Look Back at London

I promised a while ago to show a few more pictures from our trip to London at the beginning of summer- boy that seems a long time ago.
The light wasn't great for some of the graffiti shots, (though I also think I don't have such a steady hand these days) so I apologise for the blurriness!

It feels decidedly Autumnal at the moment and I'm trying to readjust to the new term and everyone being back at school, college and work. I'm also trying to get fitter and move forward towards what I want to be doing with my life. I'm walking more with the dog again- he's not a fan of hot weather- and learning to swim better. It's a slow process though because having chronic pain means I really have to pace myself and when I do too much I am flattened by a flare-up, which is frustrating as there is always so much that needs doing.
Anyway, I'm not going to be negative. I have lots of projects in the pipeline so I'll share some progress soon.
Have a good weekend xx

Highs and Lows of Summer

There is a break in the heatwave for now and we seem to be galloping through the summer holidays.
Recently I have had a lot of bother with technical equipment and the computer is giving me endless frustration. Some time ago my portable hard-drive broke and I lost most of my photos. I managed to retrieve some from various places, but I had to come to terms with losing the majority.
We bought  a new hard-drive and I've been merrily saving my photos there, thinking about backing them up on Mr Dotty's much larger storage and waiting for him to have time off work so we could tick that job off our "to-do" list. He took his holiday, we all went to London for a few days, came home, plugged in my hard -drive to download my pictures of the Big Smoke and the damned thing decided it had corrupted!!! One IT expert later and I'm having to come to terms with the fact that my photos are again irretrievable :(

Anyway, this morning I have managed to sort out my London pictures which are among the very few I still have (I'm quite tempted to go back to film and having them printed onto paper- old fashioned, but reliable!).

We had an amazing, colourful time and it was so hot! We must have drunk gallons of water. The boys loved hanging out at the skate park at South bank. I have to admit I could have sat all day watching the guys perform tricks- they are so determined! (Plus it was shady!)

I got plenty of graffiti shots for future inspiration. Sorry for the blurriness- it was very dark down the Leake Street tunnel.

We had some retail therapy at Spitalfields Market, which I loved. I bought a satchel and a crocheted collar. I even found some gold DM shoes in the in the Doc Marten shop. (I didn't buy them, but I wish I'd taken a photo).

Our youngest child was getting a bit tired of the heat and all the people, but we didn't want to miss Brick Lane market, so we refreshed ourselves with iced drinks and fresh fruit.

Just the thing for the sizzling temperatures!

Brick Lane is fabulous- I loved it!! It is really vibrant... 

 full of interesting, cool people

                      and shops and stalls filled with curiosities

We came across a fashion photo

shoot, which I think sums up the brightness and fun of the whole area.

 More to follow.....

Have a great week.xx

The Grass is Always Greener.....

London Southbank.

Very compact village green at Uppermill, Saddleworth.

Sightseeing

Some highlights from my London trip.

Oh how I love Big Ben!

A street performer dressed as a chameleon. Well, I say "performer", though all he really did was pedal!

The Savoy Hotel. Not the best photo, but I was so excited to turn the corner and come face to face with this hotel, I just had to share it.

Tower bridge, complete with a red London bus.

English breakfast tea and a Danish pastry outside a French cafe.

Beauty In Unexpected Places

Southbank Centre London

Juxtaposition of vivid colour and grey concrete. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

There is never a trip with Mr Dotty without a walk on the seedier side of town in search of urban grunge, street art and graffiti. You can probably imagine the smell in the underpass on Leake Street and the green puddle looked decidedly suspect, but the sunlight was shining at the end of the tunnel and the colours on the wall were dazzling.

I'm planning to print some of the graffiti onto fabric to make some art postcards.

London At Last

It has taken me 43 years to get there (well, in the end it took less than two and a half hours by train).
I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I holiday in Skye -big skies, no traffic, lots of sheep and few people. I hate large crowds and not being able to stride in one direction without bumping into someone. I hate paying £3.50 for a cup of tea. I hate queueing!

In spite of all that- I loved London! Vibrant, exciting, bustling, colourful and so beautiful!

Even the train journey down amongst hoardes of Manchester City and United fans on their way to Wembley was worth it to see Big Ben with my own eyes.