Kirkstall Abbey

I have just spent a few days in Leeds, Yorkshire looking after my youngest grandson aged 18mths and the dog whilst my son and d-i-l had a couple of days away. I am not that familiar with the area as they haven't lived there that long so I decided to take my grandson to Kirkstall Abbey just a short bus ride from where they live.

The Cistercian monastery was founded c1150 and continued as an abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in 1539. It is set in what is now a public park with a Visitors' Centre. museum cafe and playground.
 

It was very impressive even though the weather was not kind to us. We did manage to dodge the showers with the help of an excellent cafe on site. Obviously my grandson wasn't in the least interested in some old ruin but he did enjoy the slide and the swings in the playground.

sharing with Through my lens

Spring

 

Woke up to a covering of snow this morning. 

Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and Athletic stadium were created in the 1960s and it is still used to host a number of events today.  The sports centre  is situated in  Crystal Palace park in South London. The park was created for the relocation of Crystal Palace which had held the Great Exhibition in  Hyde Park in 1851. The large glass and iron structure was opened by Queen Victoria in 1854. Sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1936

A train station was opened close by in 1854 to transport people to and from the Palace.

Today trains from the station take you into Central London.

 

Chicago

 I am visiting Chicago in June and  am hoping to take the train to visit towns/cities within a few hours of Chicago. I have never been to this part of the USA before and am looking for some in house knowledge. I will spend about a week looking around Chicago which leaves me a few days to travel around. Where would you suggest? 

Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St Louis, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Springfield?

Would be grateful for any ideas you might have.

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral is situated close to the Thames near London Bridge. It is believed that there has been a church here for over 1000 years. Prior to that there was a Roman villa.  In 1977 a well was discovered beneath the choir, it contained a pagan statue believed to have been put there in the fourth century.

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee by Leifur Breidfjord.

Outside in the graveyard was a temporary stained glass installation for Christian Aid. Named the Beacon of Hope, it was difficult to photograph, due to the position of the sun, so I took these photos of some postcards of the installation.

New Year's Day Parade

  It was a mild day so I decided to go and watch the New Year's Day Parade in central London. It has been a few years since I was last at this annual event. Covid, of course, has meant the cancellation of the event in recent years. The parade had already started when I arrived but I was still not prepared for the number of people lining the streets. It was impossible to see anything along the route.

Having been to the event before I know the side streets where participants have to wait before they join the main parade. This is where all the rest of these photos were taken.

Most of these marching bands are from the USA. As well as travelling over here for the parade they take part in other concerts etc.

I lost count of the number of different bands waiting to move from their position around Berkeley Square.

I would like to have seen much more of the parade, but there were far too many people watching to allow me to get anywhere near. In future I need to be there much, much earlier.