Pageantry and Gardens

I mentioned a while back about the Open Garden Squares weekend I selected four gardens I wanted to visit today and off I went.

I arrived at Liverpool Street to see that the Circle Line was closed for maintenance this weekend (given what was going on today this was a bit daft). This made one of the gardens a bit of a trek but I set off to the first.

I was early so thought I'd show you the sights. No idea what this is about!






I thought I'd show you Buckingham Palace. Now there seemed rather a lot of police so I asked one what was going on, Trooping the Colour came the reply. Ah!




Clarence House, home of the late Queen Mother.



I wandered off to the first garden. Yeah right! Someone in Canada would give me an ear bashing!!




The Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice I believe.






The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.



Princess Anne is in there and I think Prince Charles.



Marlborough House, currently the home of the Commonweath Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation. It was built by Wren and was home to Queen Alexandria (wife of Edward VII - some of her dogs are buried here) and Queen Mary (wife of George V).









Lots of memorials about here.







Carlton Terrace was built as a residence for the Prince Regent by John Nash. When he was crowned George IV he lost interest and the house was demolished. Nash replaced it with Carlton House Terrace and Carlton Gardens, houses for 'persons of the highest social rank'.

Carlton Terrace House









Edward VII






Trafalgar Square - The National Gallery and St Martin's in the Field.





Nelson atop his column.


The chap on the horse is George IV.


St Martin's in the Field






London Coliseum home of the English National Opera.




The final garden of the day is the Phoenix Garden. The garden is set in the west end and the setting is most unlikely. It was created on the site of a car park.

The garden is maintained using sustainable techniques and an innovative approach to wildlife gardening. We use plants that grow reliably in dry conditions, that look good all year round and that will be of maximum benefit to wildlife. We create many different habitats to encourage as many species as we can.

I won't say this England's best gardens but oh I like it. It is a wonderful idea and an Oasis in the heart of the west end. Oh and the home of the west ends only frogs ( I saw the tadpoles! and ovipositing damsels.






















The garden is open 365 days a year and if I worked there I'd take my book there to read!

Centrepoint.




Dominion Tottenham Court Road home of the musical We Will Rock You.

Ker Plunk

This is rather amusing.

Mairee Vincent of Leeds Castle's Aviary team has designed a version of the game Ker Plunk for the castle Toco Toucan's.

The birds have to work out how to remove the chopsticks from the suspended tube in order for their favourite fruit to drop down and fall to the floor, they can then eat it.

A reminder of a bygone era

It is fair to say that in the year 2010 we no longer respect our institutions. The reverence that bygone generations showed to the Monarchy, Parliament and that old fashioned term "our betters" has long gone.

Today we believe that they are all on the take (happily forgetting that they pay the window cleaner etc cash to avoid VAT etc) and that the Queen is alright but get rid of the hangers on.

I was sitting in the car waiting for the office to open at 7 (I could have walked around to the back but.....) I was listening to radio 4 when the announcer said "today is the Duke of Edingburgh's birthday" (Prince Phillip the Queen's husband for those from overseas) and then the National Anthem started playing.

I sat there thinking you what? I suppose those older than I remember the National Anthem playing at the close of each evening's TV and Radio (cor the days before 24 hours media!!) but I was quite surprised I thought I ought to look round to see if Captain Mainwaring was saluting !

Timing is everything!

A few weeks ago I went to the National Trust property at Kingston Lacy. Kingston Lacy has one of the most amazing picture collections and I enjoyed it very much.

I am just a touch miffed to find that a painting by Jacopo Tintoretto has gone on public display for the first time.

The painting was given to the trust as part of the collection that came with Kingston Lacy in 1981. The painting has spent most of the last 30 years in storage but, following a major programme of cleaning and restoration, ‘Apollo (or Hymen) crowning a Poet and giving him a Spouse’ can be seen at last.

The cleaning has also thrown up some questions and the trust is after more information

Large Blue doing well.

In 1979 the Large Blue butterfly was declared extinct in the UK, it was reintroduced in Britain in 1984.

One of the sites it was reintroduced was Collard Hill near Glastonbury. The National Trust claims it

is the only easily accessible place – open throughout the year – where visitors can see this jewel of a butterfly.

The good news is that the Large Blue is having a good time recently it is estimated 800 butterflies emerged and flew on the site. This was an increase of 22 per cent on 2008 figures which had also been a record year.

A change of background.

I commented a few days a go that I should have used a larger aperture on the shots of dad.

This was one of mine



My friend Twitchy likes to read manuals - madness I know - and she had a play and came up with this.



much less busy don't you agree? cheers Di. Must try larger apperture next time.