Let's Go Back to London

Although I was meant to be at Days for Girls today, it just didn't work out that way. Bruce's car has been acting up,  the only way I know how to describe this bucking sensation we've been feeling. And so it was that I delivered my homework to Sharleen, then drove clear across town to pick him up at the dealership. He was afraid the transmission was falling out, which, after some research we don't think is the case, the car is there now and we are in the wait mode to see what happens next. Hopefully they won't need to keep it for too long as Bruce has "work" scheduled for every day of the week. Sounds like I will get the quilting done this week after all if he needs to use my car.

Before it all becomes fuzzy in my old brain, I figured it was time to return to London because, well, when you travel with a local, you see stuff most folks don't. Then too, as this blog is mostly for me, if I don't get it written down soon all of the memories will fade away.

Flying back to London from Copenhagen went perfectly, maybe it was about a two hour flight. See, already, I am sketchy on the details. We took transit to Matt and Tom's place that I couldn't have been more excited to see. Even cooler than I could have imagined. Bruce was still not great,, nevertheless, we decided to walk to Docklands for pizza along Regent's Canal.

Limehouse Basin above, is seeing its fair share of gentrification with new residences being built along the canal which has played an integral part in London's history.

Obviously, I loved seeing the real deal when it comes to MINI Coopers! Mine feels huge compared to the old ones. As we sat eating pizza along the Thames, it was impossible not to notice the beautiful sunset.

Instead of walking home, because Bruce was wearing out, we headed to the station to use the Docklands Light Rail. Note the large tower in the middle below.

Next morning, in spite of having tickets to travel to Melton Mowbray, Matt found a doctor that Bruce could visit to get stronger pain medication should he need it. Guess what? It was in that tower on the 33 (?) floor and we had to go through security before being allowed on the elevator! The visit went well, costing around $75USD including the medicine which we gladly paid.

Before leaving for the doctor visit I peered through the second story bedroom window early for some backyard birdwatching. Matt and Tom take bird feeding very seriously! I think there are, maybe six, bird feeders?

 Following the visit, and lunch in the area, we took the DLR again back to their place.

About a block or so walk from their place, there is an entrance to the canal walk, so leaving Matt home to water plants and keep an eye on his Dad, I took to the walking path.

As it was a beautiful warm sunny day, the walk was a lovely one where I saw all manner of interesting things, one of which were the house boats and this one in particular because it was going through the hand powered lock.

I came across the engaging Mile End Park where I searched for birds, finding this little beauty by ear. Apparently it is a Robin, although you could have fooled me.

When I returned Matt was still watering their garden which has both a Cherry tree and an Apple tree among many, many, other plants which makes me so happy knowing that they have such a wonderful place where they can grow things and watch birds. Of course, one visitor they have had, a fox, is unwelcome because it digs things up. Hard to imagine foxes run wild in the heart of London, isn't it?

We watched a funny show, the name of which I've forgotten; a nice easy evening after nine days of running around! Up early I walked around their neighborhood a bit, surprised to see this at the end of their street.

The Gherkin building, an unofficial name of course, was under construction years ago when we visited and we were so taken with it, Bruce had a photograph enlarged for his office. These days it is dwarfed by the slate of new towers on the horizon. Roaming around a few streets away, I came across this ancient church, St. Dustan's, standing on a site that has housed a Christian church for over 1,000 years. 

 A large and peaceful cemetery is part of the property. Hearing bird calls, I was astonished, upon looking up, to see a pair of parrots calling.

After determining that Bruce was fit for an outing, we again took transit, this time to see the Thames Barrier. Don't know what that is? Here are the details for the curious. We walked through some lovely gardens as we made our way from the station to water's edge.

 An engineering marvel, Bruce had been wanting to see it for years and now he has!

As the name suggests, these are used to keep the Thames from flooding London. I am presuming the hedges below are meant to suggest waves? I could be wrong.

 Heading back on the train to Stepney, we went inside St. Dunstan's, admiring the craftsmanship of the tradesman who built this church out of Kentish ragstone, mainly in the 15th century.

 Remember about the city farm? Well, here it is with St. Dunstan's in the background.

 Remnants of old Roman buildings remain on the property.

 My sister Lisa would have loved the rabbit hutch!

What we love so much about London, aside from our loved ones making it their home, is the blend of new and old, living animals on one corner of the intersection, and a place for worship, as well as a resting place for the departed, across the street from one another.

No part of London though shows that off more than near Tower Bridge where we spent our last three nights at a Hilton.

Now we were in a part of London, bustling with both residents and tourists, something you will not find much of in East London. With the addition of the Shard, mirrored in the building across from our hotel,

 it has been the tallest habitable structure in the EU, however I believe developers are clamoring to go even higher. England may be in turmoil over all this Brexit mess, but to us, London was as it has been on every visit, a beautiful, walkable city full of life. Not to mention culture, which will be on the agenda for my next post.

BTW--should you care to see the views from atop the Shard, be sure to check out this post from 2013, when we did that. Plus, some very special news from Matt and Tom revealed in that post. 

your friend,

Gail