Wednesday, February 27, 2008

St. Pancras and The Terracotta Warriors

My INR blood-test results arrived this morning and there is no dosage-change and no re-test for 3 weeks! That's only one sort though, I have others looming.

Today's pictures have nothing to do with yesterday's outing. They are from Y's nails day on Monday and my charity shop sortie.

Also I know that AnonymousRob's wide-angle lens will soon have to go home and I decided on a last fling even though the light wasn't good. He will be back from Italy soon.

Picture 2 is a tailor's dummy who stands just inside the door of the shop and I've always threatened a portrait. My guess is that dummy release forms are not needed.

Lets move immediately to our London outing. A splendid affair. The journey down went strictly to plan and, as Bungus recommended, a taxi from St. Pancras to the British Museum. (£5.25p - most reasonable we thought, and a courteous and helpful driver as a bonus).

Here is a Picassa Web Album of a selection of images. The link will take you to around 20 snaps you can zoom through. A better idea than dribbling them out a couple at a time in t'blog.

St. Pancras is breathtaking and so, so, worth the few quid it took to restore it. These things are of national importance and a marvellous showcase for visitors who arrive via Eurostar. A beautiful structure and shops and restaurants like an airport. One gripe - no waiting room ! Y asked about this and was told "they don't want you just sitting about, they want you spending money!" Sad 'innit? I can well guess what Betjeman would have though - and said.

The Terracotta Warriors Exhibition well lived up to our expectations. I'm glad I had pre-booked a wheelchair which I alternately sat in or wheeled round for support. My ankles and Y's hip stood up satisfactorily. Understandably there was 'no photography' within the exhibition area itself but they were quite happy elsewhere in The Museum. I managed a quick half-hour in the Art History section, with the 'Enlightenment' room (a favourite period) and we both enjoyed seeing The Rosetta Stone again, or at least a faithful reproduction. The original is so valuable it is stored in a special bullet-proof glass case guarded by No.45 Marine Commando and two platoons of Gurkhas ! As with most such places we could have spent a week in The Museum but around 4.30pm we decided to have Afternoon Tea in their posh restaurant (special occasion etc.,) and although amazingly expensive it was delicious. Next time though we are taking sandwiches - there is an attractive, light, airy, place to eat them.

After all that, the return journery. No probs. and a couple of night shots of St.Pancras to give a feel.

Comments....Thanks Bungus. I too favour the 'Zebedee' type WoW logo. The 'spring' by-the-way isn't my legs, it's my brain ! The only prob will be loading it onto the front of my presentation CD, in its animated format. Tackle it tomorrow I think. Along with reprogramming a new mobile 'phone. Mine was lost/stolen on the down train yesterday morning. So this morning I replaced it from Carphone Warehouse. Another Samsung identical to the old one with which I have been most satisfied. Then I must do an e-mail to everyone announcing the number change.

AnonymousReg.....Thanks for speaking up in favour of pork chops. When you say they "were 'proper' pork chops just like they used to be" - does that include the bit of kidney, in the eye? That used to be considered essential.

Jill..... Y and I both agree with you that the girl in the check swimsuit is probably Anne Robinson. A forbidding and rather unpleasant looking woman even at 20.

Quotation time.... Our railway journey reminded me of this :-

"People's backyards are much more interesting than their front gardens, and houses that back on to railways are public benefactors"


I've always found it impossible to to look, and to think that each room has its own unique story to tell of love and sadness and happiness and strife.


Last night there was an earthquake with the epicentre at Market Rasen in Lincolnshire and it disturbed people's sleep all over the country. It seems as if everyone but us felt it. We slept on soundly, recouping from our day's outing. As you know I seldom mention current news but I guess earthquakes merit a paragraph. I intend to catch up on outstanding jobs tomorrow and have a rest prior to our WoW presentation at the Camera Club in the evening.

......Sleep tight. No more earthquakes. Catch you tomorrow.


rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So glad all went well. St Pancras looks fascinating, we must get there soon. I remembered you could enlarge the photos so I could see them in all their glory!

And lovely cyclamen, looking around this year there seem to be a lot of very deep dark red ones, which I don't remember seeing before?

And we may have a gardener - his uncle is grandson Arthur's best friend's father.....at least he wasn't put off by the work, is coming tomorrow morning for further consultation....£25 an hour, but he is young and may well get more done in an hour than our last old boy did, who only charged £15 an hour, but was slow and had lots of rests with his thermos.

Drive will be finished tomorrow - R is satisfied with the work done, I suppose I shall have to apologise, but I still can't stand the Irish bossman who calls me either 'missus' or 'young lady'.

Anonymous said...

Glad you enjoyed St Pancras and the British Museum and that it apparemntly had no adverse physical effects.

I will comment on the photos tomorrow when I have had chance to study them.

The Betjeman quote reminds me more of the man who should have succeeded him, Philip Larkin. He used railways and journeys very well. And went into the windows of the bedrooms. But Betjeman did deal with Camden Town secretaries very well.

You were perhaps rather lucky to sleep through the earthquake.
I quite enjoyed it a strange way, having immediately realised what it was. We are only some ? miles from the epicentre.
But Dan said, by email:
"I was awake, on the computer and heard it coming. I didn’t enjoy it. First sounded like an explosion and then a HEAVY train, followed by substantial oscillations of the whole building for about a minute. I was shaking for about 30 minutes afterwards and would not want to experience another of that magnitude, let alone a 7 or 8.
The speed at which the bbc generated content and published a headline on their webpage within the 30 minutes it took me to overcome the disbelief and shock was impressive (for want of a better word.)"

Has anyone solved mystery woman so far?
I think the following clues will probably end it (and cause our blogmeister to regret his comment!).
She wants her next TV series to be different, studio based rather than at her home where the great cat tragedy took place in 1999 (she forbade the crew from using her loo. They ordered a portsaloo and watched it being lowered from the lorry onto one of her cats). The producers have agreed but on condition that they show more of her private life. So the series will include snippets of her life – going shopping, going to mass, going to a football match with her husband, visiting friends (including Sister Wendy) and eating out.

I undestand your no doubt well concealed rage, Jill. I hate people half my age calling me 'young man'. I once lost it and tore a huge strip of someone, possibly only ten years my junior. He hssn't done it again.

Anonymous said...

Our crow flying distance from the epicentre is just under 30 miles.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing the excellent photos of St Pancras. It certainly looks like money well spent though I would say that seeing as none of my money goes into the pot. glad to hear that both you and Y had a good time and your bodies stood up to the strain.

Pete