Kitchen reflections

I thought this would make a perfect photo for Weekend Reflections and Malik was happy to oblige.

Making sushi at Billingsgate seafood kitchen this week

 Enjoying the fruits of their labours.

                                               Making black pasta for a seafood lasagna

The course finished on Wednesday after 8 practical sessions. It was a terrific group to work with and hopefully we will keep in touch.

Sharing with James at Weekend Reflections

Victorian Toilets

Possibly not the most picturesque of posts but I found them to be of interest. These gentlemen's' toilets are next to a chapel.

 They have modern toilets inside but these ones  have never been modernised and are still used today. I did have to shout before entering as I don't make a habit of going into the men's toilets! But they were definitely worth a sneaky peek.

Churchill's Funeral

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill. It brings back particular memories for me as my brother was one of the sailors pulling the gun carriage which carried his coffin. I remember him telling me that they had been rehearsing for some time before his death and would march along the streets in the middle of the night. The day was a bitterly cold day and they were not allowed to wear their coats so they all wore pyjamas under their uniform. I don't have a photograph of him from that day but I photographed these ones from a display at Chartwell in Kent, Churchill's home.

It was a bitterly cold day when I visited Chartwell this week. The house wasn't open but the you could walk around the grounds.

The camellia was in full flower.

Electric Vehicles

Driving in Central London is very expensive as alongside the usual costs of running a car, you must also pay the Congestion charge. It costs £11.50 per day if you drive your car within the charging zone between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday. There is no charge outside those times. The charge was brought in to try and reduce the amount of traffic on the roads which create CO2 emissions.  There are exemptions:

• Two-wheeled motorbikes (and sidecars) and mopeds
• Emergency service vehicles, such as ambulances and fire engines, which have a taxation class of 'ambulance' or 'fire engine' on the date of travel
• NHS vehicles that are exempt from road tax
• Vehicles used by disabled people that are exempt from road tax and have a 'disabled' taxation class 
• Vehicles for more than one disabled person (for example Dial-a-Ride) that are exempt from road tax and have a 'disabled' taxation class
• Licensed taxis
•                              `                                                                              (Transport for London)

The other group of vehicles exempt from the charge are certain types of electric vehicles. The Government offers lots of financial incentives such as no road tax 

to try and encourage people to swap their petrol/diesel vehicles for an electric one. The biggest disadvantage as far as I can see is that they can only cover a fairly short distance before needing to be recharged. I spotted this recharging point in West London but I haven't noticed that many recharging points. Maybe I need to look more carefully. Does anyone out there own an electric vehicle?

I never drive into Central London as  public transport is good enough for all my needs.

The fifteen billion pound railway

Crossrail is the  new high frequency and high capacity 73 mile railway, linking Reading and Heathrow in the West , to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the East. It is hoped that by carrying 1500 passengers in each train during the peak periods it will reduce crowding on the transport system. It is expected that 200 million passengers will travel on Crossrail each year.

This is a map of the route with the pink section showing the new tunnels.

This shows the Central London section of the route.

It has 21 km of new tunnels going under Central London which should be finished by this Spring although it will take another 3 - 4  years before it is operational.  

These photos show the construction of the Canary Wharf Crossrail station in Docklands.

V and A cafe

I don't seem able to visit a Museum without going to the cafe for a welcome sit down and a cup of tea. Here at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the cafe is situated in the original Morris, Gamble and Poynter rooms. Henry Cole who designed the Museum wanted to use contemporary artists to design the refreshment rooms and chose the best with William Morris being one of the most famous designers of the Victorian period. The three interlinking rooms are striking in their design and certainly give you something to look at as you enjoy your food and drink.

 The Poynter Room was originally called the grill room as food was grilled in view of the guests in the space beneath the stained glass window.

(I wonder if these photos ring any bells with Stewart M from Paying Ready Attention as it was here that I met his wonderful family last Summer.)

Even the tiles in the toilet area are interesting.

Chihuly's chandelier

The wonderfully ornate entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London,

 with the statues of Inspiration and Knowledge on either side.

Once inside you are greeted by this magnificent chandelier which many of you (especially if you have been to Seattle) will recognise as the work of Dale Chihuly.

 He has designed a series of chandeliers but this one was specifically designed for this entrance in 2001.  Made from blown glass and steel, it weighs 1724 kilos.

 I was careful not to stand beneath it!

Sharing with Our World Tuesday

Weekend reflections at the V and A

This is the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on a very wet afternoon this week. The Museum is said to be the world's largest museum of art and design with a collection of over 4 and a half million objects.

It is not just the inside of the Museum that I like to see but also the decorations on the outside.

Sharing with James at Weekend Reflections