Tower, Trains, Tube, Tate and Turners …

Halloween … bloody towers, crowded gutters, barracked bridges, torture trains, grim greasy humid humors … as in ancient bodily fluids …

The good, the not bad and the not too ugly about trips to London town … who’d had thought every man and his child would be London bound - yes, it was half-term, but ...?

I was standing on a bench, the River Thames is behind me -
in the distance you can see the spread of poppies, and
one of the cascades bursting up from the moat

I had to stand all the way up to town … honestly – that’s a bit much … the train was packed, they’d lost some rolling stock – beggars belief … but beggars can’t afford trains – or belief!

I was going to go last Saturday – good thing I didn’t ... these Gentlemen Warders of the Tower said the populace hadn’t curtailed itself then and it was populatedly packed!  They, I believe, mentioned 18,000 visitors …

Dragon cannon, ubiquitous raven, Jewel tower
in background

Dragons threw forth their fiery breath … wearily bringing those humors to misty life … which spread ghoulishly out and over the fortified walls into the City that never sleeps …

Damp, misty, ghoulish day ... the moat, the peoples, and
over the River Thames the Shard, all but lost in the mist

I had a ticket for Tuesday – but there were signalling problems outside London … so I gave that visit up and went to see the pier with its burnt shell (more anon) and on home!

One of the spread of poppies along the
west wall - in the moat

So on Wednesday stand we did … all in good humour (the other sort) … we nattered or packed ourselves like pickled, oily sardines to let the next station load on! 

One little lad was on his way to see Arsenal Football Club (the Gunners) … but for some reason had his Chelsea football shirt on … he wasn’t worried … so all will be well: bless his cotton socks!!

Here I've left the Tower and am outside
to see the waterfall cascade of poppies from
one of the Tower windows: crowds in background

Everyone poured out at Victoria Station with most going where I was headed … the Tower and the Turners at the Tate.  Grisly, damp, misty day … but the Tower beckoned … crumbs!!!

People … People … People … the populace had risen against the Tower of London … the only thing between the milling mass and the White Tower were nearly one million ceramic poppies … cascading from the Tower walls, bleedingly creeping along the moat … crimsonly oozing in from the River Thames …

You can vaguely see this in the first picture ...
I moved to the moat's edge - the Shard is behind me over
the River Thames; people walking into the Tower; beyond
outside the Tower ... people everywhere

Everyone was queueing for everything … tickets, food, entrances, then once inside each tower or exhibition … phones of all sizes skyward held … focussing across the rivers of blood red poppies …

Crossing the moat to gain entry

I’d been, seen and conquered the tribes visiting the fortress, palace, prison and 2,000 years later one of the foremost of our historical sites … tradition points to Julius Caesar as the founder of the earlier defence on the reaches of the Thames.

iphone pointed down for a closer-up!

Then – to cap it all for that part of the journey … Tower Hill tube station was closed to leaving passengers … a worker with a megaphone was exhorting all and sundry to cross busy roads, to go this way for that, that way for this … follow the yellow-brick road for the tube to escape the City.

The bloody sea - reaching its tentacles
inside the Treason Gate - the River Thames
landing point is just behind me

No yellow-brick road … but onwards as ever towards a bus, or a tube … then shooting down south to see the Late Turner Exhibition once again …

The Slave Ship by Turner (1840)
based on the Zong Massacre in 1781

… but also to see the sublime Olafur Eliasson: Turner Colour Experiments … Eliasson that artist whomade glass books, I previously posted about …

Here Eliasson investigated Turner’s use of light and colour, abstracting the hues of seven of his paintings into dynamic colour studies.

Three of the Seven Colour Experiments exhibited - all based
on one of Turner's paintings:
(1842) Peace: Burial at Sea (R)
(c 1840-5) A Wreck with Fishing Boats (C)
(c1835-40) Breaker's on a Flat Beach (L)

On trailing upwards to see Olafur Eliasson’s works at the Tate … I found many more of Turner’s paintings … many, many more! … and so need to go back – now I’m a member I can explore …

Based on Turner's The Burning of the House of Lords
and Commons, 16 October 1834 (exhibited 1835)

These seven studies bear Eliasson’s imprint … his circles … but they have been painted in oil on canvas … they are quite extraordinary.

I shall have to post again on a few of these thoughts … the Turners, Elisasson’s works, Remembrance Day is coming up … the reasons for these hundreds and thousands rouge ceramic poppies … I wasn’t sure at first – but they do make a show …

One of the direction boards - mind you
the queues were here too ... 

… and I’m glad I braved the dragon, the treason gate, torture trains or towers, Turner’s steam powered train, the underground workings … my creative mind always wondering …

Then earlier this week I had “A Little Halloween Card” from Lenny … just makes my day and week … also knowing that Linda, in the Nursing Centre, would have had one too – she did … it’s her birthday today …

She is confined to bed, and her room … and has been for years … sometimes life isn’t fair … but she now has visitors and a wonderful young friend who send her cards …

What did I mention about communication … it’s essential … sometimes we can’t be there … but we can email or write … and snail mail; if you’re ill or distressed those small moments can just make that difference …

Well that was my Halloween week … and yes it was a year ago I smashed my face – thankfully I was spared a dreadful accident and managed just to make my face look like I’d painted it for Halloween!  Amused a few people …

Lots of stories to follow … not sure about the mystery variety pro tem … but one day p’rhaps …

(NB:  I know the poppies represent the Service personnel lost in the First World War ... so my post may not reflect the reverence that some will consider due ... I have just used the amazing creation to evoke the horrors of conflict of 2,000 plus years ... in a way suitable for Halloween - apologies if I've offended anyone.)

We might break the heat records today as the warmest Halloween since someone wrote the temperature down - they are predicting 20 deg ... and 21 deg C will bust the record.  In fact it's reached 23 deg C ... but next week frost is coming ... i.e. the cold.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories 

Peterborough, Bakewell, Malvern, Barnsley …

… these are some of my favourite things found as Jenny and I journeyed around middle England.  We also visited three other cousins of my mother’s vintage … which I enjoyed as it gave me a chance to catch up … and being the family chauffeur to Jenny helped her, as her home is in Vancouver Island.

Peterborough Cathedral

First stop Peterborough … an amazing place … we stayed in the old coaching inn – on the main road to the north, and where Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, is buried …

The Abbey escaped Henry’s Dissolution to transform into one of the ‘new’ Cathedrals … probably because Catherine was buried there.

Butter Cross - now Guildhall

The Parliamentary soldiers in the Civil War in 1643 ransacked the cathedral, destroying the high altar and choir stalls, as well as the medieval decoration and documents.

This lovely building is the Butter Cross, on the site of the old Market Cross, now known as the Guildhall and was built from public subscription in 1669.

Coat of Arms with
interesting clock face

As we’d been late arriving due to motorway snarl ups and encouraging (yes for the gardens, not for us) rainstorms!  We’d missed opening hours … so Sunday morning before we went on …

… we took ourselves off to have a quick squizz inside the Cathedral and listen to Choral Matins … wonderful acoustics … I’d have loved to seen more – but another day …

Bakewell Church and village -
even in the snow it looks lovely

Our next non-family setting was the beautiful Derbyshire Dales … except it was raining heavily with low-hanging clouds … so once again we have to return.

We did try Bakewell pudding the original precursor to our more modern Bakewell tart – that I love, when I dare eat it!!

Bakewell Pudding according
to old recipe

This was created when the cook wasn't concentration and muddled up the ingredients ... still that one mistake has stood the test of time!

1837 Recipe for Bakewell pudding

Also after Jane Austen had visited the village – she rewrote certain of her scenes, using the vistas of the Dales that Elizabeth Bennet described in Pride and Prejudice.

Thankfully we took Jenny’s route … I’d wanted to travel the lanes – but the newsagent had said to me if you go down to the woods today you will meet very large puddles and floods – and he would have been very right! There were local floods we found out later.

Abbey Hotel covered in Virginia Creeper

Next stop was Malvern … the Malvern of Elgar, the composer of “Land of Hope and Glory”, and ‘taking the waters’ … that was not funny!  Desperate times I suspect … still Jenny and I noticed how incredibly soft the water is … de-soaping took some doing.

Malvern Hills

We drove round the Malvern Hills … just stunning countryside and definitely a return visit is due …

Next stop Jenny’s publishers just outside Stroud, at a port – another interesting historical snippet; that was successful – putting Jenny’s mind at rest over one new book, with a second likely.

The courtyard garden at the pub

Then on again towards Oxford … but some lunch first … why I waited I’ve no idea … but suddenly there was a village pub (The Village Pub) and in we turned to park.

Twice-baked Cheese Souffle

What a successful choice – very upmarket granted – but really delightful … and what a menu … Jenny had the twice-baked cheese soufflé, while I had the Cornish Fish Soup – can’t resist the Cornish bit … with some lovely home-made bread …

Cornish Fish Soup with
Saffron Mayonnaise and garlic toasts

We then walked up to the Church … before journeying on to Oxford … and our last night.  Jenny was meeting the archivist for the Bodleian/Rhodes Library to make some final arrangements re handing over most of Emily Hobhouse’s (1860 – 1926) papers for research purposes: another successful accomplishment.

Jenny went to London by train as she is now in Germany visiting Berlin and Leipzig before coming back via London on her way home to Vancouver Island.

Abbey Gatehouse with
Museum above

 We had a very happy trip … no satellite navigation … but the brain works just as well!  Lots of food … with some very enjoyable chats about all manner of subjects – mostly historical …

Frankly Jenny puts me into the shade … after two weeks in Iberia on a coach tour; over to England, down to Cornwall, as that’s where Jenny’s Hobhouse relatives come from, as do our mother’s.

 

Barnsley Church -
Font

Back via relatives, before we embarked on our round middle England trip – then as I mentioned she’s now over in Germany – as Emily was involved in setting up The Save the Children Fund … and is researching other details.

There’s a lot to tell you … but I’m wilting after just six days of travelling around … but Jenny was very happy having me as a chauffeur-chatterer-historian …

I’ve been to parts of England I’d never visited and by checking up things on the ipad we both learnt lots … now to return to a degree of normality … though I could happily repeat the experience!!

Panorama of Malvern Hills with
Little Malvern Priory taking centre stage

I sent a thank you letter up to our relatives in Newark, one of the sisters is in hospital after a stroke, and her niece and sister visited today – and read parts of the letter out … it engaged the patient, I’m pleased to say.  Interaction is the key with elderlies and especially those who are sick.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Happy Birthday Lenny on Sunday: October 20th ...

A Burlington Arcade cake awaits you in London ... but you’ll need your expando pants ...?!

 

Happy Macaron
Birthday - Lenny!

Please pop on over in the next few days and wish ‘our young lad’ a birthday wish at his Lenny’s World website ... he deserves much joy and happiness on this ‘his fourteenth birthday’ ...

Critters be the love of Lenny’s life ... all critters big and small ... Linda in the Nursing Centre is delighted with her World Wild Life Calendar from the magnificent goodie pile of prezzies Lenny sent over recently ...

... while I was very happy with the Audubon Society calendar ... and thought I’d write about a few ... while learning about some American birds at the same time ...

 

Audubon's Snowy Owl

I also forayed forth in London the other day to the Natural History Museum specifically to see the Blaschka’s radiolarian, which has been cleaned and is on show in the Treasures Gallery ... it is so special ...

... as are the two copies of Audubon’s “Birds of America” held by the Museum ... another copy of which recently sold for £3.7 million - a world record for a book! 

To all you self-publishing authors out there – this story (c/o the NHM) tells a tale of perseverance (what will you do?!)... John James Audubon was rejected by American publishers (he couldn’t draw or so they thought), so in 1826 he set sail for Liverpool ...

 

John James Audubon

... he looked like a classic exotic American frontier woodsman ... untamed, romantic looking, rough, etc ... once again he was rejected this time by the British ...

... decision time: he self-published between 1827 and 1838 ... selling in 5 page batches for two guineas a time (about £100 today) ... subscribers could collect full or partial sets, or buy all four volumes for £182 (about £9,000 today).

Audubon's Cedar Waxwing

It is thought that fewer than 200 complete sets were produced, of which only 120 are known to survive, with the Natural History Museum looking after two ... one of which is on show at the Treasures Gallery ... and can be interactively seen.

Here’s the link to the Birds of America section in the Treasures part of the NHM, where the rest of the treasures are shown and described ...

Rufuous Hummingbird

Back to Lenny’s Audubon calendar ...  we have the Rufous Hummingbird for the 2013 Autumn months ... Sept, Oct, Nov and winter’s December ...  this rufous ... is really rufous.  A major decline means half the populations have been lost in just four decades ... they need encouraging back into gardens.

January – has the Northern Cardinal ... she’s rather handsome with her red beak and smart combed crest ... They thrive by being fed, while the planting of native trees is greatly encouraged.

Northern cardinal

February – has the Northern Flicker ... seems to have escaped from the internet?! ...  Oh I see it has an extra bit in its name ... the Northern (Yellow-Shafted) Flicker ... they are a type of woodpecker, which forages on the ground ...

March – has the Peregrine Falcon ... looking very focussed on his landing perch – they are the fastest creatures on Earth, clocked in hunting dives at well over 200 mph.

 

Magenta Calliope Hummingbird

April – has the Calliope Hummingbird with its magnificent magenta plumage ... gorgeous starburst display.  Their populations are monitored, which then helps landowners manage their land to accommodate these population shifts.

May – has the Black Skimmer with a teeny fluffy tot, with enormous feet!, hanging on to mum’s bill for dear life ... Audubon’s work protecting coastal beaches and barrier islands is crucial to their species’ nesting success.  They are a priority species in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central Flyway.

Black Skimmer with chicks

June – the Yellow Warbler looks like it’d rather lie low and not be part of the Calendar ... the song of the buttery yellow warbler emanates from willows, wet thickets and roadsides around North America.

Yellow Warbler

July – the Black-necked Stilt ... beautifully photographed with its mirror image in the sky-blue water ... A priority species for Audubon in the Pacific Flyway, Audubon’s work protecting the freshwater marshes where this species breeds helps ensure its nesting success.

Scarlet Tanager

August – gives us the Scarlet Tanager ... amazing name I’d never heard before ...  and apparently they are difficult to spot, being high high up in the canopy.  They migrate in winter, change their coat to yellow-green before returning!  Tanagers benefit from Audubon’s work protecting critical migratory stopover habits.

Cactus Wren

September – prickles our delight with the Cactus Wren ... incredible they can dart in and out of cacti.  Able to survive without access to free-standing water they are truly adapted to desert environments.  Audubon’s work is once again helping to protect the critical Cactus Wren habitat – the urban sprawl in the SouthWest has led to wren population declines.

Snowy Owl

October – Lenny’s birthday month ... the 20^th is on Sunday ... and we have a favourite of his: an owl ... the Snowy Owl ... just brilliant to see.   The spectacular Snowy Owl nests only in the Arctic, hunting in 24 hours daylight during the summer, and 24 hour darkness during the winter.  

Audubon plays a crucial role in trying to ensure conservation for the species in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Alaska’s vast National Petroleum Reserves (this could, to me, be an oxymoron?!)

Cedar Waxwing

November – we have the Osprey ... known to me as the Fish Eagle, from my South African days ... with their haunting cry ... they have rebounded since the banning of DDT.  So far so good for this species ... but they are monitored by Audubon.

December – we’re into the Waxwings ... need to seal those parcels!  On the hoar-frost branch with his red berry ... perhaps the Cedar Waxwing is waiting for it to thaw before scrunching it down ...

 

Wood Thrush

... and such a wonderful idea ... we have January 2015 – so helpful ... the delightfully coloured wood thrush ... while its unique melodic song signifies the start of Spring ... unfortunately habitat fragmentation on both breeding grounds and Central American wintering grounds has caused a 50% decline in Wood Thrush numbers over the past 50 years.

The Audubon society provided much of this information ... and obviously does a fabulous amount of work throughout the States ... I imagine it works closely with the conservation societies in Canada too ...

NB Photos are not from the calendar .... 

I leave you with two quotes from the WorldWildLife organisation bookmarks that Lenny sent me ...

Macaron wrapping paper

“Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard” ... Standing Bear

“To the Eyes of the Man of Imagination, Nature is Imagination itself “... William Blake

Happy Happy Birthday Lenny ... I sure hope you have loads of fun with the family ... with big hugs and love from Linda and I ... and all your friends around the internet ...

Lenny's World - his blog

Natural History Museum - the cleaning of the radiolarian

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories