• Meet the birds of Round Pond

    Updated: 2011-03-31 07:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 31 March 2011 Meet the birds of Round Pond Round Pond , in Kensington Gardens , is a seven acre pond , created between 1726 and 1735 as part of new designs for the gardens by Henry Wise and Charles Bridgeman which saw it placed at the heart of several formal tree-lined . avenues By Victorian times , it had become a popular spot for sailing model boats , and remains a popular spot for this today , but it is also known for the variety of wildfowl it . attracts According to the fantastically detailed Birding Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens' blog , Mute Swans , Egyptian Geese , and Mandarin Ducks , Tufted Ducks , Egyptian

  • Find the Cádiz Memorial

    Updated: 2011-03-30 07:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 30 March 2011 Find the Cádiz Memorial In the South Eastern Corner of Horseguards Parade , the Cádiz Memorial commemorates the success of forces led by Wellington in defeating French forces near the Spanish city of Salamanca , and lifting the siege of Cádiz in 1812. Consisting of a large French mortar cast for the destruction of that great port , and abandoned by the beseigers on their retreat' mounted on the back of a winged iron dragon . It was given by the Spanish to the Prince Regent , and mounted on a base constructed at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich in 1814. For more on the memorials of Horse Guards , see http :

  • Walk among the ruins of Lesnes Abbey

    Updated: 2011-03-29 07:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 29 March 2011 Walk among the ruins of Lesnes Abbey Your author has been accused of becoming rather South-East-London-centric of late , but he has just moved house , so he hopes readers will humour him . Normal service will be resumed shortly , but until then let's examine another gem in an the area , for in parkland below Abbey Wood lie the ruins of Lesnes . Abbey Founded by Richard de Luci in 1178, and visited by Edward I , Lesnes Abbey was noted for its involvement in the Peasants' Revolt , when the abbot was forced to swear an oath of support to the rebels , and also for the Abbot's involvement in draining nearby

  • Take a foreshore walk with the Thames Explorer Trust

    Updated: 2011-03-27 07:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 27 March 2011 Take a foreshore walk with the Thames Explorer Trust Your author has always been a fan of wanders on the Thames Foreshore , when the tide is right , and even took his parents down for a look yesterday , but often it can be frustrating looking at things you know are probably significant , but having no guide to tell you what's . what The good news is that someone has already thought of this , and this afternoon the Thames Explorer Trust take walkers on one of their regular foreshore walks , beginning from the North end of the Millennium Bridge at around . 2.30pm It's a good idea to book , and take wellies or

  • Watch the Boat Race

    Updated: 2011-03-26 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 26 March 2011 Watch the Boat Race There's only one big ticket event in London this afternoon , with the 157th Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities kicking off at 5pm . They'll be rowing roughly four miles 374 yards , for no particular reason other than they quite like both winning stuff , and their . university The series has taken place since 12th March 1829, when Cambridge sent a challenge out to the Oxford boys to see who was best at rowing . It's been going more-or-less ever since , and Cambridge go into the 157th event with a series lead of 80 races to 75, so it's still pretty close . No one is quite

  • Beautiful Aston Martin

    Updated: 2011-03-25 18:51:03
    Spied this beautiful Aston Martin Superleggera in Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge. Gleaming in the warm spring sunshine!

  • Admire Westminster Cathedral

    Updated: 2011-03-25 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 25 March 2011 Admire Westminster Cathedral When most people think of a Cathedral in Westminster , they go straight for Westminster Abbey , but there's another one . This one is for those nice Catholics , and it's free to have a look inside . Built on a site acquired by the Catholic Church in 1884, it was designed to reflect the Byzantine style of early Christianity by Victorian architect John Francis Bentley . The first stone was laid in 1895, and work completed eight years later . It was formally consecrated in 1910 and as such celebrated a centenary last . year Much of the art inside was added later , and as Bentley died

  • Take in the view from One Tree Hill

    Updated: 2011-03-24 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 24 March 2011 Admire the view from One Tree Hill One Tree Hill , in South London , is a park which as the name suggests , is atop a pretty little hill , overlooking Peckham and South London , which has led a varied life , and was famously once a picnic spot for Elizabeth . I The hill stands five miles south of London Bridge , largely wooded in an area which would have once formed part of the famous Great North Wood , and offering views out from strategically placed holes in the canopy towards Central . London The hill is , apparently famous for attracting artists to paint its scenes , but its strategic position also

  • Visit the Wandle Industrial Museum

    Updated: 2011-03-23 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 23 March 2011 Visit the Wandle Industrial Museum Based in a small hut beside Vestry Hall , on the Cricket Green in Mitcham , South London , the Wandle Industrial Museum is a small museum examining industry along the River Wandle which was , we are told , once the most industrialised river in . Europe It sounds like a worthy little museum , examining the history of the mills along the Wandle from trout fishing to firework production and offering occasional displays of block printing . It is soon to move to larger premises at Ravensbury Mill on Morden Road , which should offer plenty of room for expansion . When your author

  • See a play at the Noël Coward Theatre

    Updated: 2011-03-21 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 21 March 2011 See a play at the Noël Coward Theatre Previously known as the New Theatre and the Albery Theatre , and originally opened in March 1903, the Noël Coward Theatre , on St Martin's Lane , is a Grade II Listed building , with seats for 872. Designed by architect William Sprague , who is responsible for a number of other theatres including the Aldwych and the Gielgud , the interior was , we are told designed in the Louis XVI style with use of white and . gold Now owned by Delfont Mackintosh , who undertook refurbishments in 2005, the theatre features three licensed bars the Stalls Bar , Lionel's Bar and the Oliver

  • Walk in South Norwood Country Park

    Updated: 2011-03-20 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 20 March 2011 Walk in South Norwood Country Park It was once part of the Great North Wood and since then it has been a sewage farm , farmland , allotments , and a refuse dump , but now the South Norwood Country Park is a fantastic 125 acre park for the use of the local community , and those like your author who are happy to travel to the latter pages of the A to Z to visit . it Complete with a wild flower meadow , a wetland reserve and lake , a childrens playground and even an interesting visitors centre , the park is now designated a Local Nature Reserve and attracts over 100 different species of bird each . year From the

  • Visit the Savoy Chapel

    Updated: 2011-03-16 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 16 March 2011 Visit the Savoy Chapel Also known as the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy , the Savoy Chapel is situated behind the Savoy Hotel and is the only remaining piece of Henry VII's hospital for homeless people , founded in 1512. Owned by the Queen through the Duchy of Lancaster , one of the vast land estates still personal possessions of members of the monarchy , the chapel is a free church and does not fall within the jurisdiction of any bishop . The church gets its name from an original which was part of John of Gaunt's medieval Savoy Palace , on the same site , and was burned down in the Peasants Revolt of 1381. For

  • Theatre: The Sapphires

    Updated: 2011-03-15 08:00:00
    : : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Tuesday , March 15, 2011 Theatre : The Sapphires It is always good fun introducing non-Australians to the background of the country with the rock , the opera house and the reef Before a few of us settled in to watch the final performance of The Sapphires at the Barbican I explained that in 1967 there was a referendum where the people of Australia agreed to give the federal government power to formulate laws over Aboriginal people . Previously they were excluded from things such as the census , and the constitution did not allow for the federal government to make laws specifically for Aboriginal people . Surprisingly the programme notes of the show get it wrong and incorrectly refer this to full citizenship rights , but I

  • Walk by the Quaggy floodplain in Sutcliffe Park

    Updated: 2011-03-14 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 14 March 2011 Walk by the Quaggy floodplain in Sutcliffe Park An awful lot is written about London's Lost Rivers , so it's great when even part of one is brought back to the surface , or out of narrow pipes and culverts . And that's what happened to the part of the River Quaggy that runs through Sutcliffe Park , in Eltham in South East London in June 2003, when work to restore the river and its flood plain . began Completed in July 2004, after five years of campaigning by Quaggy Waterways Action Group , and eight years of plans and work by the Environment Agency , the plan was to generate a flood plain to prevent flooding

  • Theatre: Buried Child

    Updated: 2011-03-14 07:22:00
    : : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Monday , March 14, 2011 Theatre : Buried Child I saw Buried Child at the National Theatre in 2004 and thought it was hilarious . The version I saw on Friday at Upstairs at the Gatehouse turned out to be less so . It probably did not help making a mad dash from south London to be there and finding severe delays impacting my journey , but I have been to the Gatehouse enough times to not be too bothered by that , particularly when the performances are . good This is a play that challenges the American dream , highlights the poverty of rural life in America and looks at the breakdown of family values . These topics have been in plenty of plays , but here they are presented in a brutally honest way that alternates between the real

  • Visit the Thames Barrier Flood Awareness Exhibition

    Updated: 2011-03-13 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 13 March 2011 Visit the Thames Barrier Flood Awareness Exhibition Last Thursday , as part of the nationwide flood preparation day called Exercise Watermark , the Thames Barrier held a flood awareness day , where the monthly Barrier test closure was combined with an exhibition on . flooding The exhibitions , with staffed displays on flooding , maintenance and reliability , and how to take action and plan for the future , run until today , and members of the public are invited along to the Thames Barrier Learning Centre , to talk to staff and learn about more about Exercise Watermark , the largest peacetime exercise to

  • Opera preview: Aida

    Updated: 2011-03-12 19:30:00
    : : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Saturday , March 12, 2011 Opera preview : Aida I couldn't pass up the chance to see David McVicar's production of Aida at the Royal Opera on Tuesday . I liked the first time around so an invitation to see the dress rehearsal with a few other bloggers seemed like an awfully sensible way to spend a Tuesday . morning After getting past the crowd of old age pensioners and students that seemed to make up this preview audience and they are a tough crowd well the pensioners anyway steer clear of their elbows having a strong cup of coffee , we settled down in our seats to watch the drama unfold . Johnnyfox and I were given the choice of the stalls or a box . We opted for the director's . box There is something thrilling about this

  • Walk through Paternoster Square

    Updated: 2011-03-12 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 12 March 2011 Walk through Paternoster Square In the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral , Paternoster Square is actually a very modern development , completed in 2003 on a site that had previously been home to a deeply unpopular 1960s construction designed by William Holford . The new square houses office blocks , shops , cafes and bars using diverse materials including brick , Portland stone , York stone , granite , bronze , marble and slate . A little artistic flair is also added in the form of a 23m tall column , known as the Paternoster Square Column , topped off with a gold covered flaming urn , and also the sculpture

  • Theatre: My Beautiful Laundrette

    Updated: 2011-03-08 10:06:00
    : : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Tuesday , March 08, 2011 Theatre : My Beautiful Laundrette Friday night was an opportunity to catch My Beautiful Laundrette , which is playing at Above The Stag at Victoria . This adaptation of the film is briskly paced and well acted by the ensemble , particularly the two leads Yannick Fernandes and James Wallwork who are totally convincing as Omar and . Johnny The drama unfolds on a set that feels like you are watching a game of tennis not to mention having to see some gratuitous graffiti . This toned down adaptation of the film doesn't extend to the set But getting past the twisted necks , there is a heart to the story of two boys in eighties London who meet again after leaving school . And one is a skinhead . And the

  • Cash in at London's oldest pawnbrokers

    Updated: 2011-03-08 08:30:00
    , : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Calendar Contact 8 March 2011 Cash in at London's oldest pawnbrokers Attenborough Jewellers claims to be London's oldest pawnbrokers , with shops in Islington and Bethnal Green having opened in 1835 and 1892 respectively . They are a fairly traditional business , specialising in good service , and running a pawnbroking outfit side by side with retail of secondhand jewellery and watches from their traditional shops from 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to . Saturday They also offer an instore jewelery workshop with a qualified goldsmith , and , of course , are more than happy to give you cash for any old gold you might have hanging around . For more

  • Colombia: A New Adventure

    Updated: 2011-03-05 19:15:29
    Hi everyone! As promised, I came back to let you know where to find me next. I’ve now started up my Colombia blog which will be very similar to this one – lots of interviews, colourful photos and stories of … Continue reading →

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