Camden Markets and Greenwich

Hello! More updates...

Sat 9 Dec 06 - We went to the famous Camden Markets with Catherine. Garry was experimenting with his sepia shots. Had yummy Venezuelan corn bread for lunch and Ben's cookies for dessert. Then Cath and I decided to do some retail therapy at High St Kensington (dragging poor Garry along too!)





Sun 10 Dec 06 - At Greenwich with our housemates, Adrian & Soo. This is a pic of the University of Greenwich. Garry's cousin, Angie, studied here!

Background - Uni of Greenwich - where they have xmas ice skating at the moment!


Picture speaks for itself - Royal Observatory at Greenwich. This is where you find the Greenwich Mean Time / Prime Meridian, and where you can be in two time zones at once!

Garry and I are standing in two different time zones, two different hemispheres (24 hrs apart!).

Now I am standing in two different time zones!

See the green laser light - that is on 0 degree longitude or the prime meridian or GMT!

Till next time, bye, love May!

May's first blog post...

Hello!

This is May's first official BLOG post!... read on for more from May!...

The photo below is of our apartment - it was taken from the park in front of us. Our apartment is on the 6th floor - on the right hand side you can see the balconies (one of those is us!) - number 18/8... good huh?


This is the Arsenal Football Stadium (Emirates Stadium)... it is brand new and HUGE. It's about 2km from our apartment.


The night of my first working Friday and my first experience being on the tube by myself. I had to get from my office to Leceister Square on my own and was lost underground for a whole hour. Maxine and Garry managed to get free tickets to a play (a strange play called "2 Graves" with only one actor) whilst waiting for me. After the play, we went to dinner at a Persian restaurant (pic below) where they had a belly dancer. Food was great too!


Borough Markets at London Bridge - the food here was great, lots of traditional British food (burgers, snags, wild boar, ostrich sausages, warm apple cider, choc brownies piled up high!).


Had dim-sum with Jasmin at Phoenix Palace. After lunch, Jas took us to Piccadilly to do some shopping at the famous Fortnum & Mason (Queen Elizabeth II's Grocers & Provisions Merchants!).

More sightseeing... May's first week in London!

Hello again!

Here are some photos we took during a stroll before dinner!

Tower Bridge - now with May in the photo - a night view!



The Tower of London...


This is the famous Harrods! VERY expensive inside... we could only afford the chocolates... barely....


And downstairs in Harrods is a tribute to Princess Diana and Dodi Al Faed... this is the cutlery they were using on the night of their tragic accident... and if you look closely - a ring that Dodi was supposedly going to give to Diana on the night...

May's here!!!

Hi everyone!

May's FINALLY here! .... and we didn't waste any time - we were out and about taking in the sights! Here are some photos we took.

This is outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament - we were on our way to Tate Britain (which is different to Tate Modern!)... it has lots of the artwork of the most famous British painters - but we didn't know any of them! :-)


This is Trafalgar Square -and a view of the National Gallery - this has many artworks from the most famous artists - Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael etc... it is very impressive - we only had time to view the artwork from the Italian Renaissance period! We'll be back for sure!


This was taken after we 'finished' at the National Gallery - already dark! - background is faint view of Nelson's column - who led the British fleet at the Battle of... you guessed it... Trafalgar!


On the way home, we chanced upon the opening of the open air ice-skating rink at Summerset House (the home of Queen Victoria)... we have tickets to skate there in early January when some of our friends are over from Perth!! We also got free food and free drinks - not sure whether we were supposed to get it,... but we were in there and people offered!!



More pictures to come in the next post...

May's nearly here!

Hi Everyone!

My last post until May gets here! I can't wait.

Anyway, here are some places I have visited in the last couple of weeks - on my numerous walks around London - the Tower Bridge is just around the corner from where we are staying at the moment.

The Tower Bridge is as picturesque during the night as it is in the day!

This is the Tower of London - May and I have been in there before - they have the crown jewels, displays of armour and other interesting things in there!!

This is the Tate Modern - it has collections of modern art - including Pablo Picasso's famous painting - the Weeping Woman (painted in 1937).

It also has the tallest indoor slide - at 50ft - and it's for sale!! It is one of the pieces of 'art'.

Joining the Tate Modern and St Paul's Cathedral is the Millenium Bridge - it is one of many bridges that spans that Thames River - however this is pedestrian only! The bridge was made famous when it first opened in that it 'wobbled' uncontrollably in high wind - needless to say it's been fixed and doesn't wobble anymore!!

This is St Paul's Cathedral as you approach it from the Millenium Bridge.

This is the front of the Cathedral - no pictures of inside - sorry! - Cameras not allowed - it is still used as a place of worship - even though there are hundreds of tourists walking around inside!

This is a Remembrance Day (11 Nov) wreath laying ceremony they had on close to Buckingham Palace - I was fortunute to be at the right place at the right time!!

And Buckingham Palace!!! I walked all the way here from the apartment - a good 8km walk - May would have been proud of me!!

And the front gates of Buckingham Palace!

Statue of Queen Victoria in the background (no idea who this is in the front! :) hahaha )

And the last shot before I left for home - this is at 4:30pm... dark huh???

Well, that's all for now.... the next I post, May will be here and the site will undoubtedly be full of her photos!!!!

Hope all is well back at home!!

Garry & May.

Meanwhile.... at home....

Finally,... some movement on the 'block'!! hahaha.... the massive pine tree on our block is gone! Along with other minor trees that were there. Thanks to Kendrick for taking the 'after' shots below.

BEFORE (including pictures of May - taken just before I left)





















AFTER (Thanks Kendrick!!)














And on his way to the 'block' - Kendrick still found time to take an 'arty' shot - this was taken at the new Hollywood development - the former Hollywood Senior Highschool site!...

More interviews, More sights!

Putting my new phone to good use - and not having to carry around a camera at the same time!
This is the sight as you exit Westminster tube station - I was on my way to see one of the recruiters. Big Ben!!!!


Big Ben is also part of the Houses of Parliament!


And around the corner from the Houses of Parliament is the Prime Minister's residence at Downing Street! High security - so you can never reach number 10 (unless you're a VIP of course!)...



After my interviews, I just walked around - and walked towards May's new workplace at Appold St - Watson Farley Williams. This is Appold Street.


This is the building where Watson Farley is.