Spring

 

Woke up to a covering of snow this morning. 

Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and Athletic stadium were created in the 1960s and it is still used to host a number of events today.  The sports centre  is situated in  Crystal Palace park in South London. The park was created for the relocation of Crystal Palace which had held the Great Exhibition in  Hyde Park in 1851. The large glass and iron structure was opened by Queen Victoria in 1854. Sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1936

A train station was opened close by in 1854 to transport people to and from the Palace.

Today trains from the station take you into Central London.

 

Chicago

 I am visiting Chicago in June and  am hoping to take the train to visit towns/cities within a few hours of Chicago. I have never been to this part of the USA before and am looking for some in house knowledge. I will spend about a week looking around Chicago which leaves me a few days to travel around. Where would you suggest? 

Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St Louis, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Springfield?

Would be grateful for any ideas you might have.

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral is situated close to the Thames near London Bridge. It is believed that there has been a church here for over 1000 years. Prior to that there was a Roman villa.  In 1977 a well was discovered beneath the choir, it contained a pagan statue believed to have been put there in the fourth century.

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee by Leifur Breidfjord.

Outside in the graveyard was a temporary stained glass installation for Christian Aid. Named the Beacon of Hope, it was difficult to photograph, due to the position of the sun, so I took these photos of some postcards of the installation.

New Year's Day Parade

  It was a mild day so I decided to go and watch the New Year's Day Parade in central London. It has been a few years since I was last at this annual event. Covid, of course, has meant the cancellation of the event in recent years. The parade had already started when I arrived but I was still not prepared for the number of people lining the streets. It was impossible to see anything along the route.

Having been to the event before I know the side streets where participants have to wait before they join the main parade. This is where all the rest of these photos were taken.

Most of these marching bands are from the USA. As well as travelling over here for the parade they take part in other concerts etc.

I lost count of the number of different bands waiting to move from their position around Berkeley Square.

I would like to have seen much more of the parade, but there were far too many people watching to allow me to get anywhere near. In future I need to be there much, much earlier.

Christmas Street decorations

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends.

 Photos are of a local street where all the houses are decorated for Christmas and visitors donate to local childrens' charities.

 

Cezanne

Last month I went to see the Cezanne exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. I like his work and this exhibition rates as one of the best I've seen. I photographed many of the exhibits and I am just going to post them here, hopefully with the correct information! If you like his work then this post is for you.