apple pie to take the chill off us.

Wedged into the corner opposite, hunched over and obviously asleep, was a young woman, hoodie up hiding her face. It wasn’t long before one of the table hands gave the game away and set the manager on her.  She just collected up her things with a good natured shrug and a smile at us and left.  

Fortified with caffeine and sugar our next find was St Botolph’s church, not the most beautiful from the outside. In the warm interior we watched the last of a wedding party having their pictures taken. The Man chatted tot eh caretaker while I wandered and enjoyed the beautiful interior. One of the Stained glass windows was commissioned to mark the restoration of the church after the IRA bomb damage. Almost all the windows in the area where blown out and another little church was totally destroyed. Very Sad. The man told me afterwards the he’d been discussing rugby with the caretaker who said he didn’t like the game, too much violence against each other, he preferred boxing! Go figure that one.

Anyway. Onward past some amazing glass panelled building. Their facades ripe for reflections and I think I got one or two good pictures. Past the London Monument, build to commemorate he great fire of London. Designed and built by Christopher Wren (yes the one that did St Pauls) in the late 1600’s. We’ve climbed its 222 steps for a breath-taking view of the city. We found a sheltered seating area for lunch with the bells of Westminster pealing out across the river. The last time we lunched here they were ringing out too. Very nice accompaniment to lunch I must say.

Across London bridge, not the original (that’s somewhere in America) but this is the oldest Thames crossing. We gave the crowd along the bank a miss and diverted from the tour along much quieter streets ending at waterloo underground

Now Sunday was a different story altogether, anyway it was a bit more overcast and windy that yesterday and we had a good excuse to stay in.  I’m not usually much of a fan of football (here when you call a game football they mean soccer) but who could resist a Rugby world Cup final. Certainly not me. Just had time for a shower and breakfast before the traditional God defend NZ and haka.

Talking about God Defend, just what does ’guard Pacific’s triple star mean’? Well according to good old Wikipedia…

There is some discussion, with no official explanation, of the meaning of "Pacific's triple star". Unofficial explanations range from New Zealand's three biggest islands (North, South, and Stewart Island/Rakiura),^[2] to the three stars on the shield of the New Zealand Anglican Church, and to the three stars on the flag of Te Kooti (a Māori political and religious leader of the 19th century).^[6] Another explanation is that Bracken was referring to Alpha Centauri, the brightest triple-star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus, but this seems dubious since that system's third star (Proxima Centauri) was not discovered until 1915. There is also a joke that the phrase "Pacific's Triple Star" refers to the three stars on the Speight's beer logo, and T-shirts can be purchased especially in the South Island with the line "Guard Pacific's Triple Star" above the three Speight's stars.

Whatever it means the song always makes me feel patriotic.

And those black shirted men did the same this morning. What a game that was, it even had me on the edge of my seat, groaning when kicks were missed and cringing when the French seemed to be getting it their way. At not stage did I think that the outcome was a foregone conclusion. It was a hard won hard fought for match but The Blacks found the strength and determination to keep on pushing back against a very strong opposition and held their ground.

Well done Blacks. Makes me more than ever proud to call New Zealand home.

I remember a song with the line 'History Repeats'

I'd rather read my book on the train on the way in than the newspaper. For one, I don't like the way the ink comes off all over my hands no matter how carefully I handle it. For another I don't think much of the contents. Today was no differrent, but I did read the article The Man pointed out to me about rioting in Athens and here in the UK at a place called Dale Farm where 'travellers' are being evicted from their illegal homes. The Dale farm saga has been going on for 10 years and must have cost the tax payers a firtune in legal costs to-ing and fro-ing.
We went to Athens just a few short weeks ago. One of the highlights was a walk up to the Acropilis and to see the Parthenon. Now here's the repeating thing, thanks for being patient with my ramblings you knew I would get to the point sooner or later didn't you...
All those years BC, yes that's right BC there were wars and the common people paid the price while the Lords in thier ( I was going to say ivory towers but that is a bit too cliche) safe houses directed the battle. Apart from the fact that they were invading someone elses land I don't knwo why they were fighting.
OK, camera roll forward a few thousand years to the age the book I am  reading is set in 1600 and something. So it is a work of fiction by one of my favourite writers, Philippa Gregory ( Virgin Earth) but based on hsitorical fact. Fact,  the King of the time ordered the common people to fight. And they paid the price, taxes were raised to fund the fighting while the King and his court remained  warm snug and well fed (mostly). Roll the reel of film forward to almost any period in history and you will find the rulers commanding the common people to fight for one cause or another, or one excuse or another. Some of them righteous many not.
Got the idea now about history repeating.
Turn the handle on the film machine to my fathers and grandfather's time. Like thousands of thier generation the fought in world wars at the command of powerful rulers.
Where am I going with this you might ask, and whats the connection with the aforementioned riots?

Well here's the thought ...
Rulers and powerful people sent the likes of us common people to war on account of something about the oppostion they don't like or often something that they wanted. Rioters are like those rulers, they want to take something or fight for something. That in itself is not a bad thing. Standing up and fighting for what you believe in is a human right. But when you have rights you also have to have responsibilites.
Resposnibilites towards other people and thier property. Rioting and looting are not synonymous with protest. A few short moths ago there werre riots and looting much closer to where we live. Homes and jobs were destroyed, peoples lives were damaged forever and for what?
The cause of the common people was shamed by an ugly minority who used unrest to stir up trouble for its  own sake rather than to support the cause. Football hooligans are a case in point.

I think what I am trying to say is that violent protest and rioting for its own sake in not on. There is a small minority that think it is and use every opportunity to stir up the common people for thier own ends.
In a simplsitic world wouldn't it  be great if the powerful people of the world could sort out thier differences over a game of chess and a coffe. Instead of using people as pawns in their war games.

Wouldn't you know it...

Well wouldn't you...?
There I am all set to write another thrilling entry and ...hello... where's my trusty notebook?
Still on the kitchen table where I left it. That shouldn't be a problem should it. Out with the trusty iphone and...hello...it doesn't want to connect to my usual Starbucks free wifi. Several frustrating attempts later, it still wants to log in via Nero, a competitors site. Oh well never mind. Starbucks coffee is hot and strong and I have something to read.

What I was going to tirade about today is women (mostly it’s them) on public transport who carry huge bags over their shoulders. Apart from the fact that it will cause them back problems later in life, these bag carries are so inconsiderate when they walk past.
Oh there goes one now and boof!! I get hit on the head or shoulder with that darn bag. Even walking in a crowded street, they are a hazard. Worse still on escalators.  So the question is do these people have no spatial awareness or are they just downright rude.

Tuesday

Our walk to the staion is now done in the dark, good thing the footpath sweeper machine is at work or it would be very slippery underfoot. The trees are shedding theit leaves thick and fast. Soo we will be able to see the towers of the Dartfird Bridge from our window.
we haven't really missed having a vehicle, getting about in and around London is much easier by public transport and now that we both have freedom passes, ( one of the many benefits of being over 60, just) it is free. And parking does not look like an easy matter.Not to mention the price of fuel and the exorbitant price of insurance. It would cost us almsot three times the amount to insure one car here than it did to cover both vehicles back in NZ. 
Here the insurance company can sell your details to the legal sharks who will contct you if you have an accident and ask you if you want to sue. No wonder the premiums are so high. One of the apprentices who works with The Man wanted to buy a car for about £1500, the isurance per year was twice what the car was worth. How he did it on his apprentices wages I don't know.

yet another London Day

The man and I have been living and working in the UK for more than eighteen months. I fully intended to keep a diary from day one, but I guess I must have a black belt in procrastination after all this time.

Better late than never I guess.

So what did we do last weekend? Saturday was a beautiful clear blue sky day with next to no breeze. Much too good to stay at home, so we didn’t. Where did we go? Read on.

We use National Express a lot on our many trips out of the city, often passing the home of the Chelsea Pensioners.  Well on Saturday it became our destination. A short train ride to London Victoria and an equally short walk took us to the very grand home of the red coated gentlemen. Across the frontage, in Latin is written

 “FOR THE SUCCOUR AND RELIEF OF VETERANS BROKEN BY AGE AND WAR, FOUNDED BY CHARLES II, ENLARGED BY JAMES II AND COMPLETED BY WILLIAM AND MARY IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1692   (thanks Google)

More information about this amazing facility can be found at www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Being our usual gregarious selves we stopped to talk to one of the residents, a fascinating chap who regales us with his history. A ten pound pom (ok if you don’t know what that is look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Pound_Poms) Anyway he had returned to the UK and was now a happy resident of what has to be one of the country’s grandest old peoples home. The grounds of this place are huge and in impeccable order, more park than garden. Complete with the obligatory cannon and statue, decked out in gold leaf of course.

The small but perfectly formed chapel was a delight and the dining room (now a café open to the public) was hung with old regimental flags and panelled in glossy wood. High windows and long tables completed the picture. No we didn’t stop for coffee, but we could have.

Next door is a War Museum, and not one to walk past such a thing we availed ourselves of the fantastic display. Not being a fan of any armed skirmish I was pleased to discover that it did not so much glorify the battles as the men and women in them.

I found the displays concentrating on WWWI particularly moving,

On a different tack I’m reading a Philipa Gregory book at called Virgin Earth. Call it serendipity if you like, but most of places we have been to in recent months have been centred on the time frame this book is set in. I have even seen portraits of the main characters in a museum

The Man led us to the river (Thames of course) and across the other side its statues gleaming gold in the sun stood,  what we later learned was, the Peace Pagoda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Pagoda). Gotta go see that, there must be great photo opportunities there.

Crossing the river (Thames again) via Albert Bridge we found ourselves in Battersea Park, and what a gem of a place. Fountains, aviaries (first Public Park we’ve come across with them) and the beautiful gleaming Pagoda. It was a lovely place to sit and eat our lunch, made by The Man’s fair hands, hands that accidentally knocked over and broke the thermos that held the hot water for our coffee. (Glad it wasn’t me). Never mind.

Through he trees we spotted the chimneys of the now abandoned Battersea power Station, meaning that the train station was close. A short walk past more, statuary commemorating war dead, and one focusing on Gallipoli and we found the station. With our usual impeccable timing we had a very short wait for the one back to Crystal Palace. Can’t wait to get those pics downloaded onto the electronic gadget.

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