Day with Jess

After far too long, I finally got some time with my daughter yesterday and today. It was a quick overnight visit but we got caught up on all her news and had a laugh.

We laughed a lot!

Not many pictures but we got some in during a walk along the river before she went home.

Spring seems to have finally arrived though this being where it is, you can never be sure.The weather seems to flick back and forth between glorious warm sunshine and cold horrible rain.
So you carry an umbrella and a coat, wearing and shedding various stuff throughout the day.
If you don't like the weather just wait around for 20 minutes as its sure to change. Business as usual  for the UK.

That's it for today
Stay well and love to all
T

Hello again from Europe

I haven't posted for a while as life and work sometimes has a way of taking up the day leaving little time for anything else. Since my last entry I've marked another year on this earth, been to Canada and am now once again in Europe. As is the usual drill I spent Sunday with Jess and we took a boat down the Thames to see the O2 Dome.

London looks different from the water.
A new addition to the skyline is the "shard"  the tallest building in Europe.

Though completed, it has an unfinished look in my opinion.

Once you get to the Dome, there's a cable car running over the river.
After a 20 minute queue, you take the 5 minute ride over and given there isn't anything on the other side, you line up again and come back.
You pay about $12 a head for the privilege.

You can trek across the top of the Dome, but need to book on line (something we didn't do) and it may or may not be an excursion for the future.

London is in full pre-Olympic mode and when I arrived Saturday morning the Russians were arriving too.

On Tuesday I had a day trip to Amsterdam.

It pissed down with rain the whole time I was there.

It was an umbrella breaking, wind blown down pour.

I was visiting our office in the northern port district which is accessed by a ferry departing behind the central station. As is the way of these things the one day I didn't have my camera I really wanted it; As you approach the dock there's a 1950's era Zulu class Soviet submarine.
I had to make do with the Ipad's camera which though less than ideal gives you the jist of how odd it appeared.

It is waiting to be sold as scrap but originally was moored here to be a floating club.

Impractical, but very Dutch.

 

Thats it for today.

I'm in Madrid and hope I can give my new camera a workout if a couple of spare hours comes my way.

I still need to make some progress on learning how to use it though.......

Love to all

T

London

The last stop on this marathon trip was London.

Lucia flew in from Rio to meet me and we had my daughter for the weekend before flying home.

The UK is in full flag waving mode at the moment as the Queen is celebrating 60 years on the throne this year. The festivities really kick off next week with numerous events and a 4 day weekend for all. 

When the weather is good, England is glorious.

The temperature climbed as high as 30 degrees Celsius but was comfortably cool at night.

Perfect weather for walking and taking in life as it goes by.

The three of us went to the London Eye, something I've always wanted to do but never got around to it.

When you have a Brazilian wife who is determined to have fun with your kid, you're blessed with someone who can organise and execute in minutes.

She arranged it.

We went.

We had great fun. 

Mission accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

Stay well everyone.

T

Back in London

I got back from the Middle East late Saturday night for what was supposed to be a delightful Sunday afternoon with Jess on her birthday.

Alas it was not to be.

Sometimes it pays to hope for little because  little is often what you get.

I saw her on the way through last week and took the precaution of giving her the birthday prezzies a week early.

Glad I did.

 We did have a lovely afternoon last week though and came across this bizarre elfin statue in a church courtyard off Piccadilly.
Not sure what to make of it.

 The rest of the pictures are just random snaps going to and from appointments.
There's a new (ish) bike rental scheme in London.
Did I ever mention it before?

 Consider it mentioned.

 I came across the sign below late afternoon today.
Is it a Banksy?
Is it a Banksy wanna be?

 The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square has a new occupant.
Not sure what to make of it.

 Final piece of news:
I had my pocket picked this afternoon.
Wallet gone.
All my cards etc.
The window of opportunity was about 2 minutes and whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing.
Quite an astonishing bit of light fingered work.
I didn't feel/notice a thing.
Well I did feel pretty sick once I realised what had happened.
Usually I separate out cards/money etc. when travelling bringing only what is absolutely essential when venturing out.
This is London and I used to live here.
I didn't do that this time.
Silly me.
I can only be thankful that this happened on the last day of this trip.
All is well.

I fly early in the am back home.

Toronto Wednesday and Brazil Saturday.

How's your week look?

Love to all

T