Hyde Park

Posted on September 7, 2015 by myeye1

I’ve had some free time since having left my job and being determined to make the most of it and the nice weather I decided to go to Hyde Park which I have passed by on many occasions but have never really explored.

Hyde Park is a Royal Gardens and is based in Central London. There are so many parts to it that I wasn’t able to visit everything but I did see lots of lovely things.

I decided to walk down to and along the huge lake called The Serpentine and follow the edge across the park. As its summer there were lots of deckchairs, geese and beautiful flowers to enjoy along the way.

What I liked was there were lots of smaller paths away from the main walkways in case you fancied a varied and perhaps quieter walk. There were also lots of statues to admire, each one quite different to the last. The most famous is the Princess Diana fountain which is a huge circular waterway. Each section is different, some with steps, or curves or even water shooting upwards. The kids really seemed to be enjoying the cool water.

Something that I unexpectedly came across really made my day, Ring-necked Parakeets! They were camouflaged in the trees and I almost missed them but I luckily joined a few people in watching them. The parakeets seemed completely at ease with people and even flew down to get food from out stretched hands. There were also pretty magpies, squirrels and pigeons that were enjoying the attention and food too.

I really enjoyed my walk around Hyde park, and I really appreciate all the hard work that it’s taken to make it look beautiful. The park is huge and there’s lots more to see, so I hope to visit it again at some point. I know how lucky I am to live in such an amazing city with so much culture, art and history and I plan to keep making the most of it. I’ll keep you posted on what else I explore and enjoy.

Tombs and headstones

Posted on August 30, 2015 by myeye1

Near my old workplace there’s a lovely public garden that is always busy with office workers, local residents and shop owners enjoying the pretty view, it being a place to escape the office and have a break, especially in the summer.

What is unusual about this garden is that it used to be an old cemetery. (It was a place of burial from 1747, but was open to the public as a garden from 1885). Among the benches, trees and flowers are box tombs. I don’t think they still contain any bodies but they are interesting to look at and certainly add character to the park.

Something less obvious, and what I didn’t notice until my umpteenth time passing through is, if you look closely, all along the back walls of the garden are headstones. They look quite old and most have the writing worn and weathered away.

This garden has been a sight for sore eyes especially from my desk, being able to see racing dogs, lunchers or local journalists filming but I think it’s the strange history that has kept me interested.

Strange sculptures

Posted on August 26, 2015 by myeye1

I was playing tourist recently in London (of which I will post more about soon) and on my wonderings I came across these interesting sculptures. The horse’s head is called Still Water and looks quite calming. The black beast-looking thing across, I have to admit gave me the creeps so I didn’t take any closer photos of it but it’s called She Guardian and I’m sure will also be scaring others. There was also a temporary summer observation wheel which gives you a view of the local area including Hyde Park, which seemed nice.

Turkish cannon

Posted on July 23, 2015 by myeye1

This old Turkish cannon can be found at the Household Cavalry museum in London. I like the how decorative the wheels and base are, and seem to fit into Middle Eastern stye embellishment.

Take a load off

Posted on July 9, 2015 by myeye1

Alas, London is at a halt again due to the Underground tube strikes. On the plus side, on my long walk to the office I did come across this pretty bench which looks so inviting; shame I couldn’t make use of it though. I hope all those affected got to work ok and aren’t too tired from the journey in.

East London street art

Posted on June 8, 2015 by myeye1

I recently went to dinner with friends in Brick Lane and one of the things I really enjoy in this part of East London, apart from the food, is the amazing street art. For those who don’t know, Brick Lane is known for it’s delicious food and wide range of interesting street art, and whilst I was waiting I took a walk to check out the artwork. It wasn’t long before I had my phone out and began taking photos (and I wasn’t the only one).

I wasn’t walking for long but I managed to take lots of photos. What I loved was seeing just how talented these artists were and the array of different styles and vivid colours that were used to express ideas and notions. You could see in some areas new paint covering the old, showing how art in this part of London is alive and ever changing.

I hope I can go back soon with my camera and spend longer admiring and capturing the artwork and I’m sure that there’ll be lots of new ones to see when I do.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

Posted on May 17, 2015 by myeye1

Just before Easter I went to a chocolate fair in London with my sister and niece. We were excited about all the possible chocolate creations we’d see and we weren’t disappointed! There was was a big range of beautiful and clever designs which were a treat for all our senses.

Our favourite stall was one that had chocolate in various shapes and forms that we thought were really fun.

I think what I really like about these are that they have been dusted with cocoa to make them look rusty.

We also saw a collection of other chocolates in interesting (and slightly strange) shapes, from chocolate samosas to face prints.

Some of the chocolate looked so artistic and beautiful and just too good to eat. I especially love these colourful blocks

We came across other clever and pretty ideas too; chocolates named after Shakespeare’s leading ladies, elegant balls and textured cubes.

Aside from chocolate there were so many other delicious looking and sweet smelling treats; definitely something for everyone.

One of the best things was that we were able to have a taste of most of the products before buying, and we didn’t hold back!

We all really enjoyed the day, taking photos of all the lovely things to buy and taste. We bought home a range of goodies for ourselves and for family whilst trying to not to be tempted to buy one of everything! I still have lots more photos but I’ll have to post about them another time.

I would definitely recommend going to a chocolate festival for those with a sweet tooth and a love of eye candy. I’m currently thinking of going to the one that’s being held towards Christmas to see what other fun ideas that might be presented.

Number 10

Posted on May 7, 2015 by myeye1

Its finally Election day here in the UK. It’s been a neck and neck race between the major parties up until now so it’ll be interesting to see who wins and occupies Number 10. I haven’t casted my vote yet but will do once I finish work. May the best man (or party) win

London car show

Posted on April 6, 2015 by myeye1

I’ve been meaning to post about stumbling across a Top Gear car show in London for a while now. There was a huge variety of cars on show in central London, taking over a main road near Oxford Street which must have taken some preparation. I didn’t see any of the tv show presenters or the mysterious Stig but it was still interesting to see slick fast cars and motorbikes, as well as some newer, innovative designs, that run on electricity.

I also enjoyed seeing some of the slightly older sports car designs that looked like they belonged in Hollywood films of the 60s or the racing car films of the 70s and 80s

What I enjoyed the most were the really old cars, from as far back as 1901, with lots of details which, for better or worse, are lost with modern cars. There were some so old that they had cranks at the front that needed to be turned to get the engines going. There were a couple that even featured in films of that time

The car show was a nice exhibit to unexpectedly come across, especially on a sunny day, my only regret was not having one of my cameras with me so I had to make do with my phone, but I think some the pictures still came out quite well

London Photowalk with Trey Ratcliff

Posted on February 15, 2015 by myeye1

I’ve been a fan of Trey Ratcliff‘s work for a few years now, and for those of you not familiar with him, Trey is one of one the leading photographers in HDR photography and has a portfolio on his Stuck in Customs blog which contains some amazing images from around the world. His photographs are definitely an inspiration to me and I’m sure to many people out there.

When I heard that Trey was back in London and planning a photowalk (on Valentines Day) I was really excited and couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day. So, yesterday me and about a hundred other photographers converged outside the National Gallery to meet him and follow him around London, hoping to pick up tips from Trey and each other.

It was a typical British, February day, with grey clouds and low temperatures, with the ever present threat of rain, but everyone was in a great mood so it didn’t dampen any spirits.

The route was planned to take us from South Bank to Westminster and Parliament, around Whitehall then back across the Thames to the London Eye.
The theme and competition for the photowalk was to take an interesting picture of fellow photographers!

As we snaked around London (attracting quite a lot of attention and causing many people to stop and ask what was going on), Trey stopped at various points to show and explain his set ups, frames and what he was looking to convey with each image. One of the nicest things about the walk was just how friendly and warm Trey was, welcoming anyone to come and talk to him and ask him any questions.

Below are some of the photos I managed to take throughout the walk and although I doubt I’ll be winning any prizes, it was really great to meet Trey and I had a really fun experience. I can only hope to improve over time and capture great images like Trey one day.

Here are some fellow photographers

And these are some of my favourite photos from the walk, from late afternoon to early evening, giving us a change in how much natural light was available, and with the cloudy weather we had some amazing skies as a backdrop as the night drew in.

I look forward to seeing Trey’s post of the walk and of the fellow photographers, aka ‘Team Awesome’ (Trey’s name for the group not mine)