Winchester Cathedral

 Last Friday I met up with my brother in Winchester. We could only meet for a short time, but as it was pouring down with rain we decided to visit the Cathedral. There was much to see and we didn't manage to see everything. Here are a few of the highlights.

There has been a church here since the 7th century but it was only after the Normans invaded in 1066 that this became a large Cathedral. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1093 and now has one of the longest medieval naves in Europe.. William the Conqueror's son was buried here in 1100.

The novelist, Jane Austin was only 41 when she died in 1817 and was buried here. The inscription refers to her virtues but makes no mention of her being a writer. It was not until after her death that her books became very popular.

This is the  baptismal font. It was brought from Tournai in Belgium in the 12th century. It is made from dark, polished stone and has carvings of the miracles of St Nicholas. 

The Norman arches in the earliest part of the building

This is a 15th century stone screen behind the main altar. Its painted statues were destroyed in the reformation.

The oak choir stalls are early 14th century and are decorated with human figures and carved animals.

Herat, Afghanistan 1975

I visited Afghanistan twice in the 1970s and these slides were taken on my first visit in 1975. When I returned three years later Russian tanks were on the streets. The main invasion took place in 1979 but troops were already there in 1978. I would like to have shown you photos but I wasn't foolish enough to start photographing an invading force.  

 However these photos were taken in happier times in 1975. They were taken in Herat where there was a funfair taking place. I assume it was in celebration of some festival, possibly the end of Ramadan but maybe not. 

 

Fungi

Conditions were perfect this weekend for lots of fungi.

Brompton Cemetery

 

Once the restrictions were lessened I have been trying to visit more underground stations. I started my 'Above the Underground' challenge in 2014. There are 270 different tube stations and to date I have visited and written about 125 stations. Ensuring I remain safe means not travelling on the tube as much as I did prior to the Covid outbreak. This means that I walk more between stations and also find other ways of  getting to them such as using National Rail. I have found that travelling early on Saturdays or Sundays means the NR trains are almost empty and I can open all the windows. 

I enjoy exploring the areas surrounding the stations as often they are unfamiliar to me. This week's gem was Brompton cemetery, a few minutes walk from West Brompton. Read more at http://62andthenext10pathways.blogspot.co.uk

Leicester Square

 There are 39 theatres in the West End of London with another 54 venues outside the West End. I wonder how many will survive this Covid crisis?

This is Leicester Square in the heart of the West End. It was 10am on Saturday when I took these photos. There was hardly anyone there. There are very few tourists in London at the moment which means many restaurants, cafes and shops have not reopened. 

I was able to photograph the statues around the Square with ease without anyone sitting next to them taking selfies.

Could almost be an advert for social distancing.

Don't think I have ever seen the Lego shop or M and M's without queues outside. There again it could just have been the rain keeping everyone indoors.

St James's Park

Last weekend I went into London for a look around. This is a very deserted Horseguards Parade.  There were no guards on horseback on duty outside the barracks on Whitehall.

St James's Park was delightful. The borders were still full of colour.

Looking towards a stationary London Eye.

A view in the opposite direction shows Buckingham Palace.

The Mall with the flags of the RAF flying as well as the Union Jack. The flags commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Hand feeding the parakeets.

 

Trafalgar Square

It is 6 months since I last visited Trafalgar Square, a place that I would regularly walk through or visit when going to the National Gallery. Just when we thought a little normality was returning, the number of confirmed Covid cases is on the rise and consequently more restrictions are going to happen soon. They already have in certain towns and cities and we are waiting to hear what is going to happen in London. So, on Saturday I decided I would go for a wander around this tourist hotspot and what it was like. I arrived in the Square at about 9.30am having travelled on an almost empty train. Even at this early hour there would be buskers and entertainers setting up ready for the influx of tourists but not today. There was hardly anyone around. I spotted the falconer with his Harris Hawk ready to do a sweep over the Square and keep the pigeons at bay. 

The National Gallery is open to the public but you have to book in advance. To allow for social distancing they have set up the National Gallery cafe outside.

A new exhibit on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square complete with its own drone and fly. 

'The End' by Heather Phillipson.

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