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My Canterbury Tales – February 13th day two

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged from Southwark to Greenwich, Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury tales, travelling round the UK on March 26, 2011| 5 Comments »

Southwark to Greenwich – possibly (?) in the footsteps of Geoffrey Chaucer. (and I have finally finished documenting this leg of the journey! – it takes longer to write about the journey & upload the photos than it took to do the walk)
The 2nd leg of my journey was meant to start at 6am…….hahaha. I only woke at 9am!!! Again I tweeted my about stops on my journey and sent photos along the way. Hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did 🙂
09:55 urgh! So much 4 an early start! Still in bed! Hahaha. Had awful nite; soft bed 😦 but just about to up & going 🙂 #njgtravels whoo hoo
I had really intended on making an early start, wanting to catch the sunrise, but after a really late night decided that the world could get on without me and since this was my walk, I could wait a bit before starting….no rush 🙂
09:55 RT of a quote – Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking. (Ogala Sioux)
I finally got my act together, had breakfast and with my camera in hand, was on my way. Hooray!! I kept my twitter app open on my phone and watched the tweets go by and it was quite weird how the quotes kinda matched what I was doing!
11:08 rt of a quote – Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow. -Doug Firebaugh
Then finally…..
11:09 I’m on the road again….tahdeedah I’m on the road again. FINALLY!! only 4hours l8! Hahaha. #njgtravels Good thing i have no train to catch!
Ha!!! of course I had a train to catch, a bus too. First bus 214 to Kentish Town, then onto the tube and the start of my journey.
11:11 next stop #London Bridge 🙂 This is like groundhog day! Only earlier #njgtravels
As a reminder of the places I had visited the day before, I made a quick tour for some more photos and then….
11:45 the adventure begins. 1st stop St George the Martyr church c12th century #njgtravels at last 🙂
It’s amazing to me to walk along these ancient roads and I revelled in the history of the area.
12:09 passed The George Inn, leaving London Bridge & Southwark Cathedral behind #njgtravels
Of course I did not stop in today, just waved goodbye and set my sails for Greenwich.
12:13 Tooley Str & Jamaica Rd part of Chaucer’s route? #njgtravels
Tooley Street; a road in South London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour’s Dock runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark side of the River Thames, forms part of the A200 road.

Tooley Street, an ancient byway survived many reincarnations

The earliest name for the street recorded in the Rolls is the neutral regio vicio i.e. ‘royal street’ meaning a public highway. I planned to follow Tooley Street then into Jamaica Street and thence to Deptford via Rotherhithe. First I passed London Bridge Station

London Bridge Station

This was the first time I had actually walked so far along Tooley Street. My usual walk would be on the riverside along the Thames Path. Mounted on the wall I saw an old WW2 sign that said “Is your journey really necessary?” …..uuummmhh yes!!!

is your journey really necessary?

12:26 now exploring unchartered territory. Never been this side of #london b4. #njgtravels
Hmmmm. Really interesting to see all the new buildings amongst the old. Passed a great little pub with a fabulous frontage; The Shipwright’s Arms.

shipwrights arms tooley street southwark

the Shipwright's Arms......a delightful entrance

I stopped for loads of photos along the way and could probably have done the walk a lot quicker but for that. 🙂
12:55 making good progress! Passed Tower Bridge, now in Jamaica Road. Taking a detour to look at the Thames. #njgtravels
Tower Bridge is just marvellous and certainly the most magnificent of all London’s bridges.

Tower Bridge - London

Once I reached Bevington Street I had grown bored with the buildings and apartment blocks on the route so decided to head for the river for a bit of a break.

Whoo hoo….I met up with the Thames Path…whey hey. I did not realise it ran this far. See…I have been here 9 years and am still discovering things 🙂

looking back along the river from the Thames Path near Bevington Road

13:09 okay. Have decided to follow the Thames Path 4 a way. Interesting things to see 🙂 #njgtravels
It was way cool and looked so much more interesting so I decided to continue along said path and find what I could find! At my point of entry I found a wee pub “The Justice” that had been used by Sir Paul McCartney for scenes from his film ‘Give My Regards To Broad Street’ and for his music video ‘No More Lonely Nights’.

Old Justice - exterior & interior used by Sir Paul McCartney

As it was closed I did not get to go in, another time perhaps. I marched on, aware of the time ticking along….that waits for no man!!! By now I was getting tired and thirsty and all the water in the river was beginning to look really inviting 🙂 and then….
13:14 hooray! I spy an Inn. This traveller is going in 4 a pitstop! Just met Dr Alfred Salter #njgtravels The Thames path is gr8
Wonderful. I discovered a sculpture of Dr Alfred Salter (born 1873 and started Guy’s Hospital 1889) and his daughter Joyce who died from scarlet fever aged 9 in June 1910, and their cat.

Dr Alfred Salter - born 1873

Diane Gorvin’s sculpture shows a kindly Dr Salter waving to his daughter Joyce who is leaning against the Thames wall with her cat nearby. It represents the “daydream of an old man remembering happier times when his ‘sunshine’ was still alive.”

Joyce Salter - died of scarlet fever 1910

Marvellous. I love discovering things like this…..our hidden gems.
13:25 whew! Gr8 to put the old feet up for 5min. At the Angel Inn, fab views frm upper lounge. Prop. Jackie a peach. Allowed photos 🙂 #njgtravels
Definitely worth the stop and something to bear in mind for the future, I stopped off at the Angel Inn for a bit of feet up and something to drink.

Angel Inn, Rotherhithe - a fine place to tarry awhile

The views from the upstairs lounge are fabulous and the Sunday lunch that was being eaten a few feet away smelled delicious. The coke went down exceptionally well and slaked my thirst. The proprietor was lovely and allowed me to roam about and take photos. The Angel Inn is a 19C restored pub on a 15C pub site, originally kept by monks from Bermondsey Abbey and mentioned by Samuel Pepys.
13:26 i dont usually drink coke but by golly this 1 is going down well. #njgtravels
The opposite side of the Thames is yet to be explored by this adventurer and looking across the river at the buildings lining the bank was really enticing.

view across the river.....begging to be explored

13:28 there are some awesome buildings across the river. Bear further exploration l8r. #njgtravels
After my drink I set off once again, but not before having a quick look at the remains of King Edward III’s (1327-1377) moated Manor House. Don’t you just love that we preserve these places instead of ripping them out!!!

ruins of King Edward III's Manor House - directly opp the Angel Inn

From there I walked along the winding Thames Path, marvelling at all the interesting buildings. I spied a Church that demanded further exploration: St Marys the Virgin, 14C rebuilt 1715 is the 3rd church on the site and Grade II listed. Features of note are: Timbers from Termeraire. Grinling Gibbons carvings. A fine ‘peel’ of eight bells. Tomb of Prince Lee Boo of Pelau. And has links with sailing of the Mayflower. Whoa!!! This little church was frequented by Capt Christopher Jones of Rotherhithe, captain of the Mayflower and apparently the Mayflower set out not far from this spot all those years ago.

Saint Mary the Virgin Rotherhithe

The little pub ‘The Mayflower Inn’ (1780 as Spreadeagle) displays a list of passengers who sailed on the Mayflower.

Mayflower Inn, Rotherhithe

The pub looks absolutely darling and I noticed that they serve afternoon teas there…hmmmm gonna have to come this way again sometime. 🙂 Venturing only just a few yards along I made another discovery…………
13:48 oooo! I just discovered Brunel’s Museum. Awesome 🙂 def gonna come back #njgtravels
Wow!!! how amazing. ‘A scheduled Ancient Monument and International Landmark Site’ the museum dates from 1842.

the Brunel Museum, Rotherhithe - 'A scheduled Ancient Monument and International Landmark Site' the museum dates from 1842

There are a number of metal structures, tiny replicas of some of his works dotted around the grounds of the museum. Definitely have to visit this area again. On the move again, I chanced upon a small enclosed garden and patio hidden behind a screen of hedges.
13:52 just passed Cumberland Wharf & the statue of a wee boy reading the Sunshine Weekly. Cute. #njgtravels
how cute is this. I am constantly amazed at the delightful sculptures that abound in this city.

reading the 'Sunbeam Weekly' - Cumberland Terrace, Rotherhithe

Besides the other wonders I discovered I also visited the Bascule Bridge which replaced the original swing bridge over dock entrance of Surrey Water.

Bascule Bridge Rotherhithe

Along the way I passed some girls collecting for a memorial to a friend who had died. Chatted to them briefly and they were highly amused by what I was doing and when I told them my twitter handle was ‘notjustagranny’ they burst out laughing. hahaha
14:12 rightio! Back on Jamaica Rd. Brilliant detour along Thames Path. Has started raining, wish me luck! Eish #njgtravels
After a long walk and further exploration I finally made my way back to Jamaica Road. Popped in at Southwark Park 1869 (63 acres, designed by Alexander Mckenzie)

Southwark Park - 1869

for a quick look see and after picking up a rather marvellous brochure from Rotherhithe station I discovered that……
14:25 btw its Sunbeam Weekly not Sunshine Weekly hahaha #njgtravels – So that corrects that error! 🙂
The Rotherhithe Road Tunnel 1908 looks quite interesting and the archway at the entrance/exit is constructed by parts of the Greathead Shield used to partly dig the tunnel.

part of the Greathead Shield over the entrance to the Rotherhithe Road Tunnel - 1908

14:36 mmm, interesting. Just did a quik detour to look at Rotherhithe Tunnel & Southwark Park. Nice. On the way again. #njgtravels
From there I had planned to walk along Brunel Road into Salter Road in a semi-circle following the curve of the river to Surrey Docks. But the weather had other ideas and it started to rain. So I hailed a carriage (aka a bus) and travelled in ….maybe not style but certainly in comfort out of the rain. (I am sure Chaucer would have done that same!)
15:00 now in Deptford = Chaucer’s 1st stop. Did what any sensible pilgrim wld, took a modern day carriage aka a bus 🙂 Its raining! #njgtravels
Geez…..I sure hope that Deptford was a little more interesting in Chaucer’s day.

looking along the road at Deptford

Not to offend anyone but it sure ain’t pretty. Mind you it was probably forrested in his day and they most likely had to contend with wild boar and highway men!!!
15:08 i hope Deptford was a tad more interesting in Chaucer’s day! #njgtravels …in the rain! Urgh must be insane!
It was still raining but I was determined to walk and not take a bus again, so ignoring the wet I soldiered on. The I spied…..
15:18 ok, Deptford…all is forgiven. Just spotted a gorgeous little church, St Lukes. Lovely 🙂 #njgtravels

St Luke's Deptford - very cute

Whey hey!!! Just spotted a sign that told me I was not far at all from Greenwich and my destination.

4.5 miles behind me from Tower Bridge to Deptford...almost at Greenwich

15:23 15min or less till #Greenwich if i dont get distracted! #njgtravels
Well famous last words…..of course I got distracted. A sign showed me the way 🙂 Hahahaha. I spied a signboard that told me if I walk thataway I would see a statue of Peter the Great. How could I not take a detour. Mind you by now I was dead keen on getting to a loo!!! and a cup of tea would not have gone amiss….but never to bypass something of interest I followed the detour and boy am I glad I did.
15:36 taking a small detour to see statue of Peter the Great. See! I told u 🙂 Fab view of Canary Wharf. #njgtravels
Wonderful, wonderful! The views along the river in all directions was fabulous. The statue was brilliant and not at all what I had expected. Had fun sitting on his throne (not quite the kind of throne I was wanting, but hey…) and surveying the peasants heehee!!!

view along the Thames from my vantage point on the throne 🙂

15:39 am sitting on Peter the Great’s throne. Hpe he doesnt mind 🙂 Brilliant views along the Thames. #njgtravels

a fabulous emsemble...Peter the Great towers above the wee man on his right and the throne on his left & a cannon

Tsar Peter I of Russia (described as ‘Peter the Great’) travelled to Europe in 1697-98 as a young man, to study new developments in technology, especially shipbuilding. He lived near the Royal Dockyard in Deptford, at the home of the writer John Evelyn, for much of his four-month stay in England. The monument includes one dwarf jester holding a ship and globe, while Peter standing next to a throne, carries a telescope. Next to the throne is an ornate cannon.
The statue was unveiled by Prince Michael of Kent in June 2001.
Created by: Cleve Severin – Erected 2001 to commemorate the Tsar’s visit

After I had had my fill of the scenery and sitting his lordships throne I headed back to the main road. The light was beginning to dim and I still wanted to head for the Royal Observatory…my aim was to stand on the Meridian Line. I bet if Chaucer had known he would be able to do that he may have postponed his trip somewhat!!! and yes……….tah dah…………
15:40 from where i am now its 4.5 miles to Tower Bridge behind me! Whoo hoo!! Almost there #njgtravels

And finally I entered the outskirts of Greenwich. Hooray!!!

greenwich book place and gallery greenwich london

Greenwich ......hooray!

15:55 I’m here! #Greenwich hooray! 4 hours 5 miles 1,000’s of steps & i am here! 🙂 #njgtravels
and now it was……………….
15:56 time for a cup of hot chocolate! Think i deserve it, am frozen! 🙂 #njgtravels
Hhmmm, on 2nd thoughts and as the light was getting dim………
16:03 actually, am heading up to the Observatory 1st. Getting dark & want to stand on Meridian Line #njgtravels 🙂

Whew, thanks heavens I had decided to do this first. The Observatory closes at 5pm!!! so I just had enough time to whizz thru, take some photos, stand on the line where east meets west,

16.19 - standing on the Prime Meridian Line, Royal Observatory, Greenwich

a quick visit to the observation deck and then head downhill……

the Royal Observatory perched on a hill overlooking Greenwich...the climb is a 'bit' of a challenge!!

I have been to Greenwich before and climbed the blessed hill to the Observatory. It wasn’t any easier this time around either!
16:33 whoa! The walk up to Royal Observatory is a challenge! The view phenomenal Stood on Meridian line 0’00 degr longitude awesome 🙂 #njgtravels

17:27 whew! At last i am sitting down! Journeys end @starbucks #Greenwich. Cappuchino in front of me 🙂 yay #njgtravels
OMGosh did that coffee taste ever so good. And it was marvellous to take the weight off my feet! I had intended going to Costa Coffee for a hot chocolate…..but it was closed!!! dimwits. After the coffee I meandered towards the station, first visiting the Greenwich Market, great place. I love the little alley ways and cobbled streets in the area.

narrow alleys and lanes of Greenwich Market

I visited St Alfrege Church as well…wow! Gorgeous interior. Made a quick visit to the Mitre Pub, looked fun albeit noisy so was glad I had changed my mind about sleeping there that night. And then it was………….
17:51 ok! My carriage awaits – aka the DLR – heading home= shower & bed! Gr8 day 🙂 #njgtravels

and again a marvellous quote to end the journey.
17:51 rt of a quote – Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” ~Henry Miller

underground at Greenwich station

after a long day and fun day of exploration, discoveries galore and doing what I love…walking, photographing and generally having a good time I reached home. And one last tweet for the day!
19:45 rt of a quote – Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~Mahatma Gandhi #quote

What a great time I had. Rotherhithe is filled with delights that I have yet to see, so with the brochure in my hands, my next visit will be more extensive and since I won’t have a schedule to run to I will be able to explore some more and definitely stop off for lunch at the Angel Inn, afternoon tea at the Mayflower Inn and visit the Brunel Museum and St Mary the Virgin amongst others. Another adventure!!

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goodbye Elizabeth Taylor; au revoir Mommy

Posted in family and relationships, It's my life, news from around the world, tagged elizabeth taylor on March 23, 2011| 9 Comments »

It was with the greatest sadness that I learned today of the death of an icon; Elizabeth Taylor. The first I heard of the news was in a text from my sister who lives in South Africa to ask if I had heard anything. I had not, but immediately got onto twitter and there it was 😦 – “Elizabeth Taylor Has Died at the age of 79 – NYTimes.com”

At that precise moment I was standing on the Stone Gallery of St Paul’s Cathedral looking out across London and marvelling at how lucky I am to live in this wonderful and beautiful city. My sister thought it was quite apt that I should be at St Paul’s on hearing this news.

As I read the newsfeed on twitter I felt an inextricable sense of loss. A deep sadness that threatened to overwhelm me at that moment and I found myself in tears as I looked out over the city. This may seem odd to anyone reading this blog, but Elizabeth Taylor, although I never met her personally, played a big part in my childhood. My mother was a huge fan of hers and we saw every movie that had Elizabeth Taylor in it.

As children growing up in the ‘backwaters’ of South Africa (I joke of course), to us, Elizabeth Taylor seemed almost always in the news; London, Hollywood and in fact ‘overseas’ in general always looked glittering and enticing, an unreachable world of glamour. It helped of course that she was incredibly beautiful and ‘appeared’ to lead a charmed life.

As children we, my sister and I, thought that my mother was incredibly glamorous, with her lovely long titian hair that hung down her back. When she dressed up to go out, we hung around admiring her outfits and jewellery; entranced as she ‘did her face’. We thought she was the image of Elizabeth Taylor and often told her that. Needless to say she scoffed at the very idea, but truly when she did her hair up in the swirls and curls of the swinging sixties fashions, she looked almost identical to Elizabeth Taylor, more particularly when she wore a turban on her head….an egyptian beauty in Jo’burg.

So as I stood there, hundreds of feet above the city, the wind was taken out my sails and I sat down on the bench nearby with a thump. At that moment it felt like a link, albeit a very tenuous link, to my mother had just broken. She, Elizabeth Taylor was only 79! that is still such a young age in today’s world. My mother died 27 years ago just a couple of months short of her 53rd birthday.

I have surpassed that age and next month celebrate my 56th birthday (urgh – I am far too young to be 56!!!) and it suddenly came home to me that it was time I made some changes in my life. I have been threatening to quit my job for a very long time now. I feel like life is whizzing me by, working 24hours a day/7 days a week with the occasional break and days off (of course I always make the most of those breaks & days). I keep finding reasons to not quit, like I have debts to pay, I want to save up for a campervan and/or blah blah blah! Frankly it is just total fear that keeps me from making the break!

And so, in that very moment, as the news hit home, and I sat there with tears running down my face, I made the decision to quit my job.

There is so much I still want to do and places I want to go and I am damned if I am going to my grave not having been to or done the things I want to do. “When people say, ‘She’s got everything’, I’ve got one answer – I haven’t had tomorrow.” Elizabeth Taylor.

So goodbye Elizabeth Taylor and au revoir Mommy, we miss you.

my Mother and daughter. taken 3 years before my Mom died.

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St. Patrick’s Day blessing

Posted in Fun Stuff, Holidays, It's my life, tagged irish blessing, jonathan swift and gullivers travels, st patricks day on March 17, 2011| 2 Comments »

may the sun shine warm on your face, may the wind be always at your back

An Irish Blessing (A Blessing from St. Patrick)

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rains fall soft upon your fields,

And, until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

(Traditional Irish Blessing; origin unknown, attributed to St Patrick)

A few years ago (ok so probably 13 years ago) my sister and her husband moved to Ireland. The Celtic Tiger had just woken up and the Irish Economy was booming. Them two were IT experts and my sister was hired by a large corporation in Ireland to be their IT person. She did all sorts of wonderful things, none of which I could explain to you since none of it makes any sense to me. I am so not IT literate and most of the time her IT language was like gobbledy gook to me. I knew she was speaking English but the words she used had no meaning in any context for me. I guess that’s how a foreigner would feel landing on our fair shores for the first time.

Anyhow, I flew over to join them in October 2001 to help her celebrate her 30th birthday and as mentioned in a previous post, I never went home again. 🙂 (I now live in London) So, arriving in Ireland was like a bird being let out of a cage and I revelled in the freedom I found there. I also fell in love with the people, the culture, the history, the towns and villages and just about everything Irish, especially the music and the dancing.

I also loved the fact that in the far distant past on my paternal grandfather’s side we have Irish lineage, in fact I believe that we are distantly related to Jonathan Swift. Although I am not sure I should mention that coz of course history tells us he went insane. Mind you, one would have to be a bit daft to write that kind of story. So whereas in the past I did not much contenance the fact that I had Irish heritage, and pretty much ignored it, once I arrived in Ireland I found a new sense of historial root attachment and made much of the fact.

One of the many things I discovered about Ireland that I loved, and there are many many things, was the above Irish blessing. I think it is one of the loveliest combinations of English (Irish?) words in history. The Irish people are true poets at heart, can wax lyrical on just about any subject you care to mention, and some of the most well known poets and literature giants of history are Irish. They have a way with words.

So in closing, wishing you all a very happy St Patrick’s Day and may the wind be always at your back.

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spring blooms

Posted in Inspiration, It's my life, tagged @HelpSavebees, snowdrops and crocuses, spring 2011 on March 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. Terri Guillemets

bee gathering nectar from crocus bloom

It is such a gorgeous day in London today. I do love spring and thrilled at the prospect of all the gorgeous blooms that appear to brighten our days

snowdrops sparkle with early morning dew

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On the ‘other’ side of the bucket…..

Posted in Fun Stuff, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, tagged London goes yellow in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care, Marie Curie UK Great Daffodil Appeal on March 11, 2011| 4 Comments »

daffodils for Marie Curie

Today dawned bright and early and I heaved a sigh of relief. I was scheduled to do an hour’s stint for Marie Curie UK in Hampstead in the afternoon as part of the Great Daffodil Appeal, and I was thankful it wasn’t raining. I have never done something like this before and felt quite excited.

At 12noon I headed off for the bus and in due course arrived at my destination in Belsize Park. I had intended walking across the Heath to Hampstead and make my way from there, but for some reason I misread the map and thought I would not be able to get there in time. So used the bus instead. Of course once I was on the bus, I had a proper look at the map and realised I could easily have done it. Ah well.

I arrived full of the joys of spring and bounced into the fund-raising office where I made the acquaintance of the lovely Emma with whom I had previously corresponded. The ladies in the office are lovely. Then it was time to kit up and before I knew it I looked like a very poor imitation of old Mother Hubbard.

heeheehee!!! dont I look just marvellous!!! not! certainly not going to influence fashion in any way

Hahahaha! what a scream. The hat was way too big for my head and kept slipping down over my face, eventually I had to fold my ears over at the top to hold the rim!!! Before I even left the offices I had tipped all my daffodils onto the floor. Amidst gusts of laughter at my clumsiness we picked them up and then I started off; looking scary enough to make babies cry!

In no time at all I was in Hampstead and proceeded to tempt passersby with my wares. What a great exercise in human observation.

First off I would like to say that people are really generous and lovely and I had some great interactions with folks who came over just to put money into my bucket with no expectation of return. I was surprised by two young lads of about 13 years or so, who came over and contributed. I got to chat to young and old alike, making many of them laugh with my exhortations of “can I interest you in a daffodil” or “step on over folks for the latest in spring fashion accessories….buy a daffodil” 🙂

It was great fun. It was interesting being on the ‘other’ side of the bucket for a change, and I made many observations. It pleased me greatly that many people came over, sometimes making a journey across the road just so that they could contribute and get their daffodil. I would say about 70% of people were more than happy to contribute. Some people just wanted to donate without wanting anything in return. Others were more than generous. Some people just laughed at me and commented that they were sitting ducks, yet more than happy to make a contribution. One elderly gentleman looking very dapper with a bow-tie and waistcoat came over to chat, and another bloke stopped to show me the scar on his head from a brain op to remove a tumour. One lady stopped to buy a daffodil and told me how they were fund raising for a friend who had cancer.

On the other side of the coin, so to speak, many people avoided eye contact at any cost. Many just looked right through me as if I had not even spoken, and others brushed me off with annoyance. Lots of folk went by with a ‘I’ll get one on my way back’ and never appeared again. Perhaps they went by after I had gone. Others did indeed come back with change to buy their daffodil. On the whole I would say it was a very positive experience and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Definitely something to add to my list of ‘things to do’ for the future.

If you would like to find out more about the Marie Curie Cancer Care organisation click here They do a brilliant job and I recall in 2003 they cared for one of my clients when she was dying. Not only do they support the patient but they support the families too.

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My Canterbury Tales – 12th February – day 1

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged canterbury tales, geoffrey chaucer, travels round london on March 10, 2011| 8 Comments »

So 12th February was the start of my big adventure, the start of my Canterbury Tales along the Pilgrim’s Route.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” Jawaharial Nehru
Following in the footsteps of Chaucer, I had decided to visit all the places in Southwark, that were around in his day. I was chomping at the bit to get going. I have already been to most of these places in the past, (recent past that is, not a previous life’s past!), but thought that for the sake of the blog, I should revisit them. (p.s. it has taken me 18 hours to put this blog together!! So for the sake of my sanity….please read the whole thing! 🙂 )
Discussing the adventure the day before with my Social Media Strategist, Cémanthe, of @NewMediaAngels, she suggested that I tweet about my trip and use the hashtag #njgtravels. What a great idea! Of course I can then use that hashtag for the next leg of the journey too which starts on April 3rd 2011. At that stage I plan to start from Greenwich and over the week with a bit of luck and lots of walking…….reach Canterbury. Hhmmm!!
For now I would only be doing the first two stages of Chaucer’s journey; Deptford and Greenwich.

geoffrey chaucer canterbury tales pilgrims route to canterbury

probable route that Chaucer followed to Canterbury

Since this is the only map that I have been able to find so far, I am going to assume that this was his route and follow it. ( pic via httpfaculty.arts.ubc.casechard346map.htm). The names of the villages were apparently all mentioned in his Canterbury Tales, so one can assume that one way or the other, he visited them on the way. And so will I 🙂
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1342-1400) wrote The Canterbury Tales between 1387 and 1400, about half a century before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. The first copies of Chaucer’s work were handwritten. William Caxton (1422-1491), the first printer in England, published two editions of The Canterbury Tales, one in the late 1470’s and one in the early 1480’s.

a sketch of Geoffrey Chaucer as he may have looked on his route to Canterbury

The last few days have been great fun, doing research on google (to which I am totally addicted), and finding out more about Chaucer and the Pilgrim’s route from London. (pic of Chaucer via telegraph.co.uk)
Also being able to visit buildings that were around in his day…..611+ years ago!!!….is just awesome beyond words. One of the reasons I love London so much is for that very reason…the history that stretches back over 2,000 years ago till well before the Romans even got here.

roman soldier museum of london london museum

pic of a Roman soldier – taken at the Museum of London (the best museum ever!)

So starting in Southwark – Visitors to the area included individuals such as Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, Sir Francis Drake, Geoffrey Chaucer and many others.
These are some of the places I have found so far:
London Bridge – in Chaucer’s day (14th C): Late Mediaeval: the Peter de Colechurch Bridge – There was a Stone Gate House on the bridge and on its roof stood poles where traitors’ heads were placed. This practice started in 1304 and continued until 1678. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell’s head was placed on one of the poles.
Southwark Cathedral – a place of worship on this site since 606AD – a medieval priory which today has become Southwark Cathedral.
Winchester Palace – the remains/ruins of a 12th century palace, London residence of the Bishops of Winchester.
The Clink Prison – 1144-1780 now a museum – The Clink Prison Museum is built upon the original site of the Clink Prison which dates back to 1144 making it one of England’s oldest, if not the oldest Prison. Now a museum (great fun for a visit)

Saint George the Martyr Church on Borough High Street – a church that was in existence during the 14th Century and before. The earliest reference to this church is in the Annals of Bermondsey Abbey, which claims that the church was given by Thomas de Ardern and Thomas his son in 1122.
and of course The George Inn – in it’s present incarnation, having gone through a number of fires over the years, and rebuilt. The George Inn was situated next door to the Tabard Inn from whence Chaucer commenced his journey to Canterbury.

Now, onwards with the journey…..I have listed the tweets I made in chronological order and will write my blog/s around that. There was so much I did and so many things I saw, that I am sure one blog will not be sufficient…..so I am going to break it up into sections and post them that way so as not to make it too long, but at the same time give you the full picture….so many brilliant places to see and learn about. And despite my having travelled extensively around London, I have not yet fully explored this area. It is as full of history as The City of London and Westminster….(little did I know at this stage just what I would find 🙂 )

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber
13:41 my big adventure starts today http://ht.ly/3VaUT – will do updates on #njgtravels – am very excited 🙂
13:47 whoo hoo…time for the big adventure to start. Southwark 1st this afternoon & evening, then #Greenwich tomorrow. tweets under #njgtravels
I finally set off at 14:50 heading for the bus stop and as I got there I sent this tweet:
14:56 oh!? Right. Gr8 start! Its hailing. WHEN does it EVER hail in #London? Geez! Hahaha #njgtravels
So there I stood at the bus stop in the hail and rain, a precusor of the what to expect on the morrow?! Like Chaucer I had to change carriages and whilst waiting for the next bus further along the route (and I hadn’t even arrived in London proper yet!) I sent this tweet:
15:05 OKAY! So now its raining AND the sun is shining? Is this some sort of weird send off or what? 🙂 #njgtravels

I noticed this advert at a bus stop and could’nt believe what I read 🙂

I had a few things to do and places to go before I got to my point of departure and along the way….. Finally…….
15:58 ah ha! Now wer’e talking! Sun shining, blue skies, puffy white clouds. next stop #london bridge 🙂 hope its still standing! #njgtravels
Finally after what seemed like ages I arrived at London Bridge Station and started my journey! First stop London Bridge.
16:55 its still standing after all this time….yeah yeah yeah! #london bridge 🙂 #njgtravels
London Bridge: in it’s present incarnation is about the 8th bridge on this site, the first being in AD80.

London Bridge – still standing after all this time

From the bridge I crossed the road towards Southwark Cathedral.

southwark cathedral priory winchester palace

just off London Bridge; Southwark Cathedral

The cathedral is quite awesome and although it sits below street level from London Bridge, is no less imposing for that. The interior of the cathedral is overwhelmingly beautiful and I look forward to exploring it more fully again in the future when I have more time. From there I walked the short distance to Clink Street on my way passing the replica of The Golden Hinde berthed at Pickford’s Wharf. (The Golden Hinde is a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1577 – 1580.)

the golden hinde southwark drakes galleon

the Golden Hinde – a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s galleon

Although this was not around in Chaucer’s time the area definitely was. The next stop on my walk was Winchester Palace, the ruins of which show the remains of the Great Hall and the now famous ‘Rose Window’. (It is believed that the great hall was built c.1136 and that the rose window was added 200 years later).

winchester palace bishops of winchester southwark cathedral clink prison

the famous Rose Window added 200 years later….note the 3 doors mid-way up

(The remains of Winchester Palace showing the Rose Window and the three doors to the buttery, pantry and kitchen.)
By now the sun had started to sink below the horizon and as you may or may not know, being winter our days are quite short, and it was getting dark. The lamps lining Clink Street came on, creating pools of light and chasing the shadows away, lending to the atmosphere of days gone by. Southwark Bridge looked ethereal in the fading light.

southwark bridge london england, river thames london

Southwark Bridge looking ethereal at dusk, St Paul’s dome on the horizon

My next stop was the Clink Prison (this is where the phrase “in the clink” was coined). Here I met the gaoler man! Fortunately he let me off lightly and did a quick pose for my benefit. I then retraced my steps to Borough High Street (Before the building of Westminster Bridge, Borough High Street was the only connection to London north of the river, from the south, a major communications node for traffic between London and Portsmouth, Dover, south-east England generally and also travellers from Europe.)

borough high street southwark route to dover and southeast england

now a bustling, thriving area – Borough High Street

Borough is now a thriving cosmopolitan area of London.
and onto Saint George the Martyr: – The present church is believed to be the 3rd on this site. 1) a Norman church of unknown appearance, replaced at the end of the 14th C by a church with a bell tower; demolished 1734. The church was rebuilt in a Classical style to the designs of John Price between 1734 and 1736. I explored the perimeter of the church and on finding a gate open on the southeast side of the church, (I am quite unable to ignore an open door or gate)….I ventured within the grounds of the church. Down a short flight of stairs I noticed…..an open door on the east side 🙂 I quietly slipped inside and to my delight, on the wall across the room was this gorgeous stained glass window.

madonna and child saint george the martyr stained glass windows 3days in london

Madonna & Child stained glass window inside Saint George the Martyr Church

I noticed that the graveyard was still open so stepped inside for a quick look….it was very dark so I didn’t go far from the gate! This area has links with Charles Dickens as well. Making my way back to Borough High Street I turned towards the river once again for my next stop; The George Inn; where I planned on having a meal before my adventure the following day.
18:20 at The George Inn, 12th C rebuilt 1677 frequented by Chaucer, Shakespeare Dickens et al & now me #london 🙂 its jam packed! #njgtravels
With no idea what Chaucer may have eaten, although he probably ate meat of some sort. (I found this little ditty on the internet).
‘A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones,
To boille the chicknes with the mary-bones
And poudre-marchant tart, and galingale.
Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale.
He coulde roste, and sethe, and broille, and frye
Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pye.
But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me,
That on his shine a mormal hadde he
For blankmanger, that made he with the beste.’
Translated into current English:
A cook they had with them, just for the nonce,
To boil the chickens with the marrow-bones,
And flavour tartly and with galingale.
Well could he tell a draught of London ale.
And he could roast and seethe and broil and fry,
And make a good thick soup, and bake a pie.
But very ill it was, it seemed to me,
That on his shin a deadly sore had he;
For sweet blanc-mange, he made it with the best.
Mediaeval blancmange was a type of moulded dish of either chicken or fish cooked in rice with almond milk. I chose fish and chips, a good old fashioned British meal….. or is it???

chaucers canterbury tales, fish and chips at the george inn southwark london, national trust properties, british traditions

mmmm…..yummy fish and chips with mushy peas

I tucked in with gusto whilst observing my fellow taverners (not sure if that is even a word), but hey, in the spirit of Chaucer…..I too can create a story! (Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400) The Inn was packed with diners, bursts of loud raucous laughter raised the beams and merry-makers doth abound!
18:56 mmm! Fish delicious. Chips ok. Mushy peas – psychedelic green! 🙂 at The George Inn Southwark #njgtravels
As a kind of after thought, I sent this tweet:
19:01 earlier i walked past Southwark Cathedral, Winchester Palace, the Clink Prison & St George the Martyr Church. #njgtravels
My next tweet conveyed my delight:
19:08 this Inn awesome. Gives me a thrill to sit here trying to imagine what it was like in Chaucers day, or Shakespeare or Dickens! #njgtravels
I cannot even begin to describe how it feels to walk, sit or stand in places that have a history linked to some of our most famous figures. Imagine if Dickens or Shakespeare had sat in the very corner where I was sitting!

william shakespeare george inn southwark london, national trust property

William Shakespeare, he who frequented the George Inn

Mind-boggling. My appetite satiated, my meal cleared away and my refreshment keeping my blood warm (Bailey’s on ice), I decided to head on home. It was my intention to start off early the next morning and catch the sunrise over the city from London Bridge, much like Chaucer had done (I expect). I then sent this tweet:
19:12 right! Time to saddle up my horse & head on home. Early to bed for an early rise! #njgtravels
After exploring the Inn’s upper levels and checking out the restaurant I discovered on the galleried section,

george inn southwark london, national trust property, charles dickens, william shakespeare

the upper level of the galleries of the George Inn, Southwark

having a look up and down stairs, I headed off into the night. It was quite dark by now and I wondered what the night would have looked like at the time Chaucer set out on his pilgrimage. I have searched through dozens of articles about Chaucer and his pilgrimage and to date I have not been able to find out exactly which year he started out, but I did find that he most likely set out in April. “When April comes with its sweet showers…then people long to go on pilgrimages”
Which is just perfect since the next leg of my journey is planned for April 3rd 2011!

part two to follow………….

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Marie Curie’s ‘Great Daffodil Appeal’ and London goes yellow

Posted in Fun Stuff, idiot category, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged HMS Belfast National Theatre London Eye Trafalgar Square Piccadilly Circus go yellow, London goes yellow in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care, Marie Curie UK Great Daffodil Appeal on March 3, 2011| 4 Comments »

...And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.

So a couple of weeks ago I decided to participate in the Marie Curie UK ‘Great Daffodil Appeal’ that was due to launch on March 1st. I love daffodils and they are my 2nd favourite flower after yellow roses, which is brilliant, coz here in the UK they are prolific at the start of spring. A fabulous burst of bright sunny yellow to brighten even the darkest days at the tail-end of winter.
I usually buy a daffodil pin from Marie Curie each year (now have quite a few 🙂 ) and this year I decided that as part of my increased ‘contribution’ drive I would register to do a stint as a ‘Daffodil’ lady and be a ‘collector’. My chosen patch is in Hampstead Village and I will be there on March 11th for an hour between 1-2pm 🙂 So cool, it’s gonna be great fun and I am so looking forward to the day. I get to wear a yellow apron and a great big yellow hat too, so should look fabulous at fifty!! hahahaha. (Okay, okay dissenters in the troops, I know I am not 50 anymore……)

fab at fifty+

Anyhow, as usual I digress. So back to the daffodils. I connected with Marie Curie on facebook and twitter and a few days later noticed a status update to say that in support of ‘The Great Daffodil Appeal’, London would #goyellow for one night only on March 1st!!!! whoo hoo. Get ya boots on girl!! However, since it is not easy for me to get time off, especially at night, I thought I would most likely have to miss it….again!!! I have missed so many of this type of event the last few years, but lucky me…..as things turned out that night, I could take off and go #walkabout to get photos for my collection….awesome if I may say!

I had a fab time whizzing about and covered a large area within the two hours I had available to me.

I started my journey at London Bridge (quickly becoming another of my favourite places in London). I arrived there at 6.31pm and spent a bit of time taking photos of the bridge and buildings in the area. I am totally loving Number 1 London Bridge, such a fantastic building. From there I made my way along Queen’s Walk past amongst others, the London Bridge Hospital and Cotton’s Centre which looks totally gorgeous at night.

the Cotton's Centre, Southwark

It’s such a great area to walk along and if you continued straight along you would reach Tower Bridge.

The night was by now quite dark and the lights glittered brightly on the water. I kinda took my time at this stage and felt as if I had the whole evening ahead of me! There were lots of people about, striding along, strolling, meandering, standing tight in corners kissing and ahugging! 🙂

London is such a people city.

I strolled along the promenade and then voila! There she was…. HMS Belfast at her moorings, looking ghostly and surreal; bathed in a yellow glow.

HMS Belfast moored on the River Thames, London

I faffed around taking photos, sending a twitpic and a tweet to say where I was when suddenly I heard the chimes of the hour!!! 7pm already!!! What? I only just got here! This also meant that I was now 15 minutes behind schedule and it was time to get a move on!
Making my way back from whence I had come, I strode along with purpose towards Southwark Cathedral which was looking ethereal in the night light, albeit not bathed in yellow.

Southwark Cathedral, London

I am so loving this part of London, the cobbled lanes and alleys of Southwark – lined with buildings that crouch brooding in the dark, lamp-posts cast pools of flickering light that dance and chase the shadows, dark corners, ancient ruins, riverside pubs, historical and modern side-by-side creating a tapestry of mystery and excitement. This ancient area is a mix of very old and very new, neighbours that span centuries, comfortable together in their present incarnation.

modern buildings like phoenix rise.....

The scenery along this part of the Thames Path is wonderful and along the way I passed some of our iconic bridges and buildings, enjoying the night lights dancing on the Thames. The Thames tide was out and the air icy cold. By now my fingers had begun to curl with the cold and standing in one spot to type up my tweets was an exercise in restraint……the temptation to pop into the warm welcoming doorways of the riverside pubs and cafes was huge.

St Paul's Cathedral - ethereal in the night light

As I strode along I kept my eye on the profile of St Paul’s looming larger the closer I got. It is such a beautiful building and looked quite ethereal and mysterious from afar. The Millenium Bridge now faintly visible in the night light, a beautiful structure and the latest of the Thames bridges crossing from north to south, a gateway to St Paul’s Cathedral from Bankside.

the Millenium Bridge gateway to St Paul's Cathedral from Bankside

I finally passed Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, then Tate Modern after a brief diversion onto Millenium Bridge to take a couple of photos of St Paul’s and the river.

St Paul's Cathedral viewed from the Millenium Bridge

Took a few minutes to send a tweet….despite the cold. By now I was way behind schedule! I do wish I could just walk and not get diverted by all the gorgeous things I see along the way. Under normal circumstance the Thames Path runs pretty much right alongside the river through London central, with the occassional flight of stairs to ascend, a road to traverse, then a descent back onto the path, that mostly runs beneath bridges and in the open along promenades both narrow and wide.

along the Thames Path

So the idea last night was to do just that. I made good progress till……..disaster! Blackfrair’s Railway Bridge; currently under refurbishment; and unbeknownst to me, the stairs were sealed off! Urgh!!

Blackfriar's New Bridge November 6th, 1869

With no other choice but to make a long diversion at a very fast pace, my toes protesting mightily, I finally got back onto the path, now seriously behind time, but I knew that just around the corner was my next goal The National Theatre and then EDF London Eye.

Whizzing along now at great speed my eye on the clock ticking merrily away, I finally reached The National Theatre. I could see the great granite block all lit up but sadly could not find a suitable position to make a decent photo. However, I did what I could, sent off a pic and a tweet, and then without further ado I scooted off round the corner to the London Eye, my next stop 🙂

the London Eye....yes it is a bit blurry...I was shivering with cold!!

What a sight; it looked fabulous. The photos I took at the venue were sadly quite blurred, but in my defense it was really chilly and despite the fast pace, I was shivering. Nevertheless as I made my way across Westminster Bridge, Big Ben enticing me on, I stopped briefly for a view that is truly one of my absolute favourites…..and looking back……there it was looking brilliant, bathed in yellow; the London Eye in all her glory, stealing the limelight from the London County Hall crouched just beside.

London Eye and London County Hall bathed in yellow

By now it was 7.52pm

7.52PM - Big Ben

and I was seriously running out of time….I had to be on the train home by 8.30 and I still had Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus to get to. Thankfully the route along Whitehall is a relatively quick walk between Big Ben and my next stop……Trafalgar Square! Wow! The fountains were uplit with yellow and looked absolutely splendid.

fountain at Trafalgar Square - the photo doesn't do it justice

I quick-stepped up the stairs, sent a pic and a tweet, then at an increased pace made my way past the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery and into Leicester Square, thence to Piccadilly Circus!

Hooray! At just after 8pm I finally reached my final destination…. Piccadilly Circus. 🙂

There on the board was the bright yellow of Marie Curie’s logo and details.

Piccadilly Circus and the Marie Curie 'Great Daffodil Appeal' 🙂

Sadly I missed the 7pm switch-on when the whole of the board was lit up with yellow, but I would never have made all of the stops if I hadn’t started at the other end of town at 6.30.

I had just enough time for a few photos and then back to Leicester Square for the train home. Piccadilly Circus was vibrant with energy, a kaleidoscope of colour, the endless flow of traffic, a mix of locals and visitors either milling about, rushing along or lingering, taking photos, sitting on the steps chatting, a swirling pool of noise and laughter filled the air. A fine end to a fun evening.

Then a quick walk back along Leicester past the Trocadero, the Prince of Wales Theatre, through Leicester Square, the garden area now boarded up and ‘Getting Ready for 2012’ (and the London Olympics) and so to the tube and home! (p.s. and it took me longer to prepare this blog than the whole #walkabout!! 🙂 )

Leicester Square - Getting Ready for 2012

So there you have it, and in my defense…..my mother did drop me on my head when I was a baby. 🙂
You know of course that you are either born mad or get dropped on the head…..mine was the latter! (Seriously!)

What a great life!! And just to finish it off, I have included the wonderful poem by William Wordsworth:

“Daffodils” (1804)
I WANDER’D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch’d in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:
I gazed — and gazed — but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

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on becoming a published author…for real :)

Posted in family and relationships, It's my life, tagged all about london, becoming a published author, photography in london on February 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

So a couple of weeks ago my daughter asked me to prepare 4 x 750 word articles & 2 photos, and 8 x 250 word articles and 1 photo, of my favourite blogs off my 3DaysInLondon.info website!!!

Easier said than done coz most of them are somewhat verbose!! and I do tend to ramble. But after a kick in the pants as a reminder…….I finally got them down on ‘paper’, edited as best I could and duly sent said articles and photos, not having a clue what she was up to. On receipt of said articles by the “NMA’ I got a message via text to ask if I can count?…. What!!!?? anyhow it seems I had not edited enough and they were longer than required and asked for! urgh.

Since I could not edit them any further myself I told her to go ahead and chop out what she thought fit. So that was that. Then I asked what it was for, but she kept *MUM*….and told me I had to be patient… hahaha!!
Yesterday I got a very excited message that read “HEEHEEHEHEE OOOOOOOOOOO HEEHEE” and then a 2nd message that read “HOLY ? I DONT THINK I HAVE BEEN THIS EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING FOR YEARS!” and yes, it was all in CAPS!!!

So I phoned to find out what was what and coz she was that excited, going away this weekend (lucky fish is in Norfolk) and could not wait for next week Wednesday (when were scheduled to meet), I said “come on over and sleep at my place tonight!” which she duly did.
Well blow me down with a feather dears!!! This little treasure of mine presented me with a book. Not just any old book, but a fully fledged, dust cover,

my first real book 🙂 .....published

hardback book and not only did the cover feature one of my photos, but inside it had my blogs and my photos!!!

my blogs and photos

how awesome is that! She has created a book: ‘All About London’ from my blogs! my blogs and my photos!!! how awesome is that!

This is the official start of being a published author. I know I had the ebook online some time ago…which will eventually go back up, but, this is for the 3 Days In London business that is coming along so well and at just the right pace for me. I am over the moon with sheer delight and would like to say a HUGE and MASSIVE “thank you honey” for this wonderful gift!

the credits and front photo

Further plans are afoot……so watch this space 🙂

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe

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Grandma’s house………..

Posted in family and relationships, Fun Stuff, It's my life, tagged memories are made of this, porcelain potties and grandma's house on February 21, 2011| 2 Comments »

ok, so the idea for this post came about this morning whilst I was lying in bed, busting for the loo but determined not to get up even 1 minute before the alarm went off!!! daft! As I lay there chastising myself for being so daft, I thought to myself…..”What I really need is a potty”! hahahahaha. and no I don’t mean potty as in daft, I mean a good old fashioned porcelain potty,

a potty - pic via antiques-now.co.uk

the kind that in the ‘olden days’ we put under our beds at night and used if we needed the loo……saved a long trip out in the dark of night to the ‘outhouse‘.

Blimey! can you even begin to imagine that in my lifetime (and despite the obvious, I am not actually that old) hahahaha, we didn’t have inside toilets. Truly. I remember when I was in boarding school back in 1964, when I was 9 years old, and I went home for the weekend with a chum from school to her farm. Their toilet was outside; a corrugated iron shack,

outside loo - pic via fotolibra.com

just like you see in the movies of that period, across the outside pathway that led past the kitchen and up 4 steps. So at night if you wanted to use the loo you had to get up out of bed (horrors), light a candle, put on your boots (in case of snakes – seriously…think Africa!!), walk down a long passage through the kitchen which was filled with all manner of spooky looking objects that came alive in the dark, a fridge that always chose to shudder and groan as you came through the door, open the backdoor that creaked on it’s hinges and with every ounce of your courage step out into the inky black night, with only a tiny candle to light the way.

a tiny candle to light the way - pic via flickr.com

So my first night there I, to my utmost dismay, needed the loo. I waited for as long as I could before actually wetting my panties, then I endured all of the above and ventured outside to the loo. I can tell you that never in my life (up until that stage) had I been so terrified. All manner of evil creatures with bad intent on their minds followed me down that passage, waiting at every corner to pounce and carry me off!!! And the worst of it was that you could’nt even run there and back, coz if you even walked too fast….the candle would go out!!!!!!! Anyhow, since I am still here…….

ooopsss and I have gone completely off ‘piste’ (duh! bad pun 🙂 ) so back to Grandma’s house. My grandparents lived in a massive, rambling house that had little passages and rooms going off in all directions. It was marvellous for small children and made an awesome place for hide-and-seek. My grandmother had a tiny room on one side of the house and next to that was a huge room (well it seemed huge to a 6year old), with 3 beds where I, my sister, my brother and my 2 cousins used to sleep when we visited. Oh! the tales I could tell you about those times……brilliant! Anyways, since the grandparents did not have a loo in the house at that stage we used to have potties that lived under the beds. They had lids that fit snug into the rim and when you lifted the lid to ‘go’, you almost passed out from the sulphuric fumes!!! Which in retrospect was probably a good thing since it took your mind off the spiders that used to lurk in the bowl. 🙂 hahahahahaha, just thinking about that is making me LOL!!!

Now bearing in mind, we were just littlies at that stage and getting out of bed in the dark for any reason was a nerve-wracking ordeal….you just never knew what had taken up residence beneath the bedsprings! To get out of bed to use the potty at night………mind-boggling! So you hung on for as long as you could, tossing and turning from the discomfort and just when you could bear it no more, you sprang out from under the sheets, grabbed the potty, lifted the lid…..had a squizz, slammed the lid back on and scuttled back onto and into and under the covers as fast as you could….shivers running up and down your spine, hairs standing up on the back of your neck and all the nights horrors escaped by a whisker!!! and in the morning, said potty had to bed emptied!!!! geez!

Thank heavens for indoor toilets. Not that it’s made much difference to my urge to get out of bed any sooner than I absolutely have to!!!

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the start of my pilgrims journey in the footsteps of Chaucer

Posted in Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged a walk along the Thames pathway, chaucers canterbury tales, more london riverside on February 20, 2011| 7 Comments »

….following in the footsteps of Geoffrey Chaucer (c1340-1400), I embarked on the first leg of my pilgrim’s route. As mentioned in my previous blog, after discovering that Chaucer followed the Pilgrim’s route from Southwark to Canterbury, I have decided to as much as possible follow the route that he took. It is my plan to follow the English route (or one of them anyway) from London to Santiago. Once I reach Canterbury it will be a case of, do I go via Portugal (which I am inclined to do) or via Spain? A lot will hinge on whether or not I have my British Passport by that stage (means I don’t have to apply for a visa).

So to begin at the beginning, I set off from London Bridge Station, Saturday 12th February at about 4.30pm to explore Southwark more fully and to visit the places that were around in Chaucers day. In the Middle Ages the area hereabouts was known as the Liberty of the Clink and owned by the Bishops of Winchester. After some research (google) I discovered that not only was

1) London Bridge around, but so was

London Bridge - 1st bridge across the Thames as it is today

2) Southwark Cathedral (circa 606AD)

southwark cathedral and geoffrey chaucer

southwark Cathedral - a place of worship since 606AD

inside there is a beautiful stained glass window with the words ‘To the Glory of God and in honour of Geoffrey Chaucer’,

3) Winchester Palace (only a small section of which remains) – Great Hall of Winchester Palace, originally built in 1109, the residence of the powerful Bishops of Winchester.

remains of Winchester Palace showing the famous Rose window

4) The Clink Prison (now a museum)

The Clink Prison Museum - a debtor perhaps!!!

Although a prison was probably established within the palace in the 12th century, the first mention of the clink was in 1509. John Stow (1525 -1605) in his Survey of London (publ 1598), states that the prison was kept for those that broke the peace in the Bankside brothels. In 1761 the prison was described as ‘a very dismal hole where debtors are sometimes confined’. It later burned down in the Gordon Riots of 1780.

and of course

5) The George Inn (albeit restored after a fire)

The George Inn - the last surviving galleried inn in London

and I also discovered

6) St George the Martyr – a church that was in existence during the 14th Century and before.

St George the Martyr Church - Southwark

These buildings have all gone through different experiences and many are restored after fires that have raged through the area, so although they were about in Chaucer’s day, they were most likely in a slightly different form. Although I have to say that the UK is very good at endeavouring to restore their ancient, heritage to what it was before any disaster that may have devestated the original. There were also some remains of the Bermondsey palace, but I could not quite figure out where it was, so will leave that for another time.

I have listed these buildings or the remains of or the current form of those that were definitely around in Chaucer’s day.

I enjoyed a very happy 5 hours meandering the alleys, lanes and streets (*) of Southwark, starting off of course from London Bridge, I walked through the grounds of Southwark Cathedral past Winchester Palace along narrow, darkened lanes to The Clink Prison Museum (where I met the goaler man),

the goaler man at The Clink Prison (museum)

back through Borough Market which looked bereft and kinda spooky, nothing like it does on market days when the market stalls are set up and there is the hustle and bustle of shoppers and marketers, thence along Borough High Street which being a route from Southwark, London to Dover was of course also a main thoroughfare in Chaucers day. I visited St George the Martyr church and had a quick peek inside, then made my way back up to The George Inn for my evening meal. The George Inn is the last remaining galleried inn in London and has gone through many changes, almost lost to fire at one stage and frequented by the likes of Dickens, Shakespeare and of course Chaucer and me! 🙂

a new proprietor at The George Inn

So although he did not set out from this particular Inn I decided to have my ‘pilgrim’s’ meal and pretend that he did 🙂 I enjoyed a good old-fashioned plate of battered-fish and chips with mushy peas (that were a psychedelic green),

my pilgrim's meal - battered fish, chips and psychedelic mushy peas

washed down with a beverage that I am positive was not around in his day: Bailey’s Cream…..on ice 🙂 The Tabard Inn, that Chaucer set off from has long since disappeared.

By now it was getting kinda late but since I was in no hurry I made my way back to London Bridge and set off along the Queen’s Walk which makes up part of the Thames Path that follows the whole of the 215miles of the Thames from source to sea, with a few diversions. What a delight. It was interesting to see London Bridge all lit up in red (fire!!!)

London Bridge lit up at night

and a bit further along I discovered Cotton’s Centre which is a monstrous glass edifice and just marvellous, I also re-discovered Hays’ Galleria and on venturing inside the huge cavern found a most amazing and fantastical water-fountain! A metal boat like something out of the movie ‘A League of Extraordinary Men’. All I can say is that if you have not seen it yet…..treat yourself, it is fantastic.

the navigators a water fountain in hays galleria

'The Navigators' by sculptor David Kemp, 1987

From there I meandered along the bankside passing HMS Belfast on the way, admiring all the new and beautiful modern buildings that have grown up along that side of the river till I reached Potters Field, City Hall and The Scoop and thence to Tower Bridge. The night was perfect, and the river sparkeled and shone with the lights from the buildings lining her banks, their reflections dancing on the swirls and eddies of the tide.

I tarried a while and gazed, entranced at the beauty of the evening. The Tower of London, sitting squat and ominous, her turrets and towers underlit with spotlights, seemed to glow in the night with an eerie, and ghostly life of their own.

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge; an amazing spectacle of colour at night, with light shining out so bright I am sure it could be seen from space.

Tower Bridge lit up at night

Around me citizens strolled arm in arm, pushed buggys or walked in groups along the path, bursts of laughter echoed across the water and the shrieks of children rushing through the fountains that decorate the square filled the night with sound.

water glass and light at More London Riverside

Eventually, mindful of my intended early start the next day for my walk from Southwark to Greenwich, I strolled back via More London Riverside through this vast concrete jungle, towering giants of glass, steel and concrete; alien space-ships on ancient land.

I once heard someone say that they always thought of London as being grey!!!! Well, never could you be so wrong. London is a vibrant collage of colours….just take a walk along the banks of the Thames at night and you will see what I mean.

More London Riverside by night

I also wondered what it must have been like in Chaucer’s day when the lanes and alleys were frequented by the likes of tars, thieves, prostitutes and pirates…..a dark and dangerous place indeed.

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