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Sunday 26 June 2011

Friday outing


On Friday I had a day out meeting up with a couple of friends from where I used to work.  I wonder if you will be able to guess from these photos where we went?


This is a lovely peaceful garden...


.. which is part of a museum.


It is a really tranquil place and whilst wandering round the museum itself and these lovely gardens outside we were able to imagine we were somewhere quite different.


and yet as you will see - it is aurrounded by the noise and bustle of trains and planes and buses and traffic!


with a station right next to it and planes flying overhead!  (I don't remember it being quite so cloudy whilst we were there and in fact the sun was shining for much of our day!)



But with all those wonderful old trees and the beautiful garden absorbing all the 21st century noise we could imagine we were back in the 18th century when these almshouses were built..



As you might be able see from this lovely gateway we were visiting the Geffrye Museum in London!  Entrance is free and if it is unknown to you I certainly recommend a visit - it is a lovely place and the restaurant is excellent too!  We did enjoy catching up over our lunch (roasted vegetables served with bubble and squeak patty and a drink) before we explored the museum and the gardens at our leisure. 



After we had finished at the Geffrye Museum we got a bus (bus passes are so useful!) to the South Bank where there was a "beach" maybe not quite up to the same standard as the Paris Plage perhaps but a fun idea which the children we saw there seemed to enjoy!






Loved this little arrangement of derelict boat and seaside planting.




This interesting mosaic was on the side of one of the many beach huts along the South Bank and depicts the Thames and is made up of bits and pieces found along the foreshore of the river - fascinating stuff!




This fabulous creature is the urban fox and is made from straw!  The sculpture is supposed to represent the link between the city and the countryside to be found in London is very apt for this particular post don't you think!  He is part of an exhibition currently at the Royal Festival Hall celebrating the Festival of Britain back in 1951 which was also very interesting and which I want to go back and see again as time ran out before we had seen it all and we had to make our way to Waterloo to go our separate ways.  I love London - there is always something interesting to see or do and I always come away wanting to see more and planning my next visit.  As you know I love where I live and wouldn't want to live in London (unless I could afford some quiet square somewhere!) but I have always felt a pull to visit it.

25 comments:

  1. This is a nice post. It visits some of my favourite routes. I totally agree about The Geffrye museum and it is also wonderful at Christmas, when they have a big tree and the whole place looks so festive.

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  2. When and if I ever go back to the UK I will be definitely putting this on my list of must do's. Thanks for such a lovely insight into things to do in London.

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  3. Well that's a new one for my to-do list for London next time
    Jane. In fact I've never heard of it. Love,love, love the fox too.
    We have a terrific man-made beach right in the centre of our city too. It has a lovely free swimming area which is very popular. Must be a popular theme with cities everywhere ?
    I love it when you show me more of
    London. I love to visit but wouldn't want to live there either.
    Cheers
    Helen

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  4. Lovely post. I'm mad about the Festival of Britain and I was actually going to go down to see what you saw on Friday today -- then wimped out in favour of a day messing about at home. Now I'm wondering if I've made the wrong decision. I'll have to go another day. I absolutely love that mosaic.

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  5. the Geffrye has been on my list for years...now I defiantly will go when next in London

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  6. Hi Jane,

    What a beautiful setting. As you rightly say, you would not think it was in the heart of London.
    I have a railway at the bottom of the garden, also a small airport close by.....and yet, it does not bother me, I barely notice it to be truthful. I am too much of a daydreamer to let anything disturb my thoughts :)

    I love the fox.....one of my favourite wild animals.

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  7. Oh Jane, you are a lucky thing to be able to get up to town and do a day's outing like this. Still, you've given me the grand tour and made me feel a little like I've been there in spirit. That mosaic is fabulous and the garden at the museum looks right up my street. Lesley x

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  8. Thanks for sharing your day out Jane, certainly a treat. What a combination, a beautiful peaceful garden, beach art and the bustling capital. And as always your lovely photographs capture the atmosphere beautifully.

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  9. Thank you for sharing these unique places in London with the rest of us! I love that garden, and the mosaic, and the straw wolf...well, all of it really!

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  10. What a lovely outing. Thanks for sharing - I absolutely love the Urban Fox sculpture (though he looks a little downcast).

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  11. The museum sounds like a lovely place to visit. I don't get up to London often, errmm, once every couple of years maybe, but I would definitely put that on my to do list for a London visit.

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  12. Another fan of that urban fox sculpture........ Your day sounds wonderful, good to get home though I always think.

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  13. what a lovely garden, i think i saw the entrance to this one evening when i was there but it was locked, it does look good!

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  14. What a great place that looks to be, I worked in London for a couple of years but never came across that one! Love the fox!

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  15. It looks like you had a wonderful day - I have never been to the Geffrye museum. Hope you might come on over and join my giveaway!

    Pomona x

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  16. It's wonderful that London retains these pockets of eccentricity and greenery.

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  17. Your day out looks lovely and very interesting! Reading blogs I see so many new places I would love to visit! I think I will have to invest in a little notebook to write my list so that I don't forget! Cx

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  18. lovely tranquil photos of the garden and the beach is fun!

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  19. Once again, you are an excellent tour guide. I love the 'beach'--how inventive and creative! I have been amiss at stopping by here but I always appreciate you leaving a comment on my blog. Will do a little catching up here for the next few minutes (usually turns into an hour!)

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  20. Even though these things are on my doorstep I've never visited, mind you I only need look into my garden for a good view of the urban fox. Ours is well behaved but there are some terrible stories of how much of a nuisance they have become.

    Will definitely put the museum on my to do list!

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  21. I've never been to this museum but it does sound interesting. BUT how did I manage to miss the urban fox when I went to the Festival of Britain exhibition? Now I'll definitely have to go back! It is well worth a visit though I am glad I went.

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  22. What a fun post! Thank you for the guided tour. I am going to pop over to Marigold Jam more often! Now to look at that slanted bed of flowers!

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  23. Wow - you are definitely giving me reasons to plan another visit to London! I'm glad you had a good visit, and quite understand that it wasn't possible to coincide with my time there - maybe next time..?

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  24. Hi Jane
    Just came across your blog through Kath at Hillside and I'm glad I did.. You are lucky to live in such a wonderful place..we visit Somerset alot as we have a caravan near Glastonbury...maybe one day we too will live there...
    Looks like you have a fulfiled retirement..
    Have a nice time at the Chalice Gardens.
    Blessings
    Julie

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