Goodbye to 2021

 Another year ends and as I am writing this I can hear lots of fireworks exploding in the skies outside. The official London firework display has been cancelled once again so it is private parties or small family gatherings that I can hear celebrating with fireworks.

The end of the year is when I look back at what I have done this year and look forward to the plans for the coming year. However, as with everyone else around the world our lives have changed and we may never go back to the carefree travel we once enjoyed. I have just spent a couple of hours on facetime chatting to my friend in Canada. For the last 12 years we have met up with one another  in various countries around the world but our last meeting was in 2018. We are not sure when, if ever, we will be able to meet up again. I had hoped that once we were double vaccinated things would change but as we all know that's not the case. 

So what have I done this year. Well the couple of trips I managed were in the UK - Devon and Suffolk as well as three trips up to Leeds. I celebrated my 70th birthday with my children and grandchildren at a lodge in Centreparks which was a lot of fun. As part of the celebrations there were some terrific meals out including Tea at the Ritz, a day at the Chelsea Flower Show, Van Gogh's immersive exhibition and more. Surprisingly despite being in lockdown for a couple of months at the beginning of the year I still managed to visit and write about 22 different Underground stations. But the highlight of the year was the birth of my son and dil's first child in October. 

A huge thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my posts. During the last couple of years the blog has kept me sane and given me a glimpse into other people's worlds. I wish you all a Happy New Year and sincerely hope we all keep safe and healthy.

More London Christmas decorations

Annabel's club in Berkeley Square has been transformed into The Gingerbread House.

Meanwhile Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly has become an Advent calender.

Lots more to delight the eye inside the store.

Christmas at the Savoy

 

This is the Savoy hotel in London. Its Christmas decorations are spectacular. As a non resident I could only have a look in the reception area. Hope you enjoy a peep inside this beautiful hotel.

Anicka Yi at the Tate Modern

This is the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern art gallery. The building was once the Bankside Power station and this hall was built to house electricity generating machinery. The Gallery was opened by the Queen in May 2000. This huge space is able to exhibit art work that wouldn't be possible to display in most venues.

The current exhibition is 'In Love with the World' by Anicka Yi. Her work explores the merging of technology and biology. Here her machines float in the air by means of Artificial Intelligence.

Yi calls the machines aerobes and based their shapes on ocean life forms and mushrooms. She imagined machines evolving to become living creatures.

'The aerobes' individual and group behaviours develop over time, influenced by elements in the ecosystem like a bee's dance or ant's scent trail, the aerobes communicate with each other in ways we cannot understand. By merging technology and biology, Yi asks if machines could evolve as independent forms of life.'

'A team of specialists developed autonomous versions of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV's) to bring Yi's aerobes to life. UAV's do not require humans to plot them. Here, they each follow a unique flight path generated from a vast range of options in the system's software.The aerobes respond to changes in the environment including the heat signals of people nearby. They receive information from electronic sensors around the Turbine Hall, which act as stand-ins for their senses. This sensory information affects their individual and group movements, meaning they will behave differently each time you encounter them.'

There was something very calming and hypnotic about these machines and I followed their movements around the hall for ages. There is also something very unnerving about machines developing their own movement pathways. Entry to the exhibition is free but you have to book.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday

Chelsea Flower Show

 The Chelsea Flower show usually takes place in May each year but as with many events it was cancelled in 2020. However in 2021, for the first time in its history, it was held in October. Moving it from Spring to Autumn presented different challenges to the growers and gardeners. My daughter had managed to get me a ticket for this world famous horticultural event as an extra treat for my birthday.  Here are a few of the numerous photos I took that day. The show consists of displays of flowers and vegetables and show gardens. The photos are in no particular order.