tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36206564219202719642024-03-14T06:21:47.625+00:00London Living @ It's Your LondonThis blog gives you my highlights of living in London. I love London and run www.itsyourlondon.co.uk, a design and planning service for private tailor made visits to London.LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-50858040904119640092017-05-12T15:24:00.003+01:002017-08-05T23:53:33.701+01:00I've moved to a new site!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can find me now at <a href="http://www.itsyourlondon.co.uk/blog/" target="_blank">http://www.itsyourlondon.co.uk/blog/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope to see you there!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><complete id="goog_2089776131">@itsyourlondon </complete></span></div>
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-81752630320484833602016-12-30T21:25:00.001+00:002016-12-31T12:48:57.996+00:00What's on in London January to March 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I send a seasonal newsletter directly to members of my friends club but want to let my blog readers have the chance to enjoy it too. So here's a few of the great things happening in London over the winter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUSJBtRzemVnb12Rqu2EVLi21CxeCklHCZ6UBeiFSazktLHxgR_caagupFl8RQ-Ozn0BTJ7sm0hNt_NDgeFrMyc5-8B6qal2uz9uNAiy5R0YAPFOVIJJjLvZ4c4hZLu5yIs7bQqaapIk/s1600/2016-10-04+16.18.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUSJBtRzemVnb12Rqu2EVLi21CxeCklHCZ6UBeiFSazktLHxgR_caagupFl8RQ-Ozn0BTJ7sm0hNt_NDgeFrMyc5-8B6qal2uz9uNAiy5R0YAPFOVIJJjLvZ4c4hZLu5yIs7bQqaapIk/s320/2016-10-04+16.18.46.jpg" width="240" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">IT’S YOUR LONDON NEWSLETTER FOR WINTER
2017.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s
your winter 2017 newsletter giving you a taster of the exciting events coming
up in the next 3 months in our capital. If you want to hear more about anything
listed, or any other things you may have heard about, do send me an email
(sue@itsyourlondon.co.uk) and I’ll get right back to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A warm
welcome to new subscribers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have a
look a Sue’s blog on the website (www.itsyourlondon.co.uk) to read about what
I’ve been up to lately – a peek into life in London. I’m also on Twitter at @itsyourlondon
so do join my 4080 followers for all the latest news! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hope
you enjoy your newsletter, let me know what you think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Best
wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sue
Hillman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SPECIAL EVENTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">JANUARY </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One popular tradition
following the festive season is the January sales which offer massive bargains
at all stores from the small to the very grand, from a local shop to Harrods.
Watch out for Burns Night on 25th when you’ll find Scottish traditions breaking
out all over London so why not try some haggis this year! This year the Chinese
New Year falls in January, it’s a big event in London and in 2017 we will welcome
in the year of the Rooster.<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">FEBRUARY </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
is in the air with arrival of Valentine’s Day so watch out for special lovvie
events and menus at most restaurants.
Ready yourselves for Pancake Day races around London, one of the best
being at the Guildhall in the City where the livery companies race and toss
pancakes while wearing their very special traditional costumes! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MARCH </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">St Patrick’s Day is big
all round the world and London is no exception as the Guinness flows and we
have a huge parade and dancing and bands so get out that green outfit and join
in the fun in Trafalgar Square. Mother’s Day in the UK falls in March so treat
your mum to a special meal in one of London’s fabulous top class restaurants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">THEATRE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Kite Runner opens
at the Wyndhams Theatre and it will be interesting to see how they stage this
powerful story. Also tackling tough
issues, BU21 at the Trafalgar Studios explores a massive (but fictitious)
terrorist attack and the reactions of 6 Londoners who survive. To lift the
spirits, Thoroughly Modern Millie comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre, based on
the 1976 Oscar winning film and starring Joanne Clifton from Strictly Come
Dancing. Somewhere in between is a comedy at the Park Theatre called which is
based in a family’s frog farm in rural England and their 6 foot frogs,
terrorism and the mystery of the long dead mother! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> There’s quite a build
up for Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York’s theatre as it is an acclaimed
transfer from Broadway starring Tony Award winner Cherry Jones. The Boys in the
Band opens at the Vaudeville starring Mark Gatiss of Sherlock fame, offering razor
sharp witty entertainment – they say – its first west end outing for 20 years. Tom
Stoppard’s Travesties comes to the Apollo starring Tom Hollander, from The
Night Manager, and Stoppard’s dazzling comedic writing. The story that inspired
the film Calendar Girls comes to the Phoenix Theatre as The Girls with a
musical contribution from Gary Barlow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m really looking forward to
Don Juan in Soho starring the wonderful David Tennant at the Wyndhams Theatre
and have tickets for this already! The multi award winning musical La Cage aux
Folles returns to London at the New Wimbledon Theatre to lighten our
hearts. The indoor theatre at The Globe,
the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse, hosts Othello and the Old Vic takes on
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead starring Daniel Radcliffe. The Harold
Pinter Theatre brings us Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf starring Imelda
Staunton and Luke Treadaway and Conleth Hill.
An American in Paris, a new musical lands at the Dominion Theatre starring
Jane Asher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">ART GALLERIES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The annual London Art
Fair at the Business Design Centre in Islington is a big deal showcasing modern
British art from the early 20<sup>th</sup> century to now. January is when a lot of the big autumn shows
close so hurry to catch: Wilfredo Lam at the Tate Modern; Beyond Caravaggio at
the National Gallery; Rodin and Dance at the Courtauld Gallery; and, Malik
Sidibe at Somerset House. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two
new and contrasting shows open at the Royal Academy: Revolution: Russian Art
1917-1932; and, America After the Fall: Painting in the 1930s. The former looks
at the revolutionary art breaking boundaries, through Kandinsky, Malevich and
the Socialist Realism movement through other media including film, until
Stalin’s clampdown in 1932. The latter show has 45 iconic works from Pollock,
O’Keeffe and Hopper among others, and American Gothic by Grant Wood which has
never before left America. It explores post-crash
America in flux, with rapid social change and financial insecurities through
what is being billed as a ‘once in a generation’ exhibition. The Tate Britain
brings us a comprehensive David Hockney show, bringing together 60 years of
painting, video, sketches and photography. Wolfgang Tillmans work is in display
at the Tate Modern <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The National Gallery
will be exploring the artistic relationship between 2 great Renaissance
masters, Michelangelo and Sebastiano del Piombo from 1510 to 1540 in a new
exhibition called Meeting of Minds, through their collaborations. 2 excellent
exhibitions close in March: Paul Nash at the Tate Britain and Australia’s
Impressionists at the National Gallery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SHOPPING, FASHION, MARKETS</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The January sales are a
big event and massive bargains are to be found in the grand department stores
such as Harrods and Selfridges, designer boutiques all around town and the
reliable chain stores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
big news for February is the winter London Fashion Week which will showcase the
spring/summer collections followed by London Fashion Weekend when they let the
likes of us in to peruse what’s new and what we will be wearing very soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the days get longer
and the temperatures warm up, make the most of London’s street markets: Portobello on Saturdays; Camden market any
day; Spitalfields most days but best on Sundays; Borough food market Wednesday
to Saturday; and, Columbia Road flower market on Sundays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Alexandra Palace is hosting a
London Model Engineering Exhibition, so lots of railways but also planes,
tanks, trucks and boats. The Victoria and Albert Museum has a new show opening
in January looking at the Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London. The new
Design Museum just opened late November so make a trip west to check out the
beautiful renovated building in Kensington. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Science Museum’s big new
show will explore the last 500 years of robots from the scientific and artistic
viewpoint. From a 1500s articulated mannequin to the state of art 2017 life
changing machines, there will be 100 robots, 15 of which will be working
models. At the Victoria and Albert Museum you can visit Collecting Europe
examining the big question ‘What is Europe now?’ by travelling 2000 years into
the future courtesy of 12 international artists who then look back to now from
then to answer that question – sounds intriguing….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Book early for the
adult sleep overs at the Natural History Museum, Dino Snores! The British Museum
has a new show called The American Dream: Pop to the Present, showcasing for
the first time the museum’s outstanding collection of American prints from the
1960s through this turbulent time in the country’s history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">FOODIE THINGS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January sees the
marking of Burns Night and not just in Scotland, so seek out some Scottish food
to celebrate and bravely try some haggis in restaurants such as the Boisdale
and Hix restaurants. Kricket, a modern Indian in Soho offers small plates.
Tommi’s Burger Joint in Soho offers a change to the USA brands with Icelandic
burgers! Mere in Fitzrovia comes with a good pedigree as Monica Galetti, known
from Masterchef but mostly as ex Gavroche chef, opens her own place. Six
Storeys is one of the easily named places as, you’ve guessed, is an entire
townhouse in Soho Square will be offering all day dining and drinking. One of
my favourite French restaurants, Casse Croute, has a new location round the
corner, offering breakfasts and brunches every day called Pique-Nique which is
a little delayed from its original opening plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Steve
Parle from the Dock Kitchen (where he cooked me a wonderful meal recently!)
opens Palatino majoring on Roman cuisine in Clerkenwell. The Cheese Bar, a food
truck, settles down in Camden Market with top grilled cheese toasties. Nape in
Camberwell will serve cured meats, a deli and bottle shop, the meat will be
great as Cannon and Cannon run the place are famous for their quality
charcuterie. Rail House Café from the Riding House Café folk will be opening a
large venue in the Victoria area which is in need of some good new places. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Several advance listings say
‘early/spring 2017’ so it’s quite a safe bet that March onwards will seem them
hit the restaurant scene but apologies if they get their acts together and hit
February. Maple and Kings in Kings Cross will offer healthy eating – salads,
cold press juices and gluten free desserts. The luxurious Stafford Hotel is
having a refurb and upping its restaurant game with the James Durrant run The
Game Bird, expecting a very British menu. Another well-known chef, Claude Bosi
formerly of Hibiscus (now sadly closed) will be running both floors at the
glorious Bibendum building. A huge opening in terms of scale will be Ned in the
City from the Soho House group. Called Ned after Edwin Luytens, always called
Ned, who designed the building, it is a massive site and will have 8, yes 8,
restaurants, private members club and private dining (making 9 restaurants) , a
252 room hotel and a Cowshed spa and a gym.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">PARKS AND GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Twilight Tours of the
Tower of London will open your eyes to the spooky and gruesome history of this
historic site but please don’t have nightmares. Adult Ghost Tours at Hampton
Court Palace continue the scary theme….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Also at the Tower of London is Conquest, a
costumed live activity aimed at half term crowds who will be called upon to
help defend the Tower against enemies on all sides! The Banqueting House hosts
a big Palace Pub Quiz, such an impressive room to spend a fun evening in. If you are near Green Park at midday on 6<sup>th</sup>
February, hurry there to hear the gun salute to mark Accession Day to celebrate
when the Queen took on the throne – there will be at least 41 rounds!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. Kew Palace reopens at
the end of March after its winter hibernation so combine it with the wonderful
sight of spring flowers at the Kew Botanical Gardens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SPORT <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Darts kick off the
sporting year at Alexandra Palace with the last rounds of the world
championship final. Then the Dafabet Masters comes to Alexandra Palace, snooker’s
biggest invitation event. Also at Alexandra Palace in a busy month are the
World Championships of Ping Pong where they say the game is returning to the
mainstream! The football season pushes
through the 2 cup competitions with key rounds being played in the League Cup
and FA Cup with plenty of London teams on show. NBA Basketball can be cheered
on at the 02 Arena where the Denver Nuggets face the Indiana Pacers . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Six Nations starts with matches at Twickenham where we will be looking to
England to continue their winning ways – apologies to the other home nations
but I’m English. The football League Cup final will be played at Wembley. Netball
comes to the SSE Arena Wembley when England play Australia and New Zealand take
on South Africa in the Quad Series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The Six Nations continues and completes all
the matches through March, England’s last game will be against Scotland at
Twickenham. The England football team are on the trail to the 2018 World Cup
with a qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley. In boxing David Haye fights Tony Bellew in a
heavyweight clash at the 02 Arena. The
FA Cup reaches quarter final stage and I hope some London clubs are still in
the draw. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Black Sabbath and Ozzy
Osbourne take on the 02 Arena for their ‘last ever tour’ called The End! Also
at the 02 is Drake. Several venues have David Bowie tributes on this 1<sup>st</sup>
anniversary of his death, including the Jazz Café. Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna
with its combination of music and death defying acrobatics takes on a long
stint at the Royal Albert Hall. Ronnie Scott’s has some good shows including
Ruby Turner, Claire Martin, Manu Katche and Booker T Jones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Blast
from the past Donny Osmond comes to the Apollo with Soundtrack of My Life. Also
at the Apollo are Busted and Bon Iver. LeAnn Rimes plays one night at the
massive London Palladium venue. Green Day are at the equally big 02 Arena <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The Kaiser Chiefs come
to the 02 Arena as does Craig David and Olly Murs and the C2C massive country
music festival with some of the biggest names. Elbow play 3 nights at the
Apollo. A R Rahman takes on the Wembley
SSE Arena and The Who play an acoustic version of Tommy at the Royal Albert
Hall. Old favourites The Stranglers play their biggest hits on their Classic
Collection Tour at the Brixton Academy. The atmospheric venue Union Chapel
hosts Macy Gray and G4, and top reggae band Aswad play at Under the Bridge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Enjoy
London!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">@itsyourlondon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">v<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Everything
is current at the time of writing but dates, events and venues may change <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-60523642918499767172016-12-16T11:00:00.001+00:002016-12-16T11:00:32.100+00:00London's wonderful Christmas lights and trees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">London looks brilliant any time of the year but in the build up to Christmas London dresses up in its very best festive lights and trees pop up all over the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'd love to show you a few of the fabulous sights to enjoy right now in London. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Covent Garden is a good place to start as they have the best tree, in my view, and fabulous lights. This year's theme is mistletoe - ahhh... You can shop for gifts and enjoy some refreshment as you explore. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStQMN3ZLT-P9XDWjPfVeEZFTTLuXmbecH3TwSvsJaVJrJKYiZOtKudOMiOJ0NXaPyakH2i4-DzBXy6n3GEspQjPcCkNdmk5RO1NLkZ6b_ueIB4tA9qK1ypnW9eW673zxatil0OKD7_dw/s1600/2016-11-17+17.54.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStQMN3ZLT-P9XDWjPfVeEZFTTLuXmbecH3TwSvsJaVJrJKYiZOtKudOMiOJ0NXaPyakH2i4-DzBXy6n3GEspQjPcCkNdmk5RO1NLkZ6b_ueIB4tA9qK1ypnW9eW673zxatil0OKD7_dw/s320/2016-11-17+17.54.13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9UTGX7_V97civni4yW45hzrpT8g4kb95Gu5FX4aewnMqxBvAT4CiN1vRVkd6SsC3ep1bU6fa30FJyaOA0vzIqR6lIGHstY4fEW9f9q9rFRIJ4lAFDJqCvj8r7_yZmx_Dy8wakNuMmqM/s1600/2016-11-17+17.53.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9UTGX7_V97civni4yW45hzrpT8g4kb95Gu5FX4aewnMqxBvAT4CiN1vRVkd6SsC3ep1bU6fa30FJyaOA0vzIqR6lIGHstY4fEW9f9q9rFRIJ4lAFDJqCvj8r7_yZmx_Dy8wakNuMmqM/s320/2016-11-17+17.53.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv0TntQAlkdrN9PeNte5QBY2ustF1kU2yyiJMdgn8eN8-F6MPOHC2DYPicO1Ftqn_VXyESfWSpSn4vaCUCeBjHKFhsrElwXCuyDOXGIoEDp1hgXHYzojyRpCCpQR2KQadCfkyHSYJwAg/s1600/2016-11-17+17.56.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv0TntQAlkdrN9PeNte5QBY2ustF1kU2yyiJMdgn8eN8-F6MPOHC2DYPicO1Ftqn_VXyESfWSpSn4vaCUCeBjHKFhsrElwXCuyDOXGIoEDp1hgXHYzojyRpCCpQR2KQadCfkyHSYJwAg/s320/2016-11-17+17.56.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Queen's grocer (they have a plaque to prove it!) has some really unusual windows this year including the boy and the brussel sprouts and the turkey having a tug of war with a chopper! They are all beautifully crafted in the strangeness. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVbJQnSKLXJFTYzMes_TeA61Od6X3HnRGJnYr6dkjq8zwRa9Y3qRifPhFCslKpjwruUh-8hJv-GUjfw4SkE-KeiAM07kCxHGVU8WmotlS3iZYcxDU2aov6xZXKI1Eyc_1oonRkt3aHI8/s1600/2016-11-28+14.14.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVbJQnSKLXJFTYzMes_TeA61Od6X3HnRGJnYr6dkjq8zwRa9Y3qRifPhFCslKpjwruUh-8hJv-GUjfw4SkE-KeiAM07kCxHGVU8WmotlS3iZYcxDU2aov6xZXKI1Eyc_1oonRkt3aHI8/s320/2016-11-28+14.14.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_sSKzUzaS16vFlRNM7ipHDAXB8TWUDndG26IG9z5MHs7YuzpMc_AQqS2v2ktNbm60UAU_RyY3Z0V4K1vCOr8BiNKooT_lVb1n6H_DAQjxh3SQymvizhN1NxyWfIAE_vV-so5JL4xt_0/s1600/2016-11-28+14.15.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_sSKzUzaS16vFlRNM7ipHDAXB8TWUDndG26IG9z5MHs7YuzpMc_AQqS2v2ktNbm60UAU_RyY3Z0V4K1vCOr8BiNKooT_lVb1n6H_DAQjxh3SQymvizhN1NxyWfIAE_vV-so5JL4xt_0/s320/2016-11-28+14.15.36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year Regent Street had an epic fail with their decorations which were far too dark to enjoy so it was a relief this year to see the light, bright and very sparkly angels that cover the full length of this famous shopping street. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhyphenhyphend8S0s7860KBa9ENqAK8KgqXIczY-UF2Cm8DqHKJtvjQKRcG-iVnFCkDxKoxIXGwfRhxBFkEK53PvSwn9tQmo87I5ID9rLb4hYM7eDOlFAkbwh0c24CAB6-NN3rt1C_PD0jhUM6tyI/s1600/2016-11-29+16.50.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhyphenhyphend8S0s7860KBa9ENqAK8KgqXIczY-UF2Cm8DqHKJtvjQKRcG-iVnFCkDxKoxIXGwfRhxBFkEK53PvSwn9tQmo87I5ID9rLb4hYM7eDOlFAkbwh0c24CAB6-NN3rt1C_PD0jhUM6tyI/s320/2016-11-29+16.50.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kew Gardens goes all out with their illuminated trail which sells out so fast I missed out last year so was determined to book early and was entranced by their lights. The high point was a laser and lights show on the palm house, hard to photograph but here a a few to give you an idea of the magic. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7H2EG26dO6poDWgbGFxA-mtwlqnzgIz2FGgBpt6wOB6QCS8DHRJYgPaOE68H60GtKkOqNWZRLxrKOhzSuWAy7ouAhYm656IOzILBgrvoQeWH5gPXdPlgOCsF5hbP-sWt880ipVRK22E/s1600/2016-12-02+20.50.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7H2EG26dO6poDWgbGFxA-mtwlqnzgIz2FGgBpt6wOB6QCS8DHRJYgPaOE68H60GtKkOqNWZRLxrKOhzSuWAy7ouAhYm656IOzILBgrvoQeWH5gPXdPlgOCsF5hbP-sWt880ipVRK22E/s320/2016-12-02+20.50.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJTR0n0DTh0lZCUFGQUE5IqdYONORp1eUgyCnQ77vGvb4UNETzCdnIHv8incRvcTC-da-9ddZHs4x7Fc7cynkXNataS6_Ghec7J0SjrFV7bl687fMfq5O7GjWK-bxZYk722P_JPfQ7N4/s1600/2016-12-02+20.55.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJTR0n0DTh0lZCUFGQUE5IqdYONORp1eUgyCnQ77vGvb4UNETzCdnIHv8incRvcTC-da-9ddZHs4x7Fc7cynkXNataS6_Ghec7J0SjrFV7bl687fMfq5O7GjWK-bxZYk722P_JPfQ7N4/s320/2016-12-02+20.55.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4sgmIk4dPoWE5ZlYoj2SWcmGo6sEnSq5x-2-bfb9P1DkAYNWvklzQb3ilMrW_1WnrT3NBhUNj6_8lF-q6DQelkVKERKUdDkid2Zke8i78cRBHodUAXunMMyijMSfluzl0_Bj1dzoWA/s1600/2016-12-02+20.55.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4sgmIk4dPoWE5ZlYoj2SWcmGo6sEnSq5x-2-bfb9P1DkAYNWvklzQb3ilMrW_1WnrT3NBhUNj6_8lF-q6DQelkVKERKUdDkid2Zke8i78cRBHodUAXunMMyijMSfluzl0_Bj1dzoWA/s320/2016-12-02+20.55.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSzNtzizFKDTK4_mFvT6cofmpVkFyKVL7PTUEEsb2wvBfczXyEaLTWJktA-v1SFQlhrazJrf09cpdrsnpC6ef58kQ6SmdBTRKr2b3aE32ou3yv9xPZEtakVud7VmQM6l9DoN4AvNrjOM/s1600/2016-12-02+20.56.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSzNtzizFKDTK4_mFvT6cofmpVkFyKVL7PTUEEsb2wvBfczXyEaLTWJktA-v1SFQlhrazJrf09cpdrsnpC6ef58kQ6SmdBTRKr2b3aE32ou3yv9xPZEtakVud7VmQM6l9DoN4AvNrjOM/s320/2016-12-02+20.56.58.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ice rinks pop up in all of London's most iconic sights: the Tower of London, Somerset House and the Natural History Museum:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O_mMAPl65gFr-K74pmNLODdSK_BJlVbRVGjRFB3suAheZcmt4aCPGHbB4YJ9VcVyin3-cXKrbjwLM-GO2O3Bzilrh6eQ4Xouqef-hTm4dGbIjINSP2rUcS5IcnoK_S5RGc0BVV9og3U/s1600/2016-12-04+12.27.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O_mMAPl65gFr-K74pmNLODdSK_BJlVbRVGjRFB3suAheZcmt4aCPGHbB4YJ9VcVyin3-cXKrbjwLM-GO2O3Bzilrh6eQ4Xouqef-hTm4dGbIjINSP2rUcS5IcnoK_S5RGc0BVV9og3U/s320/2016-12-04+12.27.18.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzjQjGOBUA2ORHnspkW2CAsSZ7PXkWKBlvICJoXFMlCGfqmNR3Ybs9hFjRzXImoCsNZt2WtflXPHq3YGFEdwaemohBg375BoqGCy4vIIMpYx7wy7Lj7wuihoPbN6CNVCS1NQm4XDjAwQ/s1600/2016-12-03+12.55.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzjQjGOBUA2ORHnspkW2CAsSZ7PXkWKBlvICJoXFMlCGfqmNR3Ybs9hFjRzXImoCsNZt2WtflXPHq3YGFEdwaemohBg375BoqGCy4vIIMpYx7wy7Lj7wuihoPbN6CNVCS1NQm4XDjAwQ/s320/2016-12-03+12.55.47.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFSHJ2D50AdhS5HnTreOuNhmijHZBZnmUM_77NcRXnH6io5QZm1ghCVUzojqmqtxlmL3QjSJ9TCYyT3yj36HDkBGWMMw1jBeDTkiRL2btwxA9Z9j9NuJAOF3IzpfvNE9Gyx-49vboTRw/s1600/2016-12-03+12.54.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFSHJ2D50AdhS5HnTreOuNhmijHZBZnmUM_77NcRXnH6io5QZm1ghCVUzojqmqtxlmL3QjSJ9TCYyT3yj36HDkBGWMMw1jBeDTkiRL2btwxA9Z9j9NuJAOF3IzpfvNE9Gyx-49vboTRw/s320/2016-12-03+12.54.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Talking of ice, one of the more unusual trees was to be found at Kings Cross where a tree is trapped in an enormous block of ice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Strand didn't want to be left out and repeated last year's jolly decorations, as did Oxford Street: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And finally, the best festive afternoon tea, happily consumed at St Ermin's Hotel:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed a virtual tour around festive London, where it really is 'looking a lot like Christmas.....'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bye for now</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-21768457377298769912016-11-18T16:03:00.002+00:002016-11-18T16:03:49.857+00:00The Design Museum moves across London to Kensington<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWD7kfsPwjUQ-FFjwQb1O_MekBsrc4hWhkc-oj3QhJbDApV301wfbwp2Vac1or3kuFFRZcAW4sC9OxyUyhOeEd3s4FQMlzHXgJJjK0pxj1ZVoHQo16q0y7HSZCW-2rtqmmv_8KvXMbnc/s1600/2016-11-17+09.05.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWD7kfsPwjUQ-FFjwQb1O_MekBsrc4hWhkc-oj3QhJbDApV301wfbwp2Vac1or3kuFFRZcAW4sC9OxyUyhOeEd3s4FQMlzHXgJJjK0pxj1ZVoHQo16q0y7HSZCW-2rtqmmv_8KvXMbnc/s200/2016-11-17+09.05.23.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Moving the Design Museum to Kensington is the most important moment in my design career - so far"! was Terence Con</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ran's inspiring remark at the preview opening of the new site on Kensington High Street, London. He's put a lot of his own money into the development and move of this museum so he has every right to feel proud of this impressive new building. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rising from the relic of old Commonwealth Institute building, which has been derelict for over a decade. a new stunning home to showcase UK design in a world class space has emerged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you enter, your eye is drawn up to the roof through an enormous atrium and the revolving words 'designer', 'user', 'maker' are a splash of colour against the gorgeous pale wood and pale marble of the stairs, walkways and walls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shapes and angles in every direction remind you that this is a museum for architecture as well as design and I spent much of my visit just standing and enjoying this stunning space. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good design is everywhere, including the museum map which takes the form of a tear off sheet, reminiscent of a toilet roll! The sleek lines and use of natural materials are so attractive and reminiscent of the new Tate Modern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are 3 exhibitions to visit, however it should be noted that only one of those is free and my favourite, the Beazley Designs of the Year will cost you £9 for an adult ticket. The Beazley gallery has great displays of designs in a wide range of applications from bikes to clothes to ceramic 3-D printing, however it was the section of design used to save the environment that caught my eye. I love to see designers looking at the possibilities of improving the lives of poor people and caring for our world. Here are a few:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A smog collector which turns it into a dense, carbon rich powder that has been used in jewellery making: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A book whose pages can be torn out and used as a filter which purifies water that is not safe to drink and makes it clean drinking water. The pages of the book have the instructions for use printed on them and each page can purify 100 litres of water so a book could last a family a year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trainers made from recycled plastic found in the oceans:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As someone who has a very small London kitchen, the simple clever appliances designed in Japan for MUJI looked spot on. I was told that the objects you use most often have been designed with curves to make them easier for us to adapt to and feel comfortable with. The item with the spoon is a mini rice maker - clever!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The free to visit areas in the Designer, Maker, User section has a great time-line of design which was well worth a read and a wall of oh so familiar products celebrates the style of objects that shape our everyday lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other ticketed exhibition is Fear and Love, where you can explore the work of 11 innovative and thought provoking designers. Immediately, you are drawn to the robot, Mimus, as 'she' is moving around in her perspex box with that robot noise they make. I chatted with the designer and she showed me how Mimus is programmed to follow visitors around and look closely if she interested in them. It's rather spooky and not quite as endearing as the designer thinks......</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's more 3 D printing, wearable technology, a beautiful display of wool to demonstrate a machine that is able to separate fibres by fabric and colour, giving us hope that landfill for clothes may be a thing of the past:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exterior and the roof remain of the original Commonwealth Institute building remain as well as this splendid 1960s map which left us wondering what the difference was between the cream and the brown countries? The original stained glass windows have also been retained and can be found by the shop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Sir Terence Conran said, this museum will "educate, inspire and delight future generations and truly make a difference to the world around us." Sir T and the Director Deyan Sudjic placed a great deal of emphasis on the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy and the UK's place as a world leader in this area. Sir T feels strongly that government needs to "appreciate the importance of design to the quality of life of citizens and to the economy". On a lighter note, he loves the building so much that Sir T said "I feel I'd like to live here"! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course there is a top quality, good looking shop awaiting you and to spoil visitors even more they have 2 shops, one inside the museum and the other in one of the new residential buildings as you come across just off Kensington High Street. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More information about the new Design Museum <a href="http://designmuseum.org/" target="_blank">here</a>, including opening times and ticket prices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk </span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-69467611156137672452016-11-15T13:32:00.000+00:002016-11-15T13:32:21.301+00:00Welcome back to two of London's great houses: part 1, the Queen's House. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2016 has undoubtedly had some bad moments, upsets and losses so I've been seeking solace in my home town. London cheers me up every day with sights that lift the mood and as Samuel Johnson said ' when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'. Samuel was clearly from a different age and surely meant women as well! So exploring London is how I lift myself up and although new experiences are good fun, I really enjoy welcoming back old friends. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year we saw the return of 2 of London's great houses, both wonderfully refurbished. The Queen's House in Greenwich and the impressive Banqueting House on Whitehall. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part 1 brings you the Queen's House which was designed by prominent architect Inigo Jones and completed in 1635. However, it had taken 20 years to build during which time the original Queen it was built for, Anne of Denmark, had died! She was the wife of James 1 and it was their son, Charles 1 (more of him later in part 2!) who gave this beautiful building to his wife Henrietta Maria. This elegant building was the first in the classical style in England and would have caused quite a stir at the time. King George </span>lll<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> bequeathed it to a charity in 1805, as he preferred to be in </span>Kew<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Palace, and it become a school until 1934 when it was taken over by the National Maritime Museum. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reopened in time to celebrate its 400th anniversary, the house has undergone a wonderful restoration which incorporates new work and showcases its famous art collection. There is so much to enjoy here but top tips to look out for are: t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he Great Hall; the geometrical floor; t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he gold leaf in the ceiling by Richard Wright; the tulip staircase; the painting of Queen Elizabeth 1; and, the collection of fabulous paintings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you arrive, the elegant proportions of the house greet you:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Hall is Inigo Jones's perfect cube and retains most of his original features.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The marble floor uses black Belgian and white Italian marble in a magnificent geometric pattern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Wright, a Turner prize-winner, used the theme of gold leaf, found throughout the house, to add a feeling of lightness to the Great Hall. The original paintings were removed and taken to Marlborough House and Wright's work responded to the house and its tradition of the highest level of craftsmanship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tulip stairs are so graceful with these wonderful curves which are captivating They were the first staircase in England to have no central support, as each step locks into the next so supports itself. The original blue has been restored on the ironwork in a striking contrast the the pale walls. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmm0VOoNQyuGYle4IXMyY391l2hPIPzAFTWQB50I0fP7YusXIkNZoseeHNKycKHeBxiidxt3bhuxOWYH-V9MBDoSIQJpks91fWZCPKLhqShlLnyaGKta5XdUFWTzuCrep3Z6da95gBeo/s1600/P1240536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzKWIMnoRf0R1joEUT4YX1LkRU_CR-NROvFNBJoqKCykQhqJWhP0EvPh9QJGe18C2ks25AuulXK3Lc2jTksgovr5zf6yW4LFcmWI2imkET0uL89MOOYww4HUJKweuT2QrXjIBu2Qo_v0/s1600/P1240465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzKWIMnoRf0R1joEUT4YX1LkRU_CR-NROvFNBJoqKCykQhqJWhP0EvPh9QJGe18C2ks25AuulXK3Lc2jTksgovr5zf6yW4LFcmWI2imkET0uL89MOOYww4HUJKweuT2QrXjIBu2Qo_v0/s400/P1240465.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The painting of Queen Elizabeth 1 is the newest acquisition in the collection was saved for the nation this year by public donations where it can be enjoyed in person although the light in that room makes it a little hard to photograph! Elizabeth was born here, as was her father Henry Vlll, so it is particularly important that this painting has returned to her first home. This was painted just after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, a campaign planned by the Queen and her advisers, here at the Queen's House. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are numerous fine and famous paintings in this collection along with some more modern pieces, as well as some fascinating artifacts. Here are just a few to whet your appetite:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van de Velde The Younger </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting of a kangaroo by Stubbs who had never seen one! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A room called Face of War with 'ordinary' navy men </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LS Lowry</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Eurich </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canaletto </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This bust of Galileo has a hidden nook which is said to contain a piece of crimson velvet, a relic of his academic chair!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you leave, one of Greenwich's great views faces you so take a moment to relish the symmetry and grandeur of the Old Royal Naval College. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a great deal to enjoy at the Queen's House and amazingly it's free to visit! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more info about visiting the Queen's House, click <a href="http://www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house" target="_blank">here. </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep an eye out for part 2, the Banqueting House - coming soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk </span></div>
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-12349198295792877762016-11-08T23:21:00.002+00:002016-11-08T23:53:17.115+00:00A luxury dessert tour of London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was looking forward to a massive sugar rush when I was booked on a Luxe Dessert Tour of London. We met in London's most famous meeting spot, by the statute of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, although it's not Eros but his brother Anteros, but that is another story.... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was raining so umbrellas were up and raincoats pulled tight but our guide Lynton was full of energy and enthusiasm and was determined to make us forget the weather. Our two and a half hour tour around London's posh shops was a great way to explore the area, learn about its rich history and taste some wonderful treats. Our tour was a new one from Intrepid Travel's Urban Adventures and we were delighted to be trying it out!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide in full flow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our first stop was Fortnum and Masons, but not before we'd heard about Hatchard's, London's oldest bookshop which has been serving readers since 1797, including the Royals who get their books here. Opposite, if you look carefully you can see Albany House, which has been home to London's posh bachelors since 1802 including Lord Byron who'd pop over the road to Hatchards to sign his books. No need be a bachelor these days and rumours are that Terence Stamp is a current resident. On to Fortnums, famous for being the Queen's grocer, to lust after all their beautiful goods and their luxury hampers in particular. I wonder which ones the royal family enjoy with a cup of Fortnums famous tea. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC01Wuamy1TylECJKhIWg35rCH1smOObrc0vHT9lcsfa69UToJ4e4aG8GLGMxNk-kK8mKbcMGqXsRJhy1sKrSaD7-XqsVQOApMfXC75DOwKiosewYXuS_RAzR5WhXxG1d96pwYCTbVio/s1600/P1240702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC01Wuamy1TylECJKhIWg35rCH1smOObrc0vHT9lcsfa69UToJ4e4aG8GLGMxNk-kK8mKbcMGqXsRJhy1sKrSaD7-XqsVQOApMfXC75DOwKiosewYXuS_RAzR5WhXxG1d96pwYCTbVio/s400/P1240702.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra-ordinary biscuits </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI0CPtaNRVnKzFiTrJNERZ-o73D8cWipSuaILUdiFNrQn2XHvpKtaD5ljvx6Qm_o0b5NgB-Pgols2WzaH3tAngQWQAMmbUZmMpTwJeGrLdZyZ6pzVTnIGSg4QO4dgdjOsX0jcagp8cng/s1600/P1240704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI0CPtaNRVnKzFiTrJNERZ-o73D8cWipSuaILUdiFNrQn2XHvpKtaD5ljvx6Qm_o0b5NgB-Pgols2WzaH3tAngQWQAMmbUZmMpTwJeGrLdZyZ6pzVTnIGSg4QO4dgdjOsX0jcagp8cng/s400/P1240704.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glace fruits</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfyS5nTnO7FB45JUMj-mTXxtMTwBWn9J-_moYXsQtY9ZdxN40z57jN-cAhWDPcUkV-xlpuKkgiDvopvP0APLXxFRBCEJLodaaprIM5A4L_6YXr0ueVuv_ROewr9qy5GAQ6EE115m0lf8/s1600/2016-11-04+14.38.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfyS5nTnO7FB45JUMj-mTXxtMTwBWn9J-_moYXsQtY9ZdxN40z57jN-cAhWDPcUkV-xlpuKkgiDvopvP0APLXxFRBCEJLodaaprIM5A4L_6YXr0ueVuv_ROewr9qy5GAQ6EE115m0lf8/s400/2016-11-04+14.38.09.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd love this hamper for Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdcudWx-49iLRHUywPoP_1BIbyfo4zgOR-q9EYjqSXOe8FgKTrtSM7s5Q4Vy-Jih7sPuXkTdxCNeDl1OG3rnrb5rdkdSt_qWM4p7bcrGf39D9EsIoZ31lrs41Tmed3_TLcSuhJBRY4Ic/s1600/2016-11-04+14.45.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdcudWx-49iLRHUywPoP_1BIbyfo4zgOR-q9EYjqSXOe8FgKTrtSM7s5Q4Vy-Jih7sPuXkTdxCNeDl1OG3rnrb5rdkdSt_qWM4p7bcrGf39D9EsIoZ31lrs41Tmed3_TLcSuhJBRY4Ic/s400/2016-11-04+14.45.30.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea, Fortnums style </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We popped into the Royal Academy for some interesting history nuggets and a photo opportunity with an original red phone box, K2s as they are known to the experts. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDnskw1yEeoOO_dDdD7RdvusLxpvGy7WeWp2DIw6UkBUMqogEr4xtONtJkrVzgEoZpO3k-cQsmntIIVsLO_9aPEDLrHdyVRMgCTafCwS-6eVa9QKsnF70YOnm196Ef38SvsqxdfcRu38/s1600/2016-11-04+14.57.21+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDnskw1yEeoOO_dDdD7RdvusLxpvGy7WeWp2DIw6UkBUMqogEr4xtONtJkrVzgEoZpO3k-cQsmntIIVsLO_9aPEDLrHdyVRMgCTafCwS-6eVa9QKsnF70YOnm196Ef38SvsqxdfcRu38/s400/2016-11-04+14.57.21+-+Copy.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K2 phone box </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On to Burlington Arcade for our first tasting treat from the famous Parisian macaron shop, Laduree, which sells the most beautiful creations in a vibrant range of colours and flavour. They are just the right side of chewy with good amounts of filling and wonderfully moist. Burlington Arcade was the first glass covered shopping street in the world and is the epitome of elegant retailing with its own guards, called Beadales, who look a bit stern but are happy to pose for a photo. Dating back to 1819, the arcade's shops have offered top class discrete shopping to the stars of the past and present and to the Royals. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKgtCFwcevsb3AMtC258HoK8BZptg6Lt6zROU7M9Hg9eA7xroAlozD7vaVidqV-3RHB_yciaTDeCEYILG2kpqtjEGuWe1egs_owG4ifSjH3OL6xPJatCuVwaM4JjRgfSd_c3N2af3opM/s1600/P1240713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKgtCFwcevsb3AMtC258HoK8BZptg6Lt6zROU7M9Hg9eA7xroAlozD7vaVidqV-3RHB_yciaTDeCEYILG2kpqtjEGuWe1egs_owG4ifSjH3OL6xPJatCuVwaM4JjRgfSd_c3N2af3opM/s400/P1240713.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macarons from Laduree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefX-5LPXt7Pc33biYmjF3LFQ6zzJS_qTsxzM3IBvjNeDkczqOvNrhRy4NiSN7HNulXaEhZFxptzXPxrITIORCx82HbdHpy9N7TBYl5xUPJ_c1aIsMzVtdyYJjFhPC2Xv_51P-3wv1Pro/s1600/2016-11-04+15.17.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefX-5LPXt7Pc33biYmjF3LFQ6zzJS_qTsxzM3IBvjNeDkczqOvNrhRy4NiSN7HNulXaEhZFxptzXPxrITIORCx82HbdHpy9N7TBYl5xUPJ_c1aIsMzVtdyYJjFhPC2Xv_51P-3wv1Pro/s320/2016-11-04+15.17.19.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guarding Burlington Arcade </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUBRCiiz3ppY7sCRsiq8e3raUzh25CJ6uP2x4Tp6D58NcduIbluIavZ35Ybl4Ef7NV1ehB9JjxwWKY_LFetO4bMuZ2fyURDtL1LPzqoLhfeS3tA1-QxXugYOuVSNLprhqerghVVMwNOs/s1600/2016-11-04+15.02.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUBRCiiz3ppY7sCRsiq8e3raUzh25CJ6uP2x4Tp6D58NcduIbluIavZ35Ybl4Ef7NV1ehB9JjxwWKY_LFetO4bMuZ2fyURDtL1LPzqoLhfeS3tA1-QxXugYOuVSNLprhqerghVVMwNOs/s320/2016-11-04+15.02.27.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elegant Burlington Arcade</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On to Godiva Chocolate shop on Regents Street to taste these top end Belgian chocolates and enjoy their displays. We wove our way into the heart of Mayfair, passing by Saville Row to hear about the Beatles last concert which took place on the roof of their office building until a neighbour complained about the noise and had them shut down!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2GERgMdxJjbDa-R8qzkGZB5pJejYSGtbY3kAOQPlaFvKkm5fv3JzabUkRYmic1j5uqeFEkPj7aHJ3lZhyphenhyphenf45-Q-O5hvpV4wdm0Fxbe1zOX_0NrjgHEhYTiWiADEVDDojNDfap0C0dd0/s1600/2016-11-04+15.32.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2GERgMdxJjbDa-R8qzkGZB5pJejYSGtbY3kAOQPlaFvKkm5fv3JzabUkRYmic1j5uqeFEkPj7aHJ3lZhyphenhyphenf45-Q-O5hvpV4wdm0Fxbe1zOX_0NrjgHEhYTiWiADEVDDojNDfap0C0dd0/s320/2016-11-04+15.32.10.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty in pink </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GZnBiIGYNkR0iBugbUwHSVcOTotSGcJWakAxd7VgjyQkFh7iUBUecxk1zio-LZYsLhby-50VLLGNp_ocz-zN0koZD_lj-J3Sb2H3WHLHG60YRDgVdduesy0OoaOrcPjgQkQVA0Wa0rs/s1600/2016-11-04+15.31.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GZnBiIGYNkR0iBugbUwHSVcOTotSGcJWakAxd7VgjyQkFh7iUBUecxk1zio-LZYsLhby-50VLLGNp_ocz-zN0koZD_lj-J3Sb2H3WHLHG60YRDgVdduesy0OoaOrcPjgQkQVA0Wa0rs/s320/2016-11-04+15.31.49.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate snowmen </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our guide made sure that we had plenty of stories to entertain us as we walked around this fascinating part of London, he also pointed out signs and buildings and even found things that this London resident hadn't seen before, including these signs on the Bag O Nails club: </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKTs2OiTbRFmNOUGn3K0BRL8HwBRMCgg4VRMm7pxshoGi_S30PWm_7MPl2DhkBRZlygXJZQZp_d-nnZY2M5XqrwoNnhyphenhyphenpdtF2cRI6kbTu9JM6vvwX7J3qbRxB95Kf8WACQEfdEEv5jIE/s1600/2016-11-04+15.43.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKTs2OiTbRFmNOUGn3K0BRL8HwBRMCgg4VRMm7pxshoGi_S30PWm_7MPl2DhkBRZlygXJZQZp_d-nnZY2M5XqrwoNnhyphenhyphenpdtF2cRI6kbTu9JM6vvwX7J3qbRxB95Kf8WACQEfdEEv5jIE/s320/2016-11-04+15.43.36.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Popping into Kingly Court, walking through Liberty's and strolling down Carnaby Street, we got a real feel of Soho, its history and place in pop culture while taking in the luxurious feel of every inch of Liberty's. Then it was on to our final stop where the chocolate went into overdrive! The eccentrically named Choccywoccydoodah is full of extraordinary chocolate creations and is a feast for the eyes. We snuck up the back stairs to their secret room on the top floor where the highlight of our tour was their chocolate feast. Plates of chocolate cake, dark, light or triple chocolate as well as a variety of brownies greeted us and we dived in without much restraint. The room itself is a delightful fantasy garden and the staff were extremely friendly, passionate about their chocolate and very cool people.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWTf1qBX-b1fqVM0tvTrqJbbWXkSiPN9JZj-Nivuh5VBzzxAwnH_-cEyBurbW1krjFYyVKpuoVtXAtgzopvOA13849Z2YwlrRrnJLml7tiMzYzCwkeImRxxe_NxOCO_VIzOO1GoFSxlI/s1600/2016-11-04+16.07.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWTf1qBX-b1fqVM0tvTrqJbbWXkSiPN9JZj-Nivuh5VBzzxAwnH_-cEyBurbW1krjFYyVKpuoVtXAtgzopvOA13849Z2YwlrRrnJLml7tiMzYzCwkeImRxxe_NxOCO_VIzOO1GoFSxlI/s320/2016-11-04+16.07.05.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's some wedding cake!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fantasy chocolate pieces: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPxjgqY8xYtqVpwBnNWHPibvyO7Wz6tD0x_YGztxzxYMtRZ4JZ3S4-sZ_frzKMoGBXRA0xOxANMP3jXlTHu-VdZB-O3eSKkSneR39jUrneGq9gd8MN_COnNhE0AIbX7WnEcvfF3FhDhM/s1600/2016-11-04+16.06.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPxjgqY8xYtqVpwBnNWHPibvyO7Wz6tD0x_YGztxzxYMtRZ4JZ3S4-sZ_frzKMoGBXRA0xOxANMP3jXlTHu-VdZB-O3eSKkSneR39jUrneGq9gd8MN_COnNhE0AIbX7WnEcvfF3FhDhM/s320/2016-11-04+16.06.29.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massive chocolate pony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art deco style cake </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fantasy garden room:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFLv6LZnMMbkxOlsUzsIKvNVGpFhbgnQm4u1N2pUuy3fU9IPqMUYK83LK3x_fmzu6RaWjp4yVgdOt-Ruylz2GxC4VvYqw21evuDF4X5tieVKPvPNIQdQRRJrt8_9Wvo27UNZ100p1Qag/s1600/2016-11-04+16.13.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFLv6LZnMMbkxOlsUzsIKvNVGpFhbgnQm4u1N2pUuy3fU9IPqMUYK83LK3x_fmzu6RaWjp4yVgdOt-Ruylz2GxC4VvYqw21evuDF4X5tieVKPvPNIQdQRRJrt8_9Wvo27UNZ100p1Qag/s320/2016-11-04+16.13.44.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbTkqtni4af5A1pnJDpGuzjQWygvp7bZBwSBNvkFgEtHEEnXd04VnCdN9SkJA04sKgvAyUKhVUuZvxrRXqMAq1I3SRICn9LT-0i4ToHjenS8CQAjazjJdPGPWVrnsAVD4OzeIPRAPHLE/s1600/2016-11-04+16.10.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbTkqtni4af5A1pnJDpGuzjQWygvp7bZBwSBNvkFgEtHEEnXd04VnCdN9SkJA04sKgvAyUKhVUuZvxrRXqMAq1I3SRICn9LT-0i4ToHjenS8CQAjazjJdPGPWVrnsAVD4OzeIPRAPHLE/s320/2016-11-04+16.10.49.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And now the chocolate feast - there were several plates of each of these!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY39ni-WHWzRmThXaJj5rnIIfH69cFDQaGY06IYxcCreV105dSIO1YREuGhkHoOZC7c43manuhdX08UmWH48DWyBtJMSPCPGqUYks_aYBsPfEH3h6gAVM2aEcBgEjJfcJZ4yAjKNn3kcs/s1600/P1240718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY39ni-WHWzRmThXaJj5rnIIfH69cFDQaGY06IYxcCreV105dSIO1YREuGhkHoOZC7c43manuhdX08UmWH48DWyBtJMSPCPGqUYks_aYBsPfEH3h6gAVM2aEcBgEjJfcJZ4yAjKNn3kcs/s320/P1240718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was an enjoyable tour and we certainly had our fill of chocolates, while learning a good deal of London history from our entertaining guide. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find out more about this tour and how to book </span><a href="http://www.urbanadventures.com/london-tour-luxe-london-dessert-tou" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and more about Choccywoccydoodah </span><a href="https://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*** Full disclosure: as is customary in the tourism industry, I was offered to try out this tour at no cost to myself. This did not influence my review. </span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-42453029804577293252016-10-17T14:07:00.001+01:002016-10-17T14:07:31.329+01:00London restaurant and bar reviews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The restaurant scene in London is a constant delight with new places opening all the time. I do my best to try out as many new restaurants as possible while not neglecting my old favourites. This blog post will take you on a short tour around just a few of the wide variety of places I've tried out over the last few months around London. .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Barraka</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The area around Spitalfields, just east of the City of London, is a busy set of streets offering a huge variety of food options from the top end such as Galvin La Chapelle through to the pop up food markets by the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. I was invited to check out Barraka, a couple of moments from Liverpool Street station, specialising in Mediterranean Street food. We were offered the chance to try out their tasting plates as well as their freshly made salads - these salads came with a goodly portion of meat from the hot plate, although halloumi options are also available. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Barraka is well worth a visit for their range of tasty meals and for their warm welcome. Food is made to order and even their dips are made in house, giving familiar items such as tahini, a twist to the usual taste. Chips, a constant favourite, came with extra bite and soon disappeared and then we enjoyed watching the chef at work at the hot plate preparing our main. dishes. Barraka means 'blessing' in Moroccan and for this restaurant team, good food is their blessing to you! My tip: make sure turn up hungry as portions are generous!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjL1ri-AcYblO3PXXDA8H3BP1pAJFpm4Nf0stulHBVP2GBCk9TWUXBzhyphenhypheno7TayzqEXIZameCz7yyy0YVceWRz5oM0v8zIY7QIpWZFOkn1cBgtzEBhTvdbt_R3AKiBFTviV-9pstIiqFI/s1600/2016-07-27+18.36.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjL1ri-AcYblO3PXXDA8H3BP1pAJFpm4Nf0stulHBVP2GBCk9TWUXBzhyphenhypheno7TayzqEXIZameCz7yyy0YVceWRz5oM0v8zIY7QIpWZFOkn1cBgtzEBhTvdbt_R3AKiBFTviV-9pstIiqFI/s320/2016-07-27+18.36.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting plate of chicken and dips </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJTjDqTusBg-642eJNlTmCzIEhhm5xvTHDrp74L7L169BmT5KMZKnoMEtmiTIxb9J3jfr8J10cxLHRAnQoSrEju5aknuTke-KGJLGazncIRwO_IRdcXH0ZIwHGVmGZTK1Z3gQzZQN2zM/s1600/2016-07-27+18.56.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJTjDqTusBg-642eJNlTmCzIEhhm5xvTHDrp74L7L169BmT5KMZKnoMEtmiTIxb9J3jfr8J10cxLHRAnQoSrEju5aknuTke-KGJLGazncIRwO_IRdcXH0ZIwHGVmGZTK1Z3gQzZQN2zM/s320/2016-07-27+18.56.53.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another great tasting plate - love the p.ate too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uSBNnxMtgnAhgL_PjXIe5CPlRXwWtJYW9g0zac9HROx22K0xQhAyAhgywR_Sk7ZG9za6OVdkQywM0ttP38Zbi4OwGGQGbGOo110CmDTmSQKqlid2uZlPuS_nmE81G52daGD71XAwStk/s1600/2016-07-27+18.37.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uSBNnxMtgnAhgL_PjXIe5CPlRXwWtJYW9g0zac9HROx22K0xQhAyAhgywR_Sk7ZG9za6OVdkQywM0ttP38Zbi4OwGGQGbGOo110CmDTmSQKqlid2uZlPuS_nmE81G52daGD71XAwStk/s320/2016-07-27+18.37.07.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chips, but with a bit more bite</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking to order </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjhUAM5t5kDeUPG5u8ZzLVahiJJEaowLBeNph66EpvZcZC5lVZpnCJiK8o5NiUPeqDcISxyGt1PaxWFFu9WgiKFDTVTwkBcaIOhsDP3J2gIW_svJiNjIKypgoV7ECeiqwiKbRyiQFUaA/s1600/2016-07-27+19.39.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjhUAM5t5kDeUPG5u8ZzLVahiJJEaowLBeNph66EpvZcZC5lVZpnCJiK8o5NiUPeqDcISxyGt1PaxWFFu9WgiKFDTVTwkBcaIOhsDP3J2gIW_svJiNjIKypgoV7ECeiqwiKbRyiQFUaA/s320/2016-07-27+19.39.37.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My made to order beef salad </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Find out more about Barraka </span><a href="http://www.barraka.co.uk/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pharmacy 2 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Art and food are a great combination and when both are new to me that makes it a top experience. We headed to the Newport Street Gallery, owned by Damien Hirst to see his collection of Jeff Koons' work - yes, his own collection and the mind boggles at the thought of how many other great works Damien has in his collection! The restaurant, Pharmacy2 is a successful partner to the gallery. I enjoyed a light and flavoursome Portland crab linguine with chilli flakes. My friend chose the brunch salad, which was an unusual description but proved a great combination of healthy and filling, topped with a beautifully cooked poached Bradock's White duck's egg. The room references the original Pharmacy in Notting Hill with pill bottles and tablets the key theme, however it does not feel overly medical as it is a light an airy room with fun decorated windows. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portland crab with linguine </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDzqu7jmdR2H7k4AyJRwOJ3F0lk7J1DsO7vkiLEWd9EmG2EnJ4qTbAiQbNB1wbVUB-MmXfBlm5qoUEWc9lycMHZT8CcQ0iUY8QlZ-2t0fgwlWxxOxznv2KvfD25RskYirbNPKSR6EBFE/s1600/2016-10-04+13.11.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDzqu7jmdR2H7k4AyJRwOJ3F0lk7J1DsO7vkiLEWd9EmG2EnJ4qTbAiQbNB1wbVUB-MmXfBlm5qoUEWc9lycMHZT8CcQ0iUY8QlZ-2t0fgwlWxxOxznv2KvfD25RskYirbNPKSR6EBFE/s320/2016-10-04+13.11.40.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brunch salad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv7v1YVzHvhB1QP6UgTDaOq0OuP45ylUoR3BqPWgfQ2dhkvV5mG0UkEzsL11Pjvixn_I4LGNuyfbjXBTDXF9Ce9vKODopl877m20KtzgA29Spqb3IQPAjtAkGZEThxj7SmUCFPHBbU5c/s1600/2016-10-04+12.50.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv7v1YVzHvhB1QP6UgTDaOq0OuP45ylUoR3BqPWgfQ2dhkvV5mG0UkEzsL11Pjvixn_I4LGNuyfbjXBTDXF9Ce9vKODopl877m20KtzgA29Spqb3IQPAjtAkGZEThxj7SmUCFPHBbU5c/s320/2016-10-04+12.50.37.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walls lined with pill bottles at Pharmacy2 </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymB84SFGrwbS5sfwG_J1SigVjebPyKigC4I5Qy58F-_kbK2-AC7J6qCgHAFyZCGsG3MyLRP54UFKK4ws8lcHWiBR-xUYxN6u0IZhszesMaL7odvCHA4heZFKF_ajFrhAHZpGziQLFYYs/s1600/2016-10-04+12.58.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymB84SFGrwbS5sfwG_J1SigVjebPyKigC4I5Qy58F-_kbK2-AC7J6qCgHAFyZCGsG3MyLRP54UFKK4ws8lcHWiBR-xUYxN6u0IZhszesMaL7odvCHA4heZFKF_ajFrhAHZpGziQLFYYs/s320/2016-10-04+12.58.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pharmacy2 windows</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More on Pharmacy2 <a href="http://www.pharmacyrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">here. </a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Traders Wine Bar</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St Katherine's Dock is one of my favourite hidden gems although as it grows as a foodie destination it's becoming less hidden so I'm happy to praise a new arrival. Traders Wine Bar, has opened up on an impressive corner site with wonderful picture windows. Inside you can feel the history in the large wooden beams and the decorative nods to a nautical past. Traders majors on oysters, supplied by the Wright Brothers, whose fish restaurants I have enjoyed on many occasions. I'm not too keen on oysters but was fascinated to hear about the range of oysters they serve and the different parts of the country their natives hail from. My companions managed to get through several plates without any difficulty, taking the advice to chew not swallow! I was keen to see the charcuterie and cheese plate arrive and I was not disappointed. We were treated to a good range of hams and salamis with four soft and hard cheeses and a pot of rillettes, always a favourite. We chose the English sparkling rose from Digby wines to accompany our food and I can highly recommend its fizz and flavour which easily competes with champagne. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traders Wine Bar's corner location </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxMcI6vlBlT8skYdbc2QqHdC8OwbLsoXWmemGNWuaoo4uvpwUCJGTUtnL0qkVSqPqymxFzgUANw52bojYV0KON8_XnLePs4zEBEmQVNIHFfT9TrjxkJYcoRBotXpOvVxShtW_p-uhiFU/s1600/2016-10-04+18.40.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxMcI6vlBlT8skYdbc2QqHdC8OwbLsoXWmemGNWuaoo4uvpwUCJGTUtnL0qkVSqPqymxFzgUANw52bojYV0KON8_XnLePs4zEBEmQVNIHFfT9TrjxkJYcoRBotXpOvVxShtW_p-uhiFU/s320/2016-10-04+18.40.32.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wright Brothers' oysters and Digby Wines' pink sparkling </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fine board of charcuterie and cheeses </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out Traders Wine Bar </span><a href="http://www.traderswine.co.uk/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Chipping Forecast</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This punningly titled restaurant prides itself on being 'hook to Hill', the Hill being Notting Hill where they have recently opened on All Saints Road. I watched the site as it was being developed and chatted to the owners before opening so got a strong sense of their passion for fresh fish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The room has a good rustic feel and the staff are friendly and welcoming. We went straight for the fish, cod was our choice, and chips to test this classic dish but they do offer a range of other ways to eat your fish such as fish pie and fish cakes. The fish itself comes from Cornwall, brought to us by small sustainable fleets and arriving on our plate in under 48 hours - their hook to Hill promise! The cod, fried in beef dripping gives an extremely light batter which is a delight as all too often a full heavy batter drowns the fish and leaves a greasy after taste - no danger of that here. The triple cooked chips were crispy and the tartar was more like a bernaise to my taste but went well with the chunky chips. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUleHSDxIgxRaOl8Crwa6mKfugoQamE5DDyn3pTc9ocxAnMqiWvUYZEu6ebWiIef51Ql5hQs-54UZl4m7KrI2TQYvYjSOWhX6s40ehx_I29bxK_d7iK7kICnQYGhxCnEtJFUSVtaYhDPA/s1600/2016-10-06+16.32.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUleHSDxIgxRaOl8Crwa6mKfugoQamE5DDyn3pTc9ocxAnMqiWvUYZEu6ebWiIef51Ql5hQs-54UZl4m7KrI2TQYvYjSOWhX6s40ehx_I29bxK_d7iK7kICnQYGhxCnEtJFUSVtaYhDPA/s320/2016-10-06+16.32.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rustic look of the Chipping Forecase</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaykfH2TPPckNGK9h9TkC7riL0L52WzNGKhFSmm4Nnw88VLRBhSDb1jihAcK3UkiCkjynRoeS19WYlYxZQa_q2ybLnmydcPisXRHGUGpfAdIrw_JsOaQ3XttNhhkOFZ24LHU32YEyc-6U/s1600/2016-10-01+20.36.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaykfH2TPPckNGK9h9TkC7riL0L52WzNGKhFSmm4Nnw88VLRBhSDb1jihAcK3UkiCkjynRoeS19WYlYxZQa_q2ybLnmydcPisXRHGUGpfAdIrw_JsOaQ3XttNhhkOFZ24LHU32YEyc-6U/s320/2016-10-01+20.36.27.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Cod and chips </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We spotted that they are now open for breakfast and as they are just around the corner, that's a tempting offer....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find out more about the Chipping Forecast <a href="http://chippingforecast.com/" target="_blank">here. </a></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Scarfe's Bar, Rosewood Hotel.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've enjoyed several evenings of cocktails at Scarfe's Bar so dropped in one lunchtime to see what was on offer. I was surprised to find the menu featured curries, Indian bar snacks and kebabs which is not the classic lunch in a posh hotel </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmHGnDJRppKoPcso7KRLDTToa6judFyYkYmXLjbBEvtRJSun9yScYg7aHW35-BOleFS7YQcVIGcLIcyR-BuOnIMHgUM-NrOFbXPpIOeW_aPttuUx4RpfVANWp6esA8VZnYmbwnalPjz8/s1600/2016-09-02+13.13.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmHGnDJRppKoPcso7KRLDTToa6judFyYkYmXLjbBEvtRJSun9yScYg7aHW35-BOleFS7YQcVIGcLIcyR-BuOnIMHgUM-NrOFbXPpIOeW_aPttuUx4RpfVANWp6esA8VZnYmbwnalPjz8/s320/2016-09-02+13.13.17.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beans with light rice </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0Sb4fm3Qt52b9RWnmgzkNqnU0Auf4KovGfxxURBkzq7Q3t5xByRsbqnqyBf7r1AICfTSe0DfwQCeUXyKkOnTUCojGLC4nLwjIOQKF6kCpK_kyH3QLkUDz7FYVTDvnhfVTcRhfUdDADQ/s1600/2016-09-02+13.13.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0Sb4fm3Qt52b9RWnmgzkNqnU0Auf4KovGfxxURBkzq7Q3t5xByRsbqnqyBf7r1AICfTSe0DfwQCeUXyKkOnTUCojGLC4nLwjIOQKF6kCpK_kyH3QLkUDz7FYVTDvnhfVTcRhfUdDADQ/s320/2016-09-02+13.13.24.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dips and chicken </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both dishes were full of delicate flavours and beautifully presented. I had the tasty beans with a portion of light rice and my friend had the sample plate with chicken, dips and beans. The bar itself is a beautiful room, by day or night and the hotel is a stylish addition to the Holborn area. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJBc_spdQhfch7sNyddhk3FX17iJvpXcywSK1grL3unxK43Ehlz5oIsebxCrBtv63GFInMSdvvFIoL1a-MlkdtLS84QQUC2kNnMzVqj90hWi-ph8qNkQgIMeUKk6gcbeQ5KIHpLH_HTk/s1600/2016-09-02+12.54.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJBc_spdQhfch7sNyddhk3FX17iJvpXcywSK1grL3unxK43Ehlz5oIsebxCrBtv63GFInMSdvvFIoL1a-MlkdtLS84QQUC2kNnMzVqj90hWi-ph8qNkQgIMeUKk6gcbeQ5KIHpLH_HTk/s320/2016-09-02+12.54.44.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful Scarf'e's bar </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out Scarfe's Bar </span><a href="https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/london/dining/Scarfes-Bar" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep an eye on my blog for more food and drink testing to come over the coming months....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Full disclosure: I was invited to Barraka and Traders Wine bar as is customary in the travel industry but this has not influenced my views. All other venues we paid for ourselves. </span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-70223598090962610542016-10-10T17:54:00.000+01:002016-10-10T17:54:29.521+01:00A stroll around London's Frieze Art Fair 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi216R-97Jt2a5he6LKpCqBzuhP8YsJwbPuKZiD17uFuddEXy-nVq448O5m47iL_zbNqlh6cdrN7tqVmaG-BnPVOfquLdpT1yUfUPeVqn6EmNH0DK071iSR3kPumYDrzN6nYxHg8S3vp_8/s1600/2016-10-07+12.22.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi216R-97Jt2a5he6LKpCqBzuhP8YsJwbPuKZiD17uFuddEXy-nVq448O5m47iL_zbNqlh6cdrN7tqVmaG-BnPVOfquLdpT1yUfUPeVqn6EmNH0DK071iSR3kPumYDrzN6nYxHg8S3vp_8/s200/2016-10-07+12.22.08.jpg" width="170" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">London hosts a large number of art fairs in October but the daddy of them all is Frieze where the world's top galleries gather in a huge marquee in Regent's Park to show off their best wares. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I go each year with a friend who lectures in Fine Art so I get the best low down on what we are seeing. You can discover new artists but also find new work from established favourites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't see much I would want to buy but was sure there was little I could afford, although it's hard to tell as it is a world without price tags!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are just a few of the works you might have seen if you went to Frieze and for those who didn't go, have a stroll around with me. This are by no means the best works on display but just some which caught my eye. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBj7F3nCyly_q4WWCHZMTZl_KWjbcFOEdAVEzWR6J30Z8h1Fqv6puGARmZB1ORNnZdCF734o_ZgunZnxutCmjioDlpPy0Ei4n0xkS8_Si8W18koJlxg8gBwHG1S_LBw79__P_ztTtJeg/s1600/2016-10-07+12.57.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBj7F3nCyly_q4WWCHZMTZl_KWjbcFOEdAVEzWR6J30Z8h1Fqv6puGARmZB1ORNnZdCF734o_ZgunZnxutCmjioDlpPy0Ei4n0xkS8_Si8W18koJlxg8gBwHG1S_LBw79__P_ztTtJeg/s320/2016-10-07+12.57.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melik Ohanian</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_K5EXuUwqcWuhXgLWeudv-mjkXHmQL3bU7g9AZE7E4MTV-1I273uNkw6P6FVVllEYtPWD0y4At_pWrZckUsvHFrXSmiNjplqh4ObvQzrgfmSktVklZf_BcONXExjpL9aQrBNuVMKzUA/s1600/2016-10-07+12.58.52-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_K5EXuUwqcWuhXgLWeudv-mjkXHmQL3bU7g9AZE7E4MTV-1I273uNkw6P6FVVllEYtPWD0y4At_pWrZckUsvHFrXSmiNjplqh4ObvQzrgfmSktVklZf_BcONXExjpL9aQrBNuVMKzUA/s320/2016-10-07+12.58.52-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mona Hatoum</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyG0wmn8AlhJYwKhUe2urLmf6dSF52qhcnmbpYlnCkz6TycoBdTcZ3CyxaXl0AoAHAtC8njP5G3QmHFsDzQtQ4UEVV55yZ3UF9BGCrj7XmzZ_IEFt998JJeGINdTB4lhD_wA_wFuPWtg/s1600/2016-10-07+13.01.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyG0wmn8AlhJYwKhUe2urLmf6dSF52qhcnmbpYlnCkz6TycoBdTcZ3CyxaXl0AoAHAtC8njP5G3QmHFsDzQtQ4UEVV55yZ3UF9BGCrj7XmzZ_IEFt998JJeGINdTB4lhD_wA_wFuPWtg/s320/2016-10-07+13.01.10.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paulina Olowska</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPehFKjAEoDa1LNP01pb-7HR7BgYYlAuMlzi80rB5hLSUzHi2dTe47gegCaMFCcZNH519xZSIhIhyeQtLTLCSk92V7HbZSgYaG8LJUP2p07zoY1aOGJXZ4jIN7EuyuquZ6RO02if6aCY/s1600/2016-10-07+13.00.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPehFKjAEoDa1LNP01pb-7HR7BgYYlAuMlzi80rB5hLSUzHi2dTe47gegCaMFCcZNH519xZSIhIhyeQtLTLCSk92V7HbZSgYaG8LJUP2p07zoY1aOGJXZ4jIN7EuyuquZ6RO02if6aCY/s320/2016-10-07+13.00.44.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paulina Olowska </span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eo_bPTSZnmL6KsVzsyUzTeyGkn7bw1tJreiuXKwvTit-v_2hyEKJ320vMiYjkwv3cJGwDha_fwtme5ioZj2VP89h-hywi8vvr44wXWPUSiRjcTGkwJYzpbK8vp465nshlDaVrJ9FsYo/s1600/2016-10-07+13.04.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eo_bPTSZnmL6KsVzsyUzTeyGkn7bw1tJreiuXKwvTit-v_2hyEKJ320vMiYjkwv3cJGwDha_fwtme5ioZj2VP89h-hywi8vvr44wXWPUSiRjcTGkwJYzpbK8vp465nshlDaVrJ9FsYo/s320/2016-10-07+13.04.51.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Landy </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_2Sjq5d3kaNv1wUobIbq2-eNL_FTM8RnTOzao6dM9QLtQv0b5Kli2devLFeJMAEsJamx8iyZu7_GxMbG28QhYPMp4tNOtEF2qijpeCtATXTqci7dHXpLjAWha_nnen68N_Y0sS1VMeA/s1600/2016-10-07+13.05.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_2Sjq5d3kaNv1wUobIbq2-eNL_FTM8RnTOzao6dM9QLtQv0b5Kli2devLFeJMAEsJamx8iyZu7_GxMbG28QhYPMp4tNOtEF2qijpeCtATXTqci7dHXpLjAWha_nnen68N_Y0sS1VMeA/s320/2016-10-07+13.05.13.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Landy - detail </span></td></tr>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb4TmdO6mQa8UxGjOF-77q5jP_BR0Qzq3sYaZi0xtbB7lRgyqO_ABEkthO2PopRaUz5Qa-3qqnKzfOqL7q7v-H71lK6eN3slex122KNw5A9McBV5z3JDGyFqG5-_KAvu0SlcoZ45RZ2Y/s1600/2016-10-07+13.07.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb4TmdO6mQa8UxGjOF-77q5jP_BR0Qzq3sYaZi0xtbB7lRgyqO_ABEkthO2PopRaUz5Qa-3qqnKzfOqL7q7v-H71lK6eN3slex122KNw5A9McBV5z3JDGyFqG5-_KAvu0SlcoZ45RZ2Y/s320/2016-10-07+13.07.09.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter Piller</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOIv75wNDzCPWClkNouZEuRE8C36zWsgCVCTiM1bR5gwpx3jzrJtt9OWpXBs1uGcNVKcjYV5l2VKyxyVD_bAVJOZtg9wjxSI07kGn8jUrh6k-KdkQvUcLPPIQwz7we4DqdkmzOTf526k/s1600/2016-10-07+13.16.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOIv75wNDzCPWClkNouZEuRE8C36zWsgCVCTiM1bR5gwpx3jzrJtt9OWpXBs1uGcNVKcjYV5l2VKyxyVD_bAVJOZtg9wjxSI07kGn8jUrh6k-KdkQvUcLPPIQwz7we4DqdkmzOTf526k/s320/2016-10-07+13.16.32.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Damien Hirst </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-2FB6C-rZNFOGZNhlJrDPnYsAVTpug2EvKHwZ5QAyqyYNPPdx4PxRCl8PvSUHRU_Hqno2yhZ_UXmHAv6CGM_RpRqJOq_nIve6WGv1JyTEygKOGgW7DmMfysqVIGQHL6rvm6P6kuwxeg/s1600/2016-10-07+13.13.01-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-2FB6C-rZNFOGZNhlJrDPnYsAVTpug2EvKHwZ5QAyqyYNPPdx4PxRCl8PvSUHRU_Hqno2yhZ_UXmHAv6CGM_RpRqJOq_nIve6WGv1JyTEygKOGgW7DmMfysqVIGQHL6rvm6P6kuwxeg/s320/2016-10-07+13.13.01-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jake and Dinos Chapman</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0NgLWTpT_i6vI3cnlkPdYf4j_ny_Cs4fo90rYsAJ-CwHxIRWvv35YAmkCkSea7G5k6XdJJVwVHWKzIpe_7eNdSOZ47eIXqhOpwB0648rOb6MXLJF9V4OLO78G_WKLAUTf4vFnjaP5KQ/s1600/2016-10-07+13.14.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0NgLWTpT_i6vI3cnlkPdYf4j_ny_Cs4fo90rYsAJ-CwHxIRWvv35YAmkCkSea7G5k6XdJJVwVHWKzIpe_7eNdSOZ47eIXqhOpwB0648rOb6MXLJF9V4OLO78G_WKLAUTf4vFnjaP5KQ/s320/2016-10-07+13.14.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracey Emin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq6Rfi8tXHCHLAjZXlUKF_GXwiVnzNZYh0T2DLTlZGvo4L2qJ5vNMfQqswn8dkcvHMBlG3I_xtTYvTaoBYB7eEKGfmAQckn8l2LttrEQOkyAGm8GMaBOTUvOv-KidXgJ4EjnEK7gNdXo/s1600/2016-10-07+13.14.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq6Rfi8tXHCHLAjZXlUKF_GXwiVnzNZYh0T2DLTlZGvo4L2qJ5vNMfQqswn8dkcvHMBlG3I_xtTYvTaoBYB7eEKGfmAQckn8l2LttrEQOkyAGm8GMaBOTUvOv-KidXgJ4EjnEK7gNdXo/s320/2016-10-07+13.14.51.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Damien Hirst - detail </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQv0KnD2YHRrOQscNT4_Yf52lGd-g5iqRCuj232odulboduGg5_FHo4_Sld0r1MB9mTw3xjDPyRwfKJiKedzgAnqLmdOJk1XIXyX2FDnRXl5_yoJ1FDFqcCUz9E6Lx2Ks8hmjSijg2N8/s1600/2016-10-07+13.17.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQv0KnD2YHRrOQscNT4_Yf52lGd-g5iqRCuj232odulboduGg5_FHo4_Sld0r1MB9mTw3xjDPyRwfKJiKedzgAnqLmdOJk1XIXyX2FDnRXl5_yoJ1FDFqcCUz9E6Lx2Ks8hmjSijg2N8/s320/2016-10-07+13.17.31.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raqib Shaw </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5-_DApDhhsHcv-x7r_Qki4_Coz-2oeODn_Ttz5SadTf3EZfCfIlyAT245VMToGfcwDSxcTiDnYG3-d1FE9nr7JBYSKljYizPTjT-J0iMePsfGANWpdjXb9R3-39ovnCplKNwmQDZP8s/s1600/2016-10-07+13.19.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5-_DApDhhsHcv-x7r_Qki4_Coz-2oeODn_Ttz5SadTf3EZfCfIlyAT245VMToGfcwDSxcTiDnYG3-d1FE9nr7JBYSKljYizPTjT-J0iMePsfGANWpdjXb9R3-39ovnCplKNwmQDZP8s/s320/2016-10-07+13.19.01.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raqib Shaw - detail </span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3QQ5ZqgDPCYVX2jh6H36FmNK5NV0LtoC4e5LFzwIamzrcsje1dOOyoyh0-GI4TBhiK8Nl73Lm_OP0P08SVNH7cXeKj9ykzgGWuBEqG-zZbCD9QejjZjy0pzZEAdFJK68UXVLQ-VQsuU/s1600/2016-10-07+13.25.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3QQ5ZqgDPCYVX2jh6H36FmNK5NV0LtoC4e5LFzwIamzrcsje1dOOyoyh0-GI4TBhiK8Nl73Lm_OP0P08SVNH7cXeKj9ykzgGWuBEqG-zZbCD9QejjZjy0pzZEAdFJK68UXVLQ-VQsuU/s320/2016-10-07+13.25.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grayson Perry </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHiO4PaW8-nn8mKGHQA7UxnjVeLD02KUy53bTRIuG1CHoUJJCksaJQfWfeZTftNUAPmhqwA7iaRrNTO0GvgsPcVJdQfAiZ3N2d-e_H3Vscw6JJmK384WQZzO7xohS2nJAqH_exKSP3dg/s1600/2016-10-07+13.23.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHiO4PaW8-nn8mKGHQA7UxnjVeLD02KUy53bTRIuG1CHoUJJCksaJQfWfeZTftNUAPmhqwA7iaRrNTO0GvgsPcVJdQfAiZ3N2d-e_H3Vscw6JJmK384WQZzO7xohS2nJAqH_exKSP3dg/s320/2016-10-07+13.23.56.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grayson Perry - detail </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHvIIksmV_y3LesMYr_ZFhAWsuUjFkojD5uL5boZGVm62bReL4fUASBnOkWPDcdwwaW2iL4tHGbLql71W3NQRV1Wk41mOkF-Z6nmy-LcoovHyWKQ4y_-VwvQUBcx_gWKeRPckmx2iGH0/s1600/2016-10-07+13.25.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHvIIksmV_y3LesMYr_ZFhAWsuUjFkojD5uL5boZGVm62bReL4fUASBnOkWPDcdwwaW2iL4tHGbLql71W3NQRV1Wk41mOkF-Z6nmy-LcoovHyWKQ4y_-VwvQUBcx_gWKeRPckmx2iGH0/s320/2016-10-07+13.25.18.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grayson Perry - detail </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQPbVeJuqtm7nEmfQIw9Y5JkGWZ2xRQYCRjUh3qk2X1x8p9NV_J-lY-nXVerwf-VZIIArfvtSaP9EDK3RRnW8wIfA3z2qZ8sLsdgWPjeyQZbwb-88LLOHgvnbeKC6S9K6ZtSn61Uln7Q/s1600/2016-10-07+13.28.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQPbVeJuqtm7nEmfQIw9Y5JkGWZ2xRQYCRjUh3qk2X1x8p9NV_J-lY-nXVerwf-VZIIArfvtSaP9EDK3RRnW8wIfA3z2qZ8sLsdgWPjeyQZbwb-88LLOHgvnbeKC6S9K6ZtSn61Uln7Q/s320/2016-10-07+13.28.01.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grayson Perry </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7lzRc3DYCHTAzL5fSRmTEgh9cjOFTmddxkXODcNQ9wi0-HJqw-TSdfIwylBOtc-3VHLJDNRHKfKba4saHmGGcjtVWt20tefgbbvPUmLR9J4SRGkeQ0WP45flvh9CZZ3a3F-chz1qID8/s1600/2016-10-07+13.41.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7lzRc3DYCHTAzL5fSRmTEgh9cjOFTmddxkXODcNQ9wi0-HJqw-TSdfIwylBOtc-3VHLJDNRHKfKba4saHmGGcjtVWt20tefgbbvPUmLR9J4SRGkeQ0WP45flvh9CZZ3a3F-chz1qID8/s320/2016-10-07+13.41.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haegue Yang </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1-yWG0bLNq4dxkaxe2f9-aL5uvHUzYr025SfgqVTWAIC1c-00S1y6C3yzMUvFj8N92yPTiFL7MxtEIF-FZZkaoZb4TvlycCgIg2NzEeAupha9kTWV8F9ZsEV_9xvBbenIvIruTjsktc/s1600/2016-10-07+14.16.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1-yWG0bLNq4dxkaxe2f9-aL5uvHUzYr025SfgqVTWAIC1c-00S1y6C3yzMUvFj8N92yPTiFL7MxtEIF-FZZkaoZb4TvlycCgIg2NzEeAupha9kTWV8F9ZsEV_9xvBbenIvIruTjsktc/s320/2016-10-07+14.16.02.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse Darling </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZDibhK6rTTHo9VmZiAXhet1EyAUXmYK9tfyDgo3xbitdd0aJ3gvefydft56HFZnjcyj7V9vvK8mduuI6Mx6QCrbjOma9Y-oGL6O9qDpW5cTMwgaf0nWR1_EKVftBzBzPHTgWvN_vuI8/s1600/2016-10-07+17.46.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZDibhK6rTTHo9VmZiAXhet1EyAUXmYK9tfyDgo3xbitdd0aJ3gvefydft56HFZnjcyj7V9vvK8mduuI6Mx6QCrbjOma9Y-oGL6O9qDpW5cTMwgaf0nWR1_EKVftBzBzPHTgWvN_vuI8/s320/2016-10-07+17.46.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berta Fischer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The toilets had been turned into an artwork by Julie Verhoeven and were great fun - loud music, dressed toilet seats and scattered pieces around the wash basins. I'm voting for more interesting toilets everywhere!<br />
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It's an intense afternoon, trying to see as much as possible <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">inside the marquee so it's good to round off the day with a wander around the sculpture park just outside. An added bonus is that you can explore these pieces for free!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNtBvLmkHLPSikRoGjeoIKjA0VzF6MLNmqtA78OnOUXHT91ZnuGm_ruisYVKvRCSTQ8DlfJXgreFMoP18mNENO3w-y2dqNdiST_OtISdggW3xYTnehuhY7fIacb3TaNo_lnQAYTe95qs/s1600/2016-10-07+18.06.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNtBvLmkHLPSikRoGjeoIKjA0VzF6MLNmqtA78OnOUXHT91ZnuGm_ruisYVKvRCSTQ8DlfJXgreFMoP18mNENO3w-y2dqNdiST_OtISdggW3xYTnehuhY7fIacb3TaNo_lnQAYTe95qs/s320/2016-10-07+18.06.17.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claude Lalanne </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPNyFLI4MjIHZeGAoLhGH0_9Nh_dc0Ql1X6uvj0ZYFV6UTfdqpqouP8rMvhhHznTWvKDer2BO3rG1atmQo9Rfxiji2SM7mvHW0XdsAbSuwPJXd67BnQ3wODqtNot7oLwu_7ylpiO0reY/s1600/2016-10-07+18.07.37-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPNyFLI4MjIHZeGAoLhGH0_9Nh_dc0Ql1X6uvj0ZYFV6UTfdqpqouP8rMvhhHznTWvKDer2BO3rG1atmQo9Rfxiji2SM7mvHW0XdsAbSuwPJXd67BnQ3wODqtNot7oLwu_7ylpiO0reY/s320/2016-10-07+18.07.37-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conrad Shawcross</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnxLOsyAwP7qAUlS49Exf42zcIuEWAuNdLKnkOhAxVJH2FjZIEZtiRXP_YPqM5SWMMwJDKQf8xEaT6PaDBYhwBrx2gvOZLdMEEYBTABYVi1mwlwBbTnoH1Q_SWcOeu7M3XgVJAJjh7UI/s1600/2016-10-07+18.08.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnxLOsyAwP7qAUlS49Exf42zcIuEWAuNdLKnkOhAxVJH2FjZIEZtiRXP_YPqM5SWMMwJDKQf8xEaT6PaDBYhwBrx2gvOZLdMEEYBTABYVi1mwlwBbTnoH1Q_SWcOeu7M3XgVJAJjh7UI/s320/2016-10-07+18.08.30.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Dubuffet </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83uNFJHOY_o_T7H518tDcFIpGUFtJ5z2h5mTeCK73gsW7mIb4oonAjj5yDP7oEODYFNgqINk3T4MLZhhPiNh8pSXKKvwfdygh4zOpDz5B6FaJPpfdWJ7V8U3B0VaCbi-6DuaDF8tzbSo/s1600/2016-10-07+18.10.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83uNFJHOY_o_T7H518tDcFIpGUFtJ5z2h5mTeCK73gsW7mIb4oonAjj5yDP7oEODYFNgqINk3T4MLZhhPiNh8pSXKKvwfdygh4zOpDz5B6FaJPpfdWJ7V8U3B0VaCbi-6DuaDF8tzbSo/s320/2016-10-07+18.10.26.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barry Flanagan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't wait for next year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed a stroll around Frieze. Follow me on Twitter to explore more of London,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue </span>@itsyourlondon<br />
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-21240161228845163352016-09-29T09:53:00.002+01:002016-09-29T09:53:52.843+01:00What's on in London this autumn and winter 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I send out a seasonal newsletter 4 times a year to subscribers and my blog readers can enjoy it here. There is always so much going on in London that's it's a tough job to pick out a few highlights but I've had a go and I hope you find some stuff you will enjoy. I know I'm looking forward to a busy autumn and build up to a London Christmas. </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SPECIAL
EVENTS <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>OCTOBER </b>This is a big month for film and art with
major events for both creative industries. The 60th London Film Festival is a
showcase for Hollywood stars and block buster films and yet still finds space
for first time directors and documentaries.
Frieze Art Fair brings the art world to London and takes up residence in
Regents Park showcases top galleries and there is a whole range of other shows around
London offering some pieces at more affordable prices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>NOVEMBER</b> The week of the
5th sees firework displays all over town as we mark Guy Fawkes Night when a
group tried, but failed luckily, to blow up the Houses of Parliament in
1605. It’s a great month for jazz fans
when the London Jazz Festival brings top names to London’s famous night spots
like Ronnie Scott’s. As winter is chilling the temperatures, you’ll see ice
rinks opening all over town at great venues such as the Tower of London and the
Natural History Museum. The Lord Mayor’s Show will delight the crowds as it has
since 1215! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DECEMBER</b> The build up to
Christmas is in full flow with all the famous lights decorating the streets of
London with their best festive look. Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park offers a
fun fair and a large Christmas market offering something for all the family.
Look out for the famous, tall Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, an annual
present from the people of Norway in memory of Britain’s help during the 2nd
World War where carols are sung each evening – a magical sound to put you in a
festive mood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">THEATRE </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October
</b>Shakespeare’s 400 continues with The
Merchant of Venice at the Globe with Jonathan Pryce as Shylock. By
contrast The Boys in the Band at the wonderful Park theatre stars Mark Gatiss
and explores more contemporary themes at a party of gay friends. Lots of
publicity ahead of the opening of The Dresser at the Duke of York’s
theatre starring Kenneth Stott and Reece Shearsmith. The ever popular ‘Goes Wrong’ team have
a new play ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November
</b>Back to her acting roots after over 20 years in politics as MP,
Glenda Jackson jumps right into the tough stuff in the Old Vic’s
production of King Lear, as King Lear! Another star of the cinema, Ed
Harris, makes his West End debut in Sam Shepherd’s Buried Child at the
Trafalgar Studios. The highly acclaimed Stephen Daldry production of An
Inspector Calls returns to the London stage at the Playhouse Theatre <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>It’s taken 35 years for the award winning musical Dreamgirls to
come to London as it opens at the Savoy Theatre, starring Amber Riley from
Glee. Shakespeare continues his
presence in London as the Royal Shakespeare Company put on Love’s Labour’s
Lost at the Theatre Royal. As it’s the festive season, we have Christmas
classics such as Cinderella at the Palladium which will feature great
casting such as Paul O’Grady as the wicked stepmother. A fairy tale continues the festive theme
as the Hans Christian Anderson inspired The Little Matchgirl and Other
Happier Tales opens at the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> ART GALLERIES</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October </b>A Rodin exhibition opens at the
Courtauld Gallery entitled Rodin and Dance: the Essence of Movement, these
works made in the latter part of his career have not often been seen on
display. The National Gallery brings us Beyond Caravaggio, exploring his
work and his influence on his contemporaries and followers. Picasso Portraits
at the National Portrait Gallery is billed as one of the shows of the
year, with work spanning his whole career, and, as I am a huge fan of his
work, I’ll be heading there as soon as it opens. Paul Nash opens at the Tate Britain and a
new turbine hall installation arrives in the Tate Modern from Philippe
Parreno. Frieze Art Fair in Regents
Park is huge marquee featuring many of the top galleries from across the
world and attracts hordes of art lovers. <span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November
</b>The Tate Modern has a modernist photographic show of work from the
collection of Sir Elton John called The Radical Eye, he has one of the
world’s greatest private collections. Over 70 artists feature and early
150 rare vintage prints make up this unique show. Also opening at the Tate
Modern is Modigliani, a comprehensive survey of his work in his short
career. Talking of the Tate Modern, don’t miss the last month of Georgia
O’Keeffe, as none of her work on public display in the UK this is your one
chance to see her wonderful paintings. <span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>It’s a busy season at the Tate Modern, still celebrating the
opening of its new wing, as they are showing Robert Rauschenberg, the
first retrospective of his work since his death in 2008. A pop artist who
worked with Andy Warhol he experimented throughout his life and even
created a work out of his bed, way ahead of Tracey Emin! The National
Gallery bring us the first UK exhibition to focus on Australian
impressionism, a significant and distinctive movement, little known
compared with the European movement.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SHOPPING,
FASHION & MARKETS</b>. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October
</b> London Chocolate Week has events all
over town from a chocoholic show at Olympia to themed cocktails at the
best bars, they offer the chance to ‘learn’ about chocolate, I hope that’s
code for ‘eat’! Real Food Markets
continue even tho the summer has gone, each weekend at the South Bank and
the Slow food market at the Rosewood Hotel every Sunday. Don’t forget
London’s regular markets: Portobello on Saturdays, Spitalfields biggest on
Sundays and Camden all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November
</b>Christmas markets are popping up all over town from the South Bank
to Kew Gardens and the huge Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is full of
chalet style stalls. The Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia is packed
full of present ideas, and some for yourself of course! <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>The Christmas lights will all be on now
and London’s shopping street look at their festive twinkly best. Don’t
miss Regent Street, Oxford Street, South Molton Street, Covent Garden,
Carnaby Street and the beautifully decorated shop windows including John
Lewis, Liberty’s, Selfridges, Harrods and Bond Street’s top end shops. Don’t
forget that all the museums have great shops which are excellent places
for top quality present hunting. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">MUSEUMS
& EXHIBITIONS</span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October
</b>The British Museum’s latest exhibition is South Africa: The Art of
a Nation which explores the history of South Africa through its art from
man’s early rock art through to cutting edge contemporary work. The last
weekend in October brings us the annual Museum Nights when the public can
enjoy a festival of late openings across London. This includes the major
museums but also some smaller ones, and as this covers the Halloween
weekend, expect some spooky-ness! At the V&A is the Opus Anglicanum:
Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery, showcasing an art which
England excelled at from the 12th to the 15th centuries. These ancient
elaborate, luxury embroideries, with their exquisite craftsmanship, will
be displayed alongside contemporary works to give them historical context.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November </b>See the Museum of London Docklands in a new light, or rather a dark
light as they launch a series of late openings, tours and chilling tales
in haunted sections of the museum. The Museum of Childhood, part of the
V&A, brings us a big dose of nostalgia with their Game Plan
exhibition, where over 100 old board games are looked at, their history,
design and influence, many well-known names but others which have perhaps
been forgotten. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December</b> The British
Museum are getting all festive with a one off production of Charles
Dicken’s Christmas Carol. Opening in November but feeling more of a
December event is the Geffrye Museum’s annual Christmas Past exhibition
where each period room is decorated as it would have been, spanning the
last 400 years. You can see how far
back your favourite Christmas traditions go. In a surprising but welcome
move, the Bank of England are running Crafty Christmas and Creative New
Year events at the end of the month, where you can try your hand at making
Bank inspired items such as gold money boxes (no gold supplied
unfortunately) <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">FOODIE THING</span></span></h1>
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<b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> October</span> </b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Fucina opens in Marylebone, a modern Italian
with separate shop and a fire pit, and is from the man who brought us Chotto
Matte, Kurt Zdesar. Margot in Covent Garden is headed up by the former Maitre
D’ at Bar Boulud, Paulo De Tarso, expect rustic Italian. Bar Douro opens in
Elephant and Castle where a lot of redevelopment is happening, offering Portuguese
small plates to tempt us. A 3 storey creperie called Mamie’s Creperie opens in
Covent Garden with a basement bar dedicated to cider. One of my favourite
restaurant groups Salt Yard brings us Veneta, all day Venetian in newly
developed St James’s Market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">November </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Victoria has been
a building site for a while so it’s good to see new places opening – Rail House
Café, from the Riding House Café people – will be a large site offering all day
dining and bar and some outdoor space. The Hart brothers are famous for
Barrafina and now they turn their attention to Mexican food, opening El Pastor by
London Bridge. Another opening in the St James’s Market development is Aquavit
London, their New York restaurant is a Michelin star winner so expect top end.
Neil Rankin is due to open Temper on Soho, expect a meat based offering. A busy
month for openings, this is just a small selection of ones that caught my eye.</span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>The Spirit Show in Islington promises to be the ‘ultimate tasting event’ if you need a break from
shopping. This is its first appearance and my guess is it will be popular… Restaurant wise, several have are listed as
opening ‘late 2016’ it seems best to put them in my December section. The
Tandoor Chop House in Covent Garden will mix British chops and Indian spices.
Ole and Steen are Danish bakers and will also be opening in St James’s Market
with soups, stews, and of course breads and sandwiches. The amusingly named
Dumpy Lynn will have dumplings on offer in the City, brought to you by the
people behind Egg Break.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">PARKS
& GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES</span></span></h1>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October</b> Greenwich Park is holding a harvest festival with stalls and talks including bee experts. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Regent’s Park hosts the enormous marquees of Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters
so expect lots of very fashionable arty looking folk in the park.</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Kensington Palace are holding an Eerie
Evening on Halloween and I’m sure they have plenty of tales to tell!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>November </b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Ke w Gardens put on a big show at Christmas with
their Illuminations Trail, a one mile sparkling path around the gardens
including dancing illuminated fountains It’s very popular so book early!</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">December</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Hyde Park
hosts the huge Winter Wonderland event which has stalls selling food and gifts,
a seasonal fun fair and even its own ice rink and ferris wheel.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">The ice rinks will be open at Hampton Court
Palace and the Tower of London.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">The
annual Peter Pan swimming race will take place on the Serpentine in Hyde Park
on Christmas morning, an annual event for the very hardy since 1864! The Royal
Palaces all have festive events and fairs and don’t miss the BBC Good Food
Festival Festive Fayre at Hampton Court Palace.</span> </li>
</ul>
</div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">SPORT </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October
</b>The NFL rolls back into town with 3 matches between the
Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by the New York
Giants versus the LA Rams at Twickenham and the 3<sup>rd</sup> game where
the Washington Redskins play the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley. There will be a fan rally in Regents
Street if you can’t get to the games. World Cup qualifiers see England
play Malta at Wembley, after the Iceland game in the Euros nothing can be
taken for granted! In a complete
contrast, the International Ballroom Dancing Championships take place at
the Royal Albert Hall and we are all experts now thanks to Strictly. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November
</b>The Autumn Rugby Union Internationals see the 4 Home Nation teams
of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland take on the best of the southern
hemisphere including Australia, S Africa, NZealand, Argentina and Fiji
with a Barbarians match thrown into the mix. Matches are across the UK
with Wembley and Twickenham hosting for London. The ATP end of season
tournament takes place at the 02 where the top 8 men’s players battle to
be World Tour Tennis Finals champion.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>Tennis greats bring their skills and loads of fun to the Champions
Tennis tournament at the Royal Albert Hall, they are just as competitive
but hide it well! The London International Horse Show at Olympia is always
popular but even more so in Olympic and Paralympic year as we’ve all
marvelled at their skills and loved the medals they bring home. The Mosconi Cup sees the world’s top
pool players at Alexandra Palace when Team Europe play the USA. </span></li>
</ul>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">MUSIC</span> <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>October
</b>The end of year burst of shows kicks off. An old favourite Jean-Michel
Jarre will play his new album at the 02 in a sound and light spectacular.
Michael Kiwanuka, who I saw this year at BST supporting Carole King, is
recommended so try to catch him at the Shepherds Bush Empire, also there
is Lapsley with her debut album as is Aurora with her debut album. Rumer’s
first show for 2 years is at the Cadogan Hall, also there is Suzanne
Vega. The Christians are on their
30<sup>th</sup> anniversary tour at the 02 Islington and other blasts from
the past include Lindisfarne playing Under the Bridge and Level 42 at the
Apollo Hammersmith and Heaven 17 at the Empire Shepherds Bush. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>November
</b>The 10 days of the London Jazz Festival deliver a world class line
up of over 2000 artists playing in 50 venues around London. Outside of
that it’s the usual eclectic mix of music in London with Paul Simon at the
Royal Albert Hall and Sleaford Mods at the Camden Roundhouse. Jools
Holland and his band at the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra will be playing Elvis songs with him ‘live’ on the big screen.
The Undertones celebrate 40 years (!) at the Forum and Mercury Prize
winners GoGoPenguin play the Roundhouse. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>December
</b>The original line up of Culture Club
will bring back the 80s to the SSE Arena, Wembley in their only UK
appearance on this tour, supported by Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Pete
Tong presents.. Ibiza Classics at 02 Arena, Skepta plays at Alexandra
Palace, Soul ll Soul are at KOKO, Status Quo at the 02, The Human League
at the Royal Festival Hall and there is a silent disco underneath the
Cutty Sark<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*All listings correct to the best of my knowledge but exact details
should be checked with each venue. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-5534642024278516692016-09-01T20:08:00.001+01:002016-09-01T20:08:26.199+01:00Notting Hill Carnival 2016 was a hot and sunny one!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last 2 years at Notting Hill Carnival were rather hard work in the rain and the chilly temperatures but 2016 saw blue skies and a full burst of summer. It's one of London's great events and a major feature in our diaries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was taking a couple of guests around and they loved the sights, the sounds and the food. We saw the parade of costumes and floats which had more emphasis on samba than I've heard before, so was great for dancing. We ate jerk chicken and saltfish with ackee on the kerbside, danced to the sound stages and got caught up in the raving crowds by Rampage but escaped intact! My guests loved it and thought it was an amazing to experience this side of London's culture but were glad to dive into the wonderfully calm Commander Bar afterwards to recover...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few photos to give you a feel of how much fun it is to spend a few hours in the carnival spirit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favourite carnival band are Batala. You hear them coming streets away with their incredible loud and fierce rhythmic drumming. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCG6KLFsS2V85z2NdahqR7NX9XRfeh1Ro1S1OysIFeyW05Lde2jL8chBCpIvT-RWFxvM2ZWA_ezrgqzaFWrfReUtr_K1qGWyaF1mc-LgQqvAJPgOX2HvK5S3An-wR7zjvtJp6-JJYFuY/s1600/2016-08-29+11.54.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCG6KLFsS2V85z2NdahqR7NX9XRfeh1Ro1S1OysIFeyW05Lde2jL8chBCpIvT-RWFxvM2ZWA_ezrgqzaFWrfReUtr_K1qGWyaF1mc-LgQqvAJPgOX2HvK5S3An-wR7zjvtJp6-JJYFuY/s400/2016-08-29+11.54.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiazofI9kFoOs7OMVFMCvmVwJrcHhwIW6ztwE3CXiVXFo4XuICE2JVFHN4UCv1jFUtCiBi5rnrJx7OlSSBcL88LjzZWqvxxRR3Mqq3qNlP0WY3Nn6WXCaSmnv1lJsHrP_Uq5E9-q9WvVY/s1600/2016-08-29+11.54.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiazofI9kFoOs7OMVFMCvmVwJrcHhwIW6ztwE3CXiVXFo4XuICE2JVFHN4UCv1jFUtCiBi5rnrJx7OlSSBcL88LjzZWqvxxRR3Mqq3qNlP0WY3Nn6WXCaSmnv1lJsHrP_Uq5E9-q9WvVY/s400/2016-08-29+11.54.41.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do they keep so cheerful, it's such a long day of dancing and smiling?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JTqyRvOG9fDKAzeZitIHi-0grZByV9NvWUxeOL8sPdtde2GsSaoO4u0NXy2v3ekOjiPsxYLVokH_2FnM4-q8Xp9NRi0rRkLArmKgu5SPgKXz5sQkV61GbVpLFitxEMJJfY2E2oaJxso/s1600/2016-08-29+15.00.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JTqyRvOG9fDKAzeZitIHi-0grZByV9NvWUxeOL8sPdtde2GsSaoO4u0NXy2v3ekOjiPsxYLVokH_2FnM4-q8Xp9NRi0rRkLArmKgu5SPgKXz5sQkV61GbVpLFitxEMJJfY2E2oaJxso/s400/2016-08-29+15.00.29.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New this year - composting toilets - remarkably good....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Z1lt6oMDbjjBxBUXKh7VkQG0jx9H-__AmeIDRyIE669StIW5IWql8dMpJ9WfkWnXwUVQRs0e-ZuWk3mOSHUk3caipv-Ok_hScHSnXDZfP7gT28DMVkDQdPJ8bWnuEympcSPLMazfu9o/s1600/2016-08-29+14.19.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Z1lt6oMDbjjBxBUXKh7VkQG0jx9H-__AmeIDRyIE669StIW5IWql8dMpJ9WfkWnXwUVQRs0e-ZuWk3mOSHUk3caipv-Ok_hScHSnXDZfP7gT28DMVkDQdPJ8bWnuEympcSPLMazfu9o/s400/2016-08-29+14.19.23.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the inclusiveness of the parade:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUSCtKfIGv5gSl2KpR6sK4gdG0ON7Wtn76LxI1gAbEQkEsqHSFWlNO483YjgEzmcpkq6wjnrsTTc7eitFMTr1Xf7EYAfj4zAE4VuZ5fKpbJlp2X91lxpvxgLFdlUrJamJOc9WYOs4RLY/s1600/2016-08-29+12.59.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUSCtKfIGv5gSl2KpR6sK4gdG0ON7Wtn76LxI1gAbEQkEsqHSFWlNO483YjgEzmcpkq6wjnrsTTc7eitFMTr1Xf7EYAfj4zAE4VuZ5fKpbJlp2X91lxpvxgLFdlUrJamJOc9WYOs4RLY/s400/2016-08-29+12.59.44.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A hint of panto with this one:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilW2EIVgBOs7VMjWyk3jdLT145z7QnRoeEMvSykAEqb0VE24r827kJbx2kWqYw4txwfWdlh7d38lUtbjFNdYyBDyJjYdFPWZ5K3ssTPTDfMPOCqxWs636GR1HfKhneuIcrHwIsNl3H3OQ/s1600/2016-08-29+12.59.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilW2EIVgBOs7VMjWyk3jdLT145z7QnRoeEMvSykAEqb0VE24r827kJbx2kWqYw4txwfWdlh7d38lUtbjFNdYyBDyJjYdFPWZ5K3ssTPTDfMPOCqxWs636GR1HfKhneuIcrHwIsNl3H3OQ/s400/2016-08-29+12.59.07.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another marching band:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpCYrBevBxoXkNvSxbaEtXLFx2p7oyYuk7HztDkmccz0RFBUnDwwoZ6ZZWejN22BJRFyJceGGPy_kESE3I2vtYvnGvE4aacnAxIDzAxdbk5sy2B8mrP6KIjKA0y9KF1Ypszw9Yfgi4Io/s1600/2016-08-29+12.57.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpCYrBevBxoXkNvSxbaEtXLFx2p7oyYuk7HztDkmccz0RFBUnDwwoZ6ZZWejN22BJRFyJceGGPy_kESE3I2vtYvnGvE4aacnAxIDzAxdbk5sy2B8mrP6KIjKA0y9KF1Ypszw9Yfgi4Io/s400/2016-08-29+12.57.09.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She matched the sunshine with this amazing head dress:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cNWklgsIWQBVvRp2bMUzL7X3zdxtk8kJgMhsbidsDTTyvyEzxZUwXDomr-zU7kSqMo4DaG-X8g1y-530RuZhCU4Nalre28PyKmuM7OhVxdIfYctEFa3Tk8-Y2G_7YCXABeSHrOshyphenhyphen_4/s1600/2016-08-29+12.56.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cNWklgsIWQBVvRp2bMUzL7X3zdxtk8kJgMhsbidsDTTyvyEzxZUwXDomr-zU7kSqMo4DaG-X8g1y-530RuZhCU4Nalre28PyKmuM7OhVxdIfYctEFa3Tk8-Y2G_7YCXABeSHrOshyphenhyphen_4/s400/2016-08-29+12.56.14.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure what the references were here but lots of green was fun:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSYp1yRwpg07I2ZdwKL74oBAVCCmsUN4VymcZNbWPElJFamnllcLmj_a0sAI1hHPk-GIJBKN6sYpCTOUh3dxdPnaxAz88n3QTopa_PTL9thkv7wdgnzJJ3QUzSesXhL1vaMd93zY9AD4/s1600/2016-08-29+12.55.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSYp1yRwpg07I2ZdwKL74oBAVCCmsUN4VymcZNbWPElJFamnllcLmj_a0sAI1hHPk-GIJBKN6sYpCTOUh3dxdPnaxAz88n3QTopa_PTL9thkv7wdgnzJJ3QUzSesXhL1vaMd93zY9AD4/s400/2016-08-29+12.55.05.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always lots of dancing at carnival:<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok66bhx6U9AjwMUmL3hP1hBn3Nu64uw23gkmlOn4X26Ase9VHu6ZWgJ57tCBTZoVM9Lecyv1jFi8KpnuFFck2NQF2rDLFl6kO7GZmsOuUEYcrhq0_Zu4GxAVKLdSi3XFfxLT9gQPhJ0/s1600/2016-08-29+12.52.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok66bhx6U9AjwMUmL3hP1hBn3Nu64uw23gkmlOn4X26Ase9VHu6ZWgJ57tCBTZoVM9Lecyv1jFi8KpnuFFck2NQF2rDLFl6kO7GZmsOuUEYcrhq0_Zu4GxAVKLdSi3XFfxLT9gQPhJ0/s400/2016-08-29+12.52.45.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just had to include this one!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wMUdMnH1Xl_2Pdh8sGntYNSO7lHi16V_u8-y7Y9yDhzlOXTrRUoXSt7tFRdLd8cvF8DB-8KuJSnHOPUOyPv_wWr6lqgz_2HwzgIixc00D1BThHZel1Tczyma7qrVXR0TnikJ2JTyKoE/s1600/2016-08-29+12.48.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wMUdMnH1Xl_2Pdh8sGntYNSO7lHi16V_u8-y7Y9yDhzlOXTrRUoXSt7tFRdLd8cvF8DB-8KuJSnHOPUOyPv_wWr6lqgz_2HwzgIixc00D1BThHZel1Tczyma7qrVXR0TnikJ2JTyKoE/s400/2016-08-29+12.48.52.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It gets busy....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALcFXnbRT7opM4-o8BCkB4Bx_zi8AgMgyH6jNAn-zrZIaAXw8Gk0U4pzMqYyAtQYRO08G__T4a90JUeAuZz1m0cAEcMJN8qYXUpvryru3XrBgMtwkmquzlDDgRzJZ-VsiDD2sry1DG4E/s1600/2016-08-28+18.29.21+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALcFXnbRT7opM4-o8BCkB4Bx_zi8AgMgyH6jNAn-zrZIaAXw8Gk0U4pzMqYyAtQYRO08G__T4a90JUeAuZz1m0cAEcMJN8qYXUpvryru3XrBgMtwkmquzlDDgRzJZ-VsiDD2sry1DG4E/s400/2016-08-28+18.29.21+HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting covered in paint or chocolate is a favourite look. These folk were trying to persuade me to join in with this group and be in the parade next year. Who knows...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GdUnvO7mVdFnRf-ZbvAh8DthxQDLfRr04Ds0Kq9M2yGf1EbeQNazyHjY69DE6OddP2TcZoiHFhJ7aiXuh_-EW3HNqnULhatcmBDWjyHnbLF_AxYdqjqebqO4UZxls6ZXrsfRXvVDDVM/s1600/2016-08-28+18.27.15-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GdUnvO7mVdFnRf-ZbvAh8DthxQDLfRr04Ds0Kq9M2yGf1EbeQNazyHjY69DE6OddP2TcZoiHFhJ7aiXuh_-EW3HNqnULhatcmBDWjyHnbLF_AxYdqjqebqO4UZxls6ZXrsfRXvVDDVM/s400/2016-08-28+18.27.15-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's called 'wining' not twerking and there's a lot of it going on...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ13lgGC0TAN-ON0ZZaVdNPmLbu6ZE8T9ouo6dt8rHYlP190Y4-qUNnJjL0q9QAQNY_kJE55Zc6KD0WFH8-z-j_ZmN8VBMozToLec76k114jAWcKvyf_bh8ieZ_5OhttY6y-Tc2tUiLQ4/s1600/2016-08-28+18.29.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ13lgGC0TAN-ON0ZZaVdNPmLbu6ZE8T9ouo6dt8rHYlP190Y4-qUNnJjL0q9QAQNY_kJE55Zc6KD0WFH8-z-j_ZmN8VBMozToLec76k114jAWcKvyf_bh8ieZ_5OhttY6y-Tc2tUiLQ4/s400/2016-08-28+18.29.07.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anything for the best view and to be seen...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AP6-Bg9BlsXePSqKNEXLANB2L5R96W7C8dvp1jUbb6fmbuRCkbSMe9vh1LDBHBS9mN1LDLSIKplHws8PJARegGe2CgyPy8Zb5ht56hm-WhIfnPW_A-8feCHBLczJ7Lq20b4T2A5hJcI/s1600/2016-08-28+17.57.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AP6-Bg9BlsXePSqKNEXLANB2L5R96W7C8dvp1jUbb6fmbuRCkbSMe9vh1LDBHBS9mN1LDLSIKplHws8PJARegGe2CgyPy8Zb5ht56hm-WhIfnPW_A-8feCHBLczJ7Lq20b4T2A5hJcI/s400/2016-08-28+17.57.22.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In case you were not sure, Red Stripe<b> is </b>the drink of carnival</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBLfGOTPwGpNX4h6Mt9PkRinG5RjAI3mjCV-bmP1rAqZ1nxZOGuQOCJ7rnlyW_O5X68aIU5a5GUP6i4gv3ldKV-kNLOG3wClIl-GpvM_pL18l0gxr3jFnbC7VK4_8pfg-oWJlETMRfKQ/s1600/2016-08-28+18.02.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBLfGOTPwGpNX4h6Mt9PkRinG5RjAI3mjCV-bmP1rAqZ1nxZOGuQOCJ7rnlyW_O5X68aIU5a5GUP6i4gv3ldKV-kNLOG3wClIl-GpvM_pL18l0gxr3jFnbC7VK4_8pfg-oWJlETMRfKQ/s400/2016-08-28+18.02.53.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many residents head to the country when carnival weekend hits the streets but others set up a rum shack and have fun</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimKEAvaETyaP42JZRPxXqIcrSiLY9bcBpAxeoXRpMLpZ3sHz17AP-1Cg3tkEP1r983__b8k-t6-2v28aj9eV5Sl9ScaA1GYJyDalsublWpvS3qa9Rf9rMVajS7-SpGbkYumyq-mjJaFE/s1600/2016-08-28+17.10.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimKEAvaETyaP42JZRPxXqIcrSiLY9bcBpAxeoXRpMLpZ3sHz17AP-1Cg3tkEP1r983__b8k-t6-2v28aj9eV5Sl9ScaA1GYJyDalsublWpvS3qa9Rf9rMVajS7-SpGbkYumyq-mjJaFE/s400/2016-08-28+17.10.45.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This truck wanted to dress up too: </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4y4a_e8KjiJc-2x45YxqaS1y0r7YkxtNba3XG1s_kJvTqv6iTpIxw8fYOzK44Sr-76z60keU7zSWUpTjgVODX6-yLr75YVfPYMJDhbD2PVLCwxaFjgHfcdmNGxcL41e9RbXQLd9b8h8/s1600/2016-08-28+17.22.27-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4y4a_e8KjiJc-2x45YxqaS1y0r7YkxtNba3XG1s_kJvTqv6iTpIxw8fYOzK44Sr-76z60keU7zSWUpTjgVODX6-yLr75YVfPYMJDhbD2PVLCwxaFjgHfcdmNGxcL41e9RbXQLd9b8h8/s400/2016-08-28+17.22.27-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very happy to pose in her great costume</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_HrsM0eISXVEDETu_AIt2tHRmVd-Oobwq7OzlKP-Y1tpONQKgE-gnA4cRopJdm5qvCyr12t6-gN2YG9Wb2sr6jsYo6TdTxuOQvYD6pHF_HjPpcXjGSJTpYUbF75rEL-QL8Hqcdh3f00/s1600/2016-08-28+17.29.27-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_HrsM0eISXVEDETu_AIt2tHRmVd-Oobwq7OzlKP-Y1tpONQKgE-gnA4cRopJdm5qvCyr12t6-gN2YG9Wb2sr6jsYo6TdTxuOQvYD6pHF_HjPpcXjGSJTpYUbF75rEL-QL8Hqcdh3f00/s400/2016-08-28+17.29.27-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Covered in chocolate and having a great time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jwWIE0YfbQ5BjjhRiYcfdtrssQGvJ4tzvC6iN13DSG0Vg8qxwSN7hQpJds9T7d2LQoXz3k0bk4dBrJ9-Ox7gt-nbcEA-JiFGCObnRKIS-YVwK1K_yC_Oo0LbZ-3lQfmcGycZuFSG53M/s1600/2016-08-28+17.31.14+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jwWIE0YfbQ5BjjhRiYcfdtrssQGvJ4tzvC6iN13DSG0Vg8qxwSN7hQpJds9T7d2LQoXz3k0bk4dBrJ9-Ox7gt-nbcEA-JiFGCObnRKIS-YVwK1K_yC_Oo0LbZ-3lQfmcGycZuFSG53M/s400/2016-08-28+17.31.14+HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you are, another Notting Hill Carnival is over and we're looking forward to 2017 already!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-4312805900171057292016-08-08T19:29:00.005+01:002016-08-08T19:29:53.804+01:00Fire! Fire! Explore the 5 days in 1666 when London burned down.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">350 years ago London was devastated by the The Great Fire of London. Fires were commonplace in London as the city was full of wooden buildings on narrow streets, but this one was a disaster of major proportions when 13,200 houses and 87 churches were destroyed and around 100,000 people were made homeless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Museum of London has a great exhibition called Fire! Fire! which takes you through the 5 days of the fire and its aftermath through quotes from those caught up in the fire, original objects, paintings, interactive displays, films and original illustrations, all with the sounds of fire in the background </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOFmksLF5d3DwneJyzuWCrQHHRGgfY_wA6699U2LTXtYuOF_2i_pROB0403dJz7iV3KP1GvmkOeT7j-QC8QDub2HCGlmfVuTaKwByQv0Kx-sqVpnAf8jgyQp5Qd14bOkrnV4cOziMn-c/s1600/2016-08-04+11.20.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOFmksLF5d3DwneJyzuWCrQHHRGgfY_wA6699U2LTXtYuOF_2i_pROB0403dJz7iV3KP1GvmkOeT7j-QC8QDub2HCGlmfVuTaKwByQv0Kx-sqVpnAf8jgyQp5Qd14bOkrnV4cOziMn-c/s400/2016-08-04+11.20.31.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the exhibition!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It all started early in the morning of 2nd September 1666 when Thomas Farriner, a baker living in Pudding Lane, woke on this Sunday morning to a fire in his downstairs bakery. He escaped with his family and their neighbours helped to try to put the flames out However, London was dry after a period of drought and the winds were picking up from the east so the fire began to spread. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Samuel Pepys the famous diarist of the age was woken with news of the fire and soon realised it was serious so he went to see the King. A wonderful timeline takes us through the events of the next 5 days. Pepys had a great deal of foresight and here, in one of the many wonderful quotes that bring this exhibition to life, he warns the King of the dangers ahead. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-CktW3tIYHfcovwchyNti0EXz0hb7i45eCg7DMMN-yeSVnWRRzaJoK9DaIJOw-NBGRP20El37J3qIgCBLfr8PqnE8vQh9n4Vn2pJP2-F4NeBZuo4ETHEQgpVctO3QRxUdmowR8Qj_ss/s1600/2016-08-04+10.45.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-CktW3tIYHfcovwchyNti0EXz0hb7i45eCg7DMMN-yeSVnWRRzaJoK9DaIJOw-NBGRP20El37J3qIgCBLfr8PqnE8vQh9n4Vn2pJP2-F4NeBZuo4ETHEQgpVctO3QRxUdmowR8Qj_ss/s400/2016-08-04+10.45.17.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Follow the fire hour by hour on the timeline </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfboCipQwiZBbwSsjWeXHTnXU7-Lv2xgKrdmYVua_0uR2IyTkVWn1a8vZ7F8m1VHELzIbvRPiXLCQKXLuqUXN0Vh2k-Ghz_YwQ_GA5bABRkHOTBZRTgdinK6LOdDQ6WFhjEP8ZtVsXygE/s1600/2016-08-04+10.45.45+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfboCipQwiZBbwSsjWeXHTnXU7-Lv2xgKrdmYVua_0uR2IyTkVWn1a8vZ7F8m1VHELzIbvRPiXLCQKXLuqUXN0Vh2k-Ghz_YwQ_GA5bABRkHOTBZRTgdinK6LOdDQ6WFhjEP8ZtVsXygE/s400/2016-08-04+10.45.45+%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepys is off to see the King on 2nd September </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next we see a large block shaped like a loaf graphically showing the fire spreading through the a map of the city, blotting out in streets and homes as it goes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYDEz0Vvb6ioWUlxr-vMvIYF2KbKFsIGv4aAhQD6I1Pl_a8LaGnfztrN5pVcIpwUOAEGqMPYY-Njn3tX_a3S0qNMhMJiJ4k_dOOZKgS3XT5pw_x-NQp-5MpyoDFP5F381T_wu17i1RH4/s1600/2016-08-04+10.47.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYDEz0Vvb6ioWUlxr-vMvIYF2KbKFsIGv4aAhQD6I1Pl_a8LaGnfztrN5pVcIpwUOAEGqMPYY-Njn3tX_a3S0qNMhMJiJ4k_dOOZKgS3XT5pw_x-NQp-5MpyoDFP5F381T_wu17i1RH4/s400/2016-08-04+10.47.37.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 days later, the city has burned to its edges </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimI6DgUaoh13oG9U2vcvceYtxx58i5dqGylv3zmEiR6w9GIi_Y9cD2KrfGTCc_pSULfKvsm1vFVO-yVMU74JfHZVqct4Ak-T92GxJz1ODXDLeBzn066CU-FS5Q4OXl4hrd8KMihxL8VMw/s1600/2016-08-04+10.46.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimI6DgUaoh13oG9U2vcvceYtxx58i5dqGylv3zmEiR6w9GIi_Y9cD2KrfGTCc_pSULfKvsm1vFVO-yVMU74JfHZVqct4Ak-T92GxJz1ODXDLeBzn066CU-FS5Q4OXl4hrd8KMihxL8VMw/s400/2016-08-04+10.46.55.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small black area on the morning of 2nd September</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the fire takes hold on the 3rd of September we see dramatic painting showing flames engulfing everything, both by unknown artists The sounds effects get loader and the quotes more concerned! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-CLB11KZs3QepmCx-i4TcnP6btxZu1AsR8MDd1BAbvr-fN8xONdqAUaJYe67zSRw8_3HL_LGdGlfjKK24rJPttIOWqiwrulfqXHP-sS_fhguwW53XJ9JxaN3ZP4H6CNLUQKkJFXBd0M/s1600/2016-08-04+10.51.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-CLB11KZs3QepmCx-i4TcnP6btxZu1AsR8MDd1BAbvr-fN8xONdqAUaJYe67zSRw8_3HL_LGdGlfjKK24rJPttIOWqiwrulfqXHP-sS_fhguwW53XJ9JxaN3ZP4H6CNLUQKkJFXBd0M/s400/2016-08-04+10.51.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQWOYYhh9jX7zr1NgCY54iktCQXmiRJKLD_-JtQidRVaAZrSlWwruZ5pN8Ln35esf8VZB3J0FyHs5vx4q0oOKPQputohteEgExgOAxzrCLhDaIX_Y1bzE0-QwU9jkfmAg2NRMooKz1bI/s1600/2016-08-04+10.54.13+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQWOYYhh9jX7zr1NgCY54iktCQXmiRJKLD_-JtQidRVaAZrSlWwruZ5pN8Ln35esf8VZB3J0FyHs5vx4q0oOKPQputohteEgExgOAxzrCLhDaIX_Y1bzE0-QwU9jkfmAg2NRMooKz1bI/s400/2016-08-04+10.54.13+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the flames gather strength people are grabbing what they can and even treasured items are caught in the fire before they are rescued.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVNDnisn1_TaddMefcm7xb6wM_EWr-fmlzACEhJGdI1-14YmevbnHmNT-Do0hQvsY1DRW857GoH2qEDu8xYEkxh528DsrNr_H7ylKb2I5pNY84HjI561G4SUDKCjIeEFeIpsGLa2Pp4Q/s1600/2016-08-04+10.53.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVNDnisn1_TaddMefcm7xb6wM_EWr-fmlzACEhJGdI1-14YmevbnHmNT-Do0hQvsY1DRW857GoH2qEDu8xYEkxh528DsrNr_H7ylKb2I5pNY84HjI561G4SUDKCjIeEFeIpsGLa2Pp4Q/s400/2016-08-04+10.53.47.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQNTAoloJzkANr5nczcvACEv1DtWuxq9wLGzssjhvJ7R8RnKIhP9SKAnm-_9kFarZVprmIsHD4f6Wd45FZK_49rTWPmFwVHxadIx6HMvaVZaOi8tvS_II43EhQuzTkImDCvB9nlACrwQ/s1600/2016-08-04+10.48.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQNTAoloJzkANr5nczcvACEv1DtWuxq9wLGzssjhvJ7R8RnKIhP9SKAnm-_9kFarZVprmIsHD4f6Wd45FZK_49rTWPmFwVHxadIx6HMvaVZaOi8tvS_II43EhQuzTkImDCvB9nlACrwQ/s400/2016-08-04+10.48.49.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The burnt edges of a family bible.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The main exhibition room is well designed to add to the atmosphere:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilV3LaC2_M00hd_8l3gVm6BvEA63HJUY_ZFLk4k8aVRYYOXLmBRmCaybu94hAmdn3sEkDsOBjtYPZ89GtZz8BQ13diWiMTVr4UA2ffBtfHDp384C0OTm1esirVr8m__OIQys7NuAnnKd4/s1600/2016-08-04+10.53.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilV3LaC2_M00hd_8l3gVm6BvEA63HJUY_ZFLk4k8aVRYYOXLmBRmCaybu94hAmdn3sEkDsOBjtYPZ89GtZz8BQ13diWiMTVr4UA2ffBtfHDp384C0OTm1esirVr8m__OIQys7NuAnnKd4/s400/2016-08-04+10.53.58.jpg" width="370" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Valiant efforts to extinguish the fire ranged from huge fire poles to pull down buildings, fire squirts (like a big metal syringe) , very small buckets filled with water and gunpowder used to create fire breaks to halt the spread of the fire. An interactive game gives you the chance to try these different methods and see which works best. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ev07jQAxwoKA_6ybdca-wDe6IWc2zkARyBUV68iIj7ed1OmlCr22-wyZlwNuE3B0bne4vRIUsMn-FlirPdDXmJfY4Sim5KIRTD3vKCeV5eWwQrEVjwoqBpE4QuA23wEsEZqvHA0IR5M/s1600/2016-08-04+10.57.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ev07jQAxwoKA_6ybdca-wDe6IWc2zkARyBUV68iIj7ed1OmlCr22-wyZlwNuE3B0bne4vRIUsMn-FlirPdDXmJfY4Sim5KIRTD3vKCeV5eWwQrEVjwoqBpE4QuA23wEsEZqvHA0IR5M/s400/2016-08-04+10.57.22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interactive fire fighting game!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWSfDhiwN_Fdi8zeRwp9_ytBmWmlD6F7EveOaOsrBAh2rggy6IZVugQClU7YFvtE2vFCeTSbZNX_l3C7d6qg50gkm2zi9znTmvckwXOCAWIBpKnVTtGQLm10hOfQcZ6N_4P7ioGRLgws/s1600/2016-08-04+10.59.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWSfDhiwN_Fdi8zeRwp9_ytBmWmlD6F7EveOaOsrBAh2rggy6IZVugQClU7YFvtE2vFCeTSbZNX_l3C7d6qg50gkm2zi9znTmvckwXOCAWIBpKnVTtGQLm10hOfQcZ6N_4P7ioGRLgws/s320/2016-08-04+10.59.02.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire buckets far to small for the job</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq7eOmPGXuNmHZOtqIGBOG73hduW9eDVCB2IbjGD17uYVsn3Z2XbqjjpxyAFKLTyvgd58LtIvcbIGmpOcK8jIKwFFdiwTJme23yxxyxSue9YuQlwTVbN9vh-7DnMOC517NXusGQU4lJQ/s1600/2016-08-04+10.56.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq7eOmPGXuNmHZOtqIGBOG73hduW9eDVCB2IbjGD17uYVsn3Z2XbqjjpxyAFKLTyvgd58LtIvcbIGmpOcK8jIKwFFdiwTJme23yxxyxSue9YuQlwTVbN9vh-7DnMOC517NXusGQU4lJQ/s320/2016-08-04+10.56.30.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire buckets in use, but fairly useless!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiKB5UUPKCqn1GVmqlqjWGSup__UEslfQukHSWzVvfThjX1NQ6Hn4HmI0mpaId_k6_Z_K4UUAwVse3K09HZDjRVNS6zIvpLxqc9Zzz4o62wCHr_UGal6K3emFb6RpRlqb8Jh86Ecagxo/s1600/2016-08-04+11.00.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiKB5UUPKCqn1GVmqlqjWGSup__UEslfQukHSWzVvfThjX1NQ6Hn4HmI0mpaId_k6_Z_K4UUAwVse3K09HZDjRVNS6zIvpLxqc9Zzz4o62wCHr_UGal6K3emFb6RpRlqb8Jh86Ecagxo/s400/2016-08-04+11.00.27.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire pole </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5P8iQtDip8MpunDzptI_Y2ZBchj8mXZEAjPQqMjj9nXHI2k4DDUDKmgEjKUOayPxJwYL6-nvmGGq-eiaaF1gNX81QbTcu9WTxD8wzILLqE7LZ91V-wcdhDAJqv6lCl9xKldMTBSux68/s1600/2016-08-04+10.58.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5P8iQtDip8MpunDzptI_Y2ZBchj8mXZEAjPQqMjj9nXHI2k4DDUDKmgEjKUOayPxJwYL6-nvmGGq-eiaaF1gNX81QbTcu9WTxD8wzILLqE7LZ91V-wcdhDAJqv6lCl9xKldMTBSux68/s400/2016-08-04+10.58.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire squirt</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The King, Charles ll, and his brother were busy helping the fight, having travelled from Whitehall into the scene of the fire - perhaps he had learned from his father's death that he needed to be seen to be involved in the people's problems! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96_dFxRfaWQNufy6oBIY4YnwVMeRu6id18tToyjcvmbuK8vdpaJT0JD7DlppvnryeIZfX0f3S4ZmBsjFJLSQDXrSyUKEl_jWYa4ClUDN8iify8wtxz9Oz_zxyXNL1U9bu_pM-12SytBU/s1600/2016-08-04+11.01.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96_dFxRfaWQNufy6oBIY4YnwVMeRu6id18tToyjcvmbuK8vdpaJT0JD7DlppvnryeIZfX0f3S4ZmBsjFJLSQDXrSyUKEl_jWYa4ClUDN8iify8wtxz9Oz_zxyXNL1U9bu_pM-12SytBU/s400/2016-08-04+11.01.20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily, the winds died down, changed direction and the fire-fighting efforts began to pay off and on Wednesday the fire was conquered, with that man Samuel Pepys in the thick of the action again on the Thursday, claiming the last fire! Embers must have burned for days and can you imagine the smell of charred London? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oh5YaJU-dmPaoPQ5Ty33To7AmUsf98-t7AV4nV1MLfuakAr5qfCT2eXo1kO-9eppduo1M0iNoKPI8qv787wYkSmtycfsqliss34MHEikwaXu3KvjZQ8GwF52mxclA9naS6D4mk2wnrU/s1600/2016-08-04+10.46.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oh5YaJU-dmPaoPQ5Ty33To7AmUsf98-t7AV4nV1MLfuakAr5qfCT2eXo1kO-9eppduo1M0iNoKPI8qv787wYkSmtycfsqliss34MHEikwaXu3KvjZQ8GwF52mxclA9naS6D4mk2wnrU/s320/2016-08-04+10.46.32.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About a quarter of London was in ruins after the fire and tens of thousands of people were living in temporary camps, tents and sheds on the hills around the city. The King sent money to buy them bread but their situation must have been desperate. Thoughts turned to how to rebuild this great city. Firstly however the blame game started and the 'usual suspects' were under suspicion: Catholics, and foreigners, particularly the French and the Dutch. Or was it an act of an angry God? Sinful Londoners perhaps brought it on themselves? Pie Corner is a memorial to that theory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The inevitable crime wave followed and the King intervened to legislate that items stolen should be returned and we can read his proclamation against 'imbezzell'd' goods:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The good news was that surprisingly few people died, officially fewer than 10 but it is thought that others many have died and been buried in burned out buildings as record keeping was not good back then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We learn about the rebuilding plans, including information that Sir Christopher Wren had, rather </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">amazingly,</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> completed a</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> plan ready to show the King just 6 days after the fire. Now, that seems a bit quick to me or am I being too suspicious? Much of the planned schemes did not happen as there was not enough money and the decisions took too long, so the new city grew up mostly around the old street layout albeit with wider roads in many places to reduce the fire risk. It took about 40 years for a new, largely brick city to emerge including a brand new St Paul's cathedral thanks to Wren. London was ready to face its future:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One fun game before you leave, lets you </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">design your own version of London after the Great Fire using a range of wooden blocks:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">For full information about opening hours and ticket prices check the Museum of London's </span><a href="http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/exhibitions/fire-fire" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">website</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Disclosure: as is customary in this industry, I was offered a complimentary ticket to see this exhibition. This has not influenced what I have said and I would happily pay my own money to see this show. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www;itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-46921417905674813092016-08-02T16:48:00.001+01:002016-08-02T16:48:57.405+01:00Check out 90 years of the Queen's style at Buckingham Palace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where ever the Queen goes she is always a focus of attention, so whatever she wears is going to be talked about; remember the fuss over her rather bright green outfit at this year's Trooping the Colour? When you visit Buckingham Palace this year, you can enjoy their special exhibition which traces her fashion choices during the 90 years of her life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buckingham Palace, one of the great symbols of London, is open to the public each summer when the Queen goes to Scotland for her holidays. You can explore the many state rooms with their sumptuous decor, furnishings and works of art and learn about the history of this grand building. Each year they put on a special exhibition and this year's is called: Fashioning a Reign:90 Years of Style from The Queen's Wardrobe, and I'm going to give you a peek inside!. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We see her how her outfits have changed over the years to reflect fashion and the first room you visit has a piece from each of her decades including matching outfits that the Queen and her younger sister wore to the coronation of George Vl, a dress worn when she met Marilyn Monroe (or rather the other way round!) and culminating in the wonderful pink dress worn for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and the film of her greeting James Bond and 'jumping' out of the helicopter. This last dress illustrates the level of planning involved in working on the Queen's wardrobe as the video was made in March so the outfit had to be agreed back then for the event taking place at the end of July. What a memorable moment from London 2012. A second dress was made for the stunt jumper but we are assured this is the one worn by the Queen.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">** Dresses and coronets worm by the Queen and Princess Margaret to their father's coronation 1937</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">** A Norman Hartnell dress for the 1956 film premier with Marilyn Monroe</td></tr>
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The 'Olympics' dress of 2012 by Angela Kelly </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In her younger years we would often see the Queen on horseback, riding side saddle in stylish military outfits, cut away from the waist to accommodate this strange riding position. She was the first female monarch to serve in the forces when in 1945 she served in the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Army) and we can see her own uniform. It's hard to imagine Her Majesty doing car maintenance but those were tough times for the country and she wanted to do her bit. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen's ATS battle dress</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We see her wonderfully tailored jackets, one of which has a flexible beret which gives the option to change the plumage to reflect the regiment she was representing or inspecting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Queen has kept faith with a few top couture designers, namely Normal Hartnell and Hardy Amies and has added Stewart Parvin and Angela Kelly among others . Her unswerving support for British fashion has helped promote London's place as a world fashion capital. This has included a small coterie of hat designers and a gallery of hats showcases a few of these. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The famous Hartnell wedding dress from 1947 is on display with its 9 foot veil and shoes. It was a triumph as it needed to fit this historic occasion and yet Britain was still subject to rationing so care had to be taken to not overplay the luxury element - he succeeded! The theme was renewal in the post war period so springtime flowers can be seen in the embroidery. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wedding dress fit for a Queen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time of the coronation in 1953 Hartnell had a freer hand and his design looked back at the wedding dress but features much more elaborate embroidery with symbols of the 4 UK nations and the Dominion nations The Queen was closely involved in its design and had considerable input through series of 8 reworked sketches. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coronation dress</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embroidery detail from the wedding dress</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Queen has many roles: head of state, head of the armed forces, head of the chivalry orders as well as a member of a family with lots of events and need outfits for each of these. Those worn on her state visits were really interesting as we saw how symbols of the country being visited were incorporated into day and evening wear. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this photo we can see a pink cherry blossom decorated dress worn to China next to a blue and cream dress with maple leaves along the colour join for a visit to Canada, and the yellow dress was worn to Australia giving a nod to their national colour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This dress was for Her Majesty's visit to the Olypmics in Montreal in 1976 so it incorporates the Olympic rings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I really liked about this section was the chance to see the dress on the mannequin alongside a photo of the Queen wearing the dress during the official visit. Firstly you can see the outfit Her Majesty wore to Saudi Arabia in 1979, being sure to cover up to respect Saudi customs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Here the dress for the visit to Nigeria in 1956 features a neckline which echoes African tribal necklaces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And finally on our mini tour of the exhibition, the green outfit Her Majesty wore for the 2016 Trooping The Colour. It was not nearly as bright as it appeared on the TV. The Queen wears bright colours so that people can see her in a crowd, especially as she is quite short (just 5ft 4in) but this year's green must have been the brightest yet - not bad for a 90 year old. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 by Stewart Parvin </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One more photo I couldn't resist showing you because it shows the Queen during various ages, always smiling and waving to the crowds who have come out to see her as she wants to make their day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a lot more to see in the full exhibition and of course there are the wonderful rooms of the Palace to enjoy. Don't miss the cafe for good snacks and the shop 'where the corgis hang out' (!) and the wonderful gardens on the way to the exit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more information about visiting Buckingham Palace and Fashioning a Reign, visit their <a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace" target="_blank">website. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Photo credits: starred photos (**) are courtesy of Elizabth Hawksley for which many thanks</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www;itsyourlondon.co.uk</span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-49110720349052197082016-07-15T16:57:00.000+01:002016-07-15T16:57:11.306+01:00 Take a trip into space at London's National Maritime Museum!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our famous astronaut Tim Peake may be back from space now, but you can take a trip there anytime at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Their exhibition Above and Beyond has lots of fun interactivity and is definitely one to put on the list for the school holidays. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The posters as you approach are very cool and the enormous sign as you enter really makes you think - could humans be setting foot on Mars in the lifetime of our children? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUY5QXyWjpQqUlDVYAguiclOPLp4O64rlqZsb70exD7i02HCu-ISk8NUACr0Xu9P72qT_Hi8nWzRY4ab08YUf12vbAJT4vP_er8PYQmCGdcRCcpV8Csb6g4JKx0l0mcvDsbLELYW6gaQ/s1600/2016-05-25+08.57.53+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUY5QXyWjpQqUlDVYAguiclOPLp4O64rlqZsb70exD7i02HCu-ISk8NUACr0Xu9P72qT_Hi8nWzRY4ab08YUf12vbAJT4vP_er8PYQmCGdcRCcpV8Csb6g4JKx0l0mcvDsbLELYW6gaQ/s400/2016-05-25+08.57.53+HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49uNGQ7X-7q7f2fplBq-0rORtgIVML36vTCeoPvinuqkq-NzhpfArFqfY-XsFK_9pCGIjot5vwtQGspdgg6rz4UqddnYqobBtMA0xRZ7CY4_C-nsqbBONn7ruJONJuyhBFDkXVu6cshM/s1600/2016-05-25+08.58.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49uNGQ7X-7q7f2fplBq-0rORtgIVML36vTCeoPvinuqkq-NzhpfArFqfY-XsFK_9pCGIjot5vwtQGspdgg6rz4UqddnYqobBtMA0xRZ7CY4_C-nsqbBONn7ruJONJuyhBFDkXVu6cshM/s400/2016-05-25+08.58.19.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I ventured into space, I had a lot of fun flying with birds. It's hard to describe this interactive experience but you stand on a spot in front of the screen and you are linked to a bird on the screen, flying across a landscape. You stand with your arms out like wings and if you don't move them properly the bird will crash - well it goes red for danger and you need to move sharpish to get it back on track. I found it quite compulsive and loved the scenery too. It's best if you have a small group or family as you can fill up all the spots and 'fly' together. It also taught us why birds fly in a V formation as there are nuggets of education built into every section but without being too obvious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Hopefully these photos will help give you a better idea of how it works:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of educational info </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like a skier!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are flying along </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't swoop properly - that's me in red on the left - oops </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpqGgh2puRc1tiX3P17Cn195KvSEQqC7PRhwpOHts4g64t6zx2bNFT6983YXL6ubRvE0DVXAfL53KtbaonQ9Qh5l7VX3qhzuv78l6a_vWrEACip9yOQvnDGLXF6vVuAOddMoP1kFBKeI/s1600/P1220207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpqGgh2puRc1tiX3P17Cn195KvSEQqC7PRhwpOHts4g64t6zx2bNFT6983YXL6ubRvE0DVXAfL53KtbaonQ9Qh5l7VX3qhzuv78l6a_vWrEACip9yOQvnDGLXF6vVuAOddMoP1kFBKeI/s400/P1220207.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Oh dear, my fellow flyers aren't keeping up either! Great view tho'..</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are lots of educational points thrown in where we see women scientist on screens, making it more inclusive and inspiring for girls visiting. We even had a girl mini astronaut visiting with when we were there! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORFtXJqwbQkPMXVG9cvHbnfIGrrp4aAb4hnxahjCv_rVVxHsFP3Pontzdd6K_v0JGzeoOkMLTrqL3UvpS1dBenhnX43mYAnRngtwtU5u1t30T4sY3KRRRY4Ekrhlo0XGbabKQW1CS49s/s1600/P1220210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORFtXJqwbQkPMXVG9cvHbnfIGrrp4aAb4hnxahjCv_rVVxHsFP3Pontzdd6K_v0JGzeoOkMLTrqL3UvpS1dBenhnX43mYAnRngtwtU5u1t30T4sY3KRRRY4Ekrhlo0XGbabKQW1CS49s/s400/P1220210.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She looks ready for space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved the Space Elevator which takes you up tin just a few seconds to way beyond the earth. Join me on my journey:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiJN_Zf50TimsNWEQ32WayI0FRSbNiVA7YkEKnpve7NhUvcOnHw9Djige71Vs3ehHpiSCV4LXLQ4Kd5lhr6vU7vUEpfvaNclQjUr-X2OP_PN26t0LbSusS8zdlP3biKH2KUV5OYSypBg/s1600/P1220170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiJN_Zf50TimsNWEQ32WayI0FRSbNiVA7YkEKnpve7NhUvcOnHw9Djige71Vs3ehHpiSCV4LXLQ4Kd5lhr6vU7vUEpfvaNclQjUr-X2OP_PN26t0LbSusS8zdlP3biKH2KUV5OYSypBg/s400/P1220170.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take off bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPEbLdaUWs6cFVnlBt3FqvPprEW6Kyg-6xphccywasL3whR4SJX6Qsslk1nIjBVP0azXkjPirdMUthV56GgKO9oC0387s_9XcEu8j9k0Trm7J5MRtruNRrLkzgZEWNdDJS_8LjfluJ8/s1600/P1220163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPEbLdaUWs6cFVnlBt3FqvPprEW6Kyg-6xphccywasL3whR4SJX6Qsslk1nIjBVP0azXkjPirdMUthV56GgKO9oC0387s_9XcEu8j9k0Trm7J5MRtruNRrLkzgZEWNdDJS_8LjfluJ8/s400/P1220163.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going up </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNjpcgCG-KYjFBJMV6Yh6k54ixMPx3MwPZh2pJG-4qxKwxr7o96F-aoWPi_ifaAohyyw15ZbbOdRXHCL5hyt2OkOz6ONMloX2U6LtRmiq8ROojA31ajgvxbklhF7pC9Vqm1NqoGL4QeA/s1600/P1220168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNjpcgCG-KYjFBJMV6Yh6k54ixMPx3MwPZh2pJG-4qxKwxr7o96F-aoWPi_ifaAohyyw15ZbbOdRXHCL5hyt2OkOz6ONMloX2U6LtRmiq8ROojA31ajgvxbklhF7pC9Vqm1NqoGL4QeA/s400/P1220168.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dnDt-ajl0Aw0ZLF9maTRSO2v1vatd0oYifJvplIMYHK1vAaNAH32aIj1NyzNzQZ9lHu2sfY_7H2MHGfo9rq3CKemg2zFYTIbJmoONqSDiXuLdoO-D6dAoMcTqd78HfMQruEYXdO0SRY/s1600/P1220172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dnDt-ajl0Aw0ZLF9maTRSO2v1vatd0oYifJvplIMYHK1vAaNAH32aIj1NyzNzQZ9lHu2sfY_7H2MHGfo9rq3CKemg2zFYTIbJmoONqSDiXuLdoO-D6dAoMcTqd78HfMQruEYXdO0SRY/s400/P1220172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10,000 miles from earth...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtn_yVViQ4VgBrZLuzUdUKTTNpcnWoO0yd59YlsZXZJzuLkUTSivL5Smmp7Z889LlTFi3ZrxzfirWju5plU1TJKfA2YmX2QnR7ensdAs-2eBgAOvDSkLEVtYuuhR1uxjVW1a0iyzrU4E/s1600/P1220171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtn_yVViQ4VgBrZLuzUdUKTTNpcnWoO0yd59YlsZXZJzuLkUTSivL5Smmp7Z889LlTFi3ZrxzfirWju5plU1TJKfA2YmX2QnR7ensdAs-2eBgAOvDSkLEVtYuuhR1uxjVW1a0iyzrU4E/s400/P1220171.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now we are in space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can design your own full throttle jet and then test fly it through a tricky obstacle course, which I have to admit I was really bad at! You can see the planes of the future, hear how scientists are pushing the boundaries. There is so much to enjoy and make you think. How about seeing the world's lightest metal? It's 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and yet is incredibly strong so could change how we build cars, airplanes and even homes. How about the incredible shrinking satellite where you can see how these once sizeable pieces of metal is now something you could easily carry in your hand.. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wdf5HTc0ZRuH_tOMYKsMottmpCmciJFswjvFyYInvN167mtGoZ_wA8lvE-bE2FPkH85kxe9SWF31PxOO6cm6io2YAt5KRfQ2puJrdxu6KWdH1f1TvWYktIRoHh-6wcCyLK4UmUM45p0/s1600/P1220201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wdf5HTc0ZRuH_tOMYKsMottmpCmciJFswjvFyYInvN167mtGoZ_wA8lvE-bE2FPkH85kxe9SWF31PxOO6cm6io2YAt5KRfQ2puJrdxu6KWdH1f1TvWYktIRoHh-6wcCyLK4UmUM45p0/s400/P1220201.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sit here to test out jet you have designed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VU0T0Zt8lyTmrs8Kpv1KAl2GvxI-_9VDvkvGn28Lw02wkSwj2l-GWBYKiQ-2DDo1Un2reuM5nIiU9G6jcE2ld6wxHCK8UX7C44Xd_NJO8WQ0xFAiDSgDRtpJ4JQz8zS8R98VvpNj9ew/s1600/P1220174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VU0T0Zt8lyTmrs8Kpv1KAl2GvxI-_9VDvkvGn28Lw02wkSwj2l-GWBYKiQ-2DDo1Un2reuM5nIiU9G6jcE2ld6wxHCK8UX7C44Xd_NJO8WQ0xFAiDSgDRtpJ4JQz8zS8R98VvpNj9ew/s400/P1220174.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrEatOCO9D5FAyRWfm8fP4ENEOIg3TSuf9N_LIApOkBGiEfQvD6PzEEpjKFRjpBvaGN-jViuPTT9iMUb3WBtoWTUyE4MffIkoUMcArGAf1dI8ETKStyxkeDPL6FmK73lFHuBPEAy7H0I/s1600/P1220193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrEatOCO9D5FAyRWfm8fP4ENEOIg3TSuf9N_LIApOkBGiEfQvD6PzEEpjKFRjpBvaGN-jViuPTT9iMUb3WBtoWTUyE4MffIkoUMcArGAf1dI8ETKStyxkeDPL6FmK73lFHuBPEAy7H0I/s400/P1220193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should have mentioned the shop earlier as they do have great things for sale but the best bit for me was having my photo taken as an astronaut! This goes well with my Mars passport from inside the exhibition. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtfGiZ8blgor7rvKxarm0BCEQCMt3guSJ4A_bj2LyuNPuel1-yd-uhyphenhyphenwcAajRlklcn6SYd5hfMpBKw14culMn0pWqaoioTyk1Hh7NBNk4mQaWzorrQ26fClVKa72KwzAMDUWh5q8t-hU/s1600/2016-05-25+09.56.31-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtfGiZ8blgor7rvKxarm0BCEQCMt3guSJ4A_bj2LyuNPuel1-yd-uhyphenhyphenwcAajRlklcn6SYd5hfMpBKw14culMn0pWqaoioTyk1Hh7NBNk4mQaWzorrQ26fClVKa72KwzAMDUWh5q8t-hU/s400/2016-05-25+09.56.31-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for take off!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7-ognRGef9_5icbK_ZYeEXe52CNhSdCtY0tOjS2QiBmaFWZxWYhvkwTG3tTajezDFUS7EO9mJrg6_KGl7qjEkAwjde1IyCSk2DCdtqNASH23DDJe6yci4xCjrtiL5CpHcEqUdddYcYI/s1600/P1220190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7-ognRGef9_5icbK_ZYeEXe52CNhSdCtY0tOjS2QiBmaFWZxWYhvkwTG3tTajezDFUS7EO9mJrg6_KGl7qjEkAwjde1IyCSk2DCdtqNASH23DDJe6yci4xCjrtiL5CpHcEqUdddYcYI/s400/P1220190.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See you on Mars! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68bDBwAaJsziUFJzVw3z2-F_DsJ4zVbhSBVbliH01o-18XmvMY-2AGQ5nIeaHhspFk_adPam3MI-s32K_3um3LDST3-8Fy3wGRmWx36tLBa_etMzDrYo1FJvUaLvz3iABx1RnPuIQHi8/s1600/2016-05-25+09.58.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68bDBwAaJsziUFJzVw3z2-F_DsJ4zVbhSBVbliH01o-18XmvMY-2AGQ5nIeaHhspFk_adPam3MI-s32K_3um3LDST3-8Fy3wGRmWx36tLBa_etMzDrYo1FJvUaLvz3iABx1RnPuIQHi8/s400/2016-05-25+09.58.15.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't this a great T-shirt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, with the school holidays upon us, it's well worth taking your family to Greenwich as there is so much to see and do there. There's the Cutty Sark and the Greenwich Meridian and the Royal Observatory as well as the National Maritime Museum which has more than just this one exhibition. It's a full day out and great fun if you take the Thames Clipper there to enjoy see the Thames all the way from central London. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out these great places to visit in <a href="http://www.rmg.co.uk/" target="_blank">Greenwich</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk </span></div>
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-87270123561359008002016-07-10T11:42:00.003+01:002016-07-10T11:42:44.166+01:00What's On in London Summer 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IT’S YOUR
LONDON NEWSLETTER FOR SUMMER 2016.</span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s your Summer 2016 newsletter giving you a taster of the exciting
events coming up in the next 3 months in our capital. If you want to hear more
about anything listed (or other things you’ve heard about) send me an email (<a href="mailto:sue@itsyourlondon.co.uk">sue@itsyourlondon.co.uk</a>) and I’ll get
right back to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a look a Sue’s blog on the website (<a href="http://www.itsyourlondon.co.uk/">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</a>) to read
about what I’ve been up to lately – a peek into life in London. I’m also on
Twitter at @itsyourlondon so do join my 3900 followers for the latest news!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you enjoy your newsletter; let me know what you think!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue Hillman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SPECIAL
EVENTS <o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>July </b>The Proms season begins for the 122<sup>nd</sup> time and there are
over 90 varied and magnificent concerts over 8 weeks making this the world’s
greatest classical music festival. Held in the Royal Albert Hall, big names and
old favourite pieces feature alongside new commissions and lesser known work.
Highlights include a Strictly Come Dancing Prom, Bryn Terfel in Boris Godunov,
a night of gospel singing, a celebration of Latin American music for the Rio
Olympics and Quincy Jones reviewing his career including collaborations with
Miles Davis and Michael Jackson. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>August</b>. The Notting Hill Carnival is a huge event,
the largest street party in Europe. There is a massive parade of music and
costumes, sounds stages blasting out everything from reggae to rock and roll,
all kinds of great street food, dancing in the streets and tons of fun to be
had over the 2 days when millions of people come to Notting Hill for a great
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>September </b>The Mayor’s Thames Festival, Totally Thames,
brings the river alive for the whole month, we are expecting the river to be
buzzing again this year and the riverside restaurants will be joining in with
special menus and events. London Fashion
Week takes over the fashion and shopping world across London and the Weekend is
open to the public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">THEATRE </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July </b>Breakfast at Tiffany’s opens at the
Theatre Royal Haymarket with Pixie Lott in the role of Holly Golightly
made so famous by Audrey Hepburn.
After a long preview period, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Parts 1 & 2 opens for real at the Palace Theatre, although tickets are
impossible to find. Into The Woods and the Menier Chocolate Factory is not
the usual version with ’10 actors, one piano and boundless imagination’!
The Trial of Jane Fonda at the Park Theatre imagines what happened when
Jane met US soldiers who served in the Vietnam War confronting her about
her visits to North Vietnam when she was named ‘Hanoi Jane. Staring Anne
Archer as Jane. Through The Mill at the Southwark Playhouse looks at the
life of Judy Garland through the filming of the Judy Garland show in 1963.
Jesus Christ Superstar comes to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre 45
years since it first opened. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August
</b>Yerma comes to the Young Vic starring Billie Piper in this
emotional role. By contrast the Old
Vic brings us Groundhog Day, the musical by Tim Minchin based on the
famous much loved film. Kenneth
Branagh’s season at the Garrick Theatre when he takes on the role so
famously associated with Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September
</b>Much excitement about the opening of Pinter’s No Man’s Land at the Wyndham
starring Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart, set in a Hampstead pub where 2
older writers compare stories. The Royal Court’s A Father Comes Home from
the War parts 1, 2 & 3 looks interesting, set in the American Civil
War it is the story of a slave’s dilemmas. The Libertine starring Dominic
Cooper has had a long build up at the Theatre Royal Haymarket due to its
star and its racy tale based on a true story. As the evenings get cooler the indoor
option of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe is attractive with its
offering of the Two Gentlemen of Verona. For hardier fold Pride and Prejudice
is on at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> ART GALLERIES</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July
</b>The buzz in the art world is still the new Tate Modern extension
which opened mid June and their new show is Georgia O’Keeffe, the largest
retrospective shown outside the USA with over 100 works by this pioneer of
20<sup>th</sup> century art. At the National Portrait Gallery a new show
of work by William Eggleston, an influential American photographer whose
exhibition in 1976 led to photography being recognised as a contemporary
art form! David Hockney’s 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life opens at the Royal
Academy, each work features someone from his life, in the same chair, is
the same size and has the same background colour. A new public art
installation at St Pancras station by Ron Arad is a monumental blade of
shiny aluminium which slowly rotates – a must see! <span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August</b> Not many openings this month so don’t
miss the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition closing this month – the world’s
greatest open entry art show! A
film poster exhibition Summer Screen Prints at Somerset House looks fun,
running alongside their outdoor film screenings in their magnificent
courtyard, with each poster an original interpretation each of the films
showing. Also at Somerset House are the World Illustration Awards, in
their 40<sup>th</sup> year and rather under publicised I must say!<span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September
</b>Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy brings together some of
the most celebrated arts from this period of American art including
Pollock, Rothko and de Kooning alongside less well known figures including
women who struggled to be seen at the time. The Tate Britain hosts the
contenders for the annual Turner Prize, always stirring up some
controversy in the art world. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SHOPPING,
FASHION & MARKETS</b>. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July
</b>Don’t miss the bargains in London’s famous July sales where
everyone from the High Street to Harrods slash their prices. Spitalfields
Market has regular events including an Independent Label Market in July.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August
</b>Summer is the best time to visit London’s numerous street markets:
Portobello, Columbia Road, Camden, Greenwich and many more. Any day of the
week one of these great markets will be just the place to while away the
summer and grab some unique purchases.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September
</b>London Fashion Week is a chance to get ahead of the fashion
curve with catwalk shows and splash out on some new clothes too, with
collections looking ahead to spring/summer
2016. This year it stays at the Saatchi Gallery on the Kings Road after a
successful move last year. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">MUSEUMS
& EXHIBITIONS</span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July</b> A much
awaiting exhibition at the Museum of London marks the anniversary of the
Great Fire of London in 1666 with an interactive, immersive experience
called Fire! Fire! Great for all ages but I guess particularly good for
the school holidays. The Museum of London is also organising visits to
Billingsgate Roman House and Baths, which are rarely open and this is a
great chance to tour these remains under the buildings of London. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August</b> Few new openings in August
but there is time to catch Exhibitionism at the Saatchi Gallery, the
popular Rolling Stones show. Also worth a look are: Above and Beyond at
the National Maritime Museum, a chance to explore space travel through fun
interactive exhibits, At the British Museum the Sunken Cities is a
fascinating exploration of ancient underwater cities, brought up to the
surface for us to enjoy with films of how they were found on the sea bed. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September</b> The Victoria
and Albert Museum’s exhibition is called You Say You Want a Revolution:
Records and Rebels 1966-70. The title say it all really, looking at the
turbulent times of the late 60s, its revolutions, records, performances, activism
alongside fashion, film and design. Also at the V&A is the Opus
Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery, showcasing an art
which England excelled at from the 12<sup>th</sup> to the 15<sup>th</sup>
centuries. These ancient elaborate, luxury embroideries, with their
exquisite craftsmanship, will be displayed alongside contemporary works to
give them historical context. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">FOODIE THINGS</span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">July </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">The Soho Food
Festival returns with an array of top restaurants putting their wares out into
the streets to create a great buzz and endless temptation and all in a good
cause as it raises cash for a local primary school. Lots of talk about Berber and Q Shawarma Bar
in Exmouth Market – reinventing the kebab – looks worth a visit. Samarkand in
Charlotte Street brings us Uzbeki cuisine with a lounge bar offering caviar and
vodka. Calcutta Street, bringing Bengali home cooking and communal dining, sets
up its first permanent residence in Fitzrovia. After 18 years in Barcelona,
Sagardi set foots in London for the first time (and in the UK for the first
time) with Basque cooking.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">August</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">. The BBC Good Food Festival returns to Hampton
Court with top chefs doing demos, stalls, tastings and demonstrations all in
the beautiful grounds of the Palace. Chicama on the Kings Road will bring us
Peruvian style seafood. Butifarra is also Peruvian, serving street food –
sandwiches, ceviches and watch out for some sweet afters! Blanchette East is the new opening of the
successful Soho place offering small French plates to the Shoreditch crowd. One
Aldwych are getting excited about opening a new restaurant headed by Eneko
Atxa, chef at 3 Michelin starred Azurmendi Bilbao, bringing rustic Basque
cuisine (yes, Basque seems popular right now)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">September </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Elystan Street is a new venue from the
former chef of 2 Michelin starred The Square, Phil Howard. Anzu in St James
Market is the new upmarket offering from the Tonkotsu folk. A favourite
restaurant is Casse- Croute in Bermondsey and they are branching out just
around the corner with Pique-Nique offering breakfast, lunch and rotisseries.
Shaun Rankin moves into the Mayfair hotel Flemings with his Jersey heritage
bringing modern British booking to a new restaurant called, you’ve guessed,
Shaun Rankin at Flemings. One more to
look forward to is Margot from the former Maitre d’ at Bar Boulud, Paulo de
Tarso, offering rustic Italian food.</span></li>
</ul>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">PARKS
& GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES</span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>July </b>The famous Flower Show takes over the grounds of Hampton
Court for a wonderful weekend in a more relaxed atmosphere than the Chelsea equivalent
and it’s much easier to get tickets too. Buckingham Palace starts its summer opening when the Queen goes on her
holidays and she lets us look around her London home and be amazed by the huge
room, amazing decorations, fabulous furniture and great paintings. Hyde Park is home to great music as it Kew
Gardens.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>August </b>Clarence House, the
official residence of Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla is also open to
the public, but just for August as he has shorter holidays than the Queen! The
BBC Good Food Festival comes to Hampton Court’s grounds to tempt you with all
kinds of goodies and top chefs from Michel Roux to John Torode and Mr Bake Off
Paul Hollywood and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>September
</b> The Last Night of the Proms is streamed live into
Hyde Park so thousands can wave flags and sing their hearts out. Buckingham
Palace is open to visitors for another month as the Queen is still on her
holidays! Kew Gardens host Write On Kew
literary festival with interviews, readings and signings by top names such as
Tracey Chevalier, Fay Weldon, Marian Keyes, Robert Harris and Alan Johnson and
so many more.</span></li>
</ul>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">SPORT </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July
</b>Wimbledon has moved on a week this year so July now has the second
week of this great tournament and the hopes of the nations rest on Andy
Murray. In the cricket, England
play one of the test series against Pakistan at Lords and there is plenty
of county cricket matches at the Oval and Lords. The annual Anniversary Games at the
Olympic Stadium brings big names as usual in what will be a Rio Games warm
up – Usain Bolt, Jess Ennis-Hill and David Weir are big draws but loads
more stars will be there. Ride London is a massive cycling event for the
public and elite competitors. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August</b>. All eyes
will be on Rio for the Olympics this month. The 4<sup>th</sup> test match between
England and Pakistan will be played at the Oval, County cricket will be in
full flow at all the London grounds. The Premiership start in August,
which always feels too early for the football season. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September
</b>Eyes return to Rio for the Paralympic
Games where Team GB will be looking for a good medal haul. The Tour of
Britain wheels into London and we may see some of the Tour de France stars
in town. The cricket season is ending as the Rugby Union Premiership gears
up. For something beyond the usual sports, the WWE Wrestling takes over
the 02 giving you a chance to see the ‘Superstars and Divas in action’!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">MUSIC </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>July
</b>The festival season is in full flow
with British Summer Time – full of the biggest names from legends such as Carole
King to Stevie Wonder, Mumfords and Take That. Kew The Music which has one
of the best settings for Gipsy Kings, Simply Red, and of course Jools
Holland. Somerset House rivals Kew for setting and brings us a wide range
of styles including Jack Savoretti, James Morrison and St Germain. Lovebox
in Victoria Park brings us Major Lazer, George Clinton and Norman Jay MBE.
Let’s not forget the nightly Proms season which kicks off in July and
stretches through to September.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>August
</b>The festival South West Four on Clapham
Common brings us the biggest names in dance music including Rudimental,
Dizzee Rascal, Chemical Brothers and Armand van Helden. Prepare yourself
for the Notting Hill Carnival – 2 days of very loud music to get us all up
and dancing in the streets. Look out for Gaz’s Rocking Crew and the nearby
dub reggae truck which are my favourites or get your ears blown off on All
Saints Road! <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>September
</b>The festivals are still with us as On
Blackheath returns with a wide range of acts from Neneh Cherry, Roachford
to Hot Chip and James or Squeeze or Edwyn Collins. The wonderful Proms come to an end with a
simulcast in Hyde Park but before then you can see a line up of Rick
Astley, Frankie Valli, All Saints and the multi-talented Tim Minchin. It’s retro time around London with
concerts by Billy Joel at Wembley, Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd at the
Royal Albert Hall and Ronan Keating at the Apollo. Noel Gallagher’s High
Flying Birds headline at the Brixton Academy. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*All listings correct to the best of my knowledge but exact details
should be checked with each venue. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-190283455969062242016-06-21T11:14:00.000+01:002016-06-21T11:14:04.655+01:00Gillray's Steakhouse and Bar, London <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been wining and dining and even spa-ing in the County Hall Marriott Hotel for more years than I would like to mention so I was really looking forward to a return visit, especilally as I was here to try out the new menu at Gillray's Steakhouse and Bar! County Hall has a prime site next to the London Eye and across from the Houses of Parliament and fascinating history as the former home of the Greater London Council and its leader Ken Livingstone before it was abolished in 1983. 17 years later he become the first Mayor of London but a new City Hall was built by Tower Bridge so this magnificent building could be taken on by the Marriott group who luckily kept many of the original features such as the wood panelled corridors and bar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, I was here for food and cocktails and so skipped up the less well know sneaky river front entrance and was soon above the madding crowds on this busy stretch of the Thames You feel miles away from the noise and the bustle below you as you enter the glamorous bar. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVkVh5ZlLciV29NdfkcqTKEgRCdPX5gWFzxO1VQrJ1O1I_sb9UlKbc7xQgJxoCKu8QGCGY9QH14EEKDVXl6qzcHh7SBZpXrV0VX_JZ3gYNkSrGg2ExeVXduLtfFM5Ys-JJEOY0dFVkrI/s1600/2016-04-29+16.58.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="London Eye and County Hall " border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVkVh5ZlLciV29NdfkcqTKEgRCdPX5gWFzxO1VQrJ1O1I_sb9UlKbc7xQgJxoCKu8QGCGY9QH14EEKDVXl6qzcHh7SBZpXrV0VX_JZ3gYNkSrGg2ExeVXduLtfFM5Ys-JJEOY0dFVkrI/s400/2016-04-29+16.58.17.jpg" title="London Eye and County Hall" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River entrance to Gillray's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCgUaziJkhcmHNyF6HDPNUZsBBFW2LpMd81DalXdO4dXKGlrXlMy6igP3QzUzP8ZoVThOzMrw1e6g32H2TLBYZrmgz4pe1RqZk-D3uZ4wHWJlBIWsbFzZtC3g7wPc02QpiPJyWi1gUNI/s1600/Gillray%2527s+Bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCgUaziJkhcmHNyF6HDPNUZsBBFW2LpMd81DalXdO4dXKGlrXlMy6igP3QzUzP8ZoVThOzMrw1e6g32H2TLBYZrmgz4pe1RqZk-D3uZ4wHWJlBIWsbFzZtC3g7wPc02QpiPJyWi1gUNI/s400/Gillray%2527s+Bar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The restaurant and its bar are named after the famous 18th century caricaturist James Gillray who was the master of the political cartoon, acknowledging the building's political history. You can enjoy his prints along the walls as well as more contemporary cartoons from the era of Margaret Thatcher in the restrooms - well they are in the Ladies, I cannot speak for the gents!. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We started our visit with a refreshing cocktail from the excellent list . They use home infused gin to create unique drinks and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gillray's are proud to part of the current gin revival, stocking a wide range of familiar and new gins, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sam Mitchell, the Head Bartender chose a strongly Gillray referenced cocktail for us called </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Drawing Out A Batch of New Kings</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> after his famous cartoon. Our cocktail however was rum based, a fresh and easy to quaff mix of homemade bacardi carta blanca spiced rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, passion fruit and mint leaves.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNnV8Ggehe7drREAwgleet9AK9ZvlaLGMSTqogF8eJxUHzW7YuU45qFKNm4OkCnWnIKkt1zg0hn_-_dKrEQ_6AGZZ8Mi5IaihzyFFs7NTnrAPcCNOsJPOFXwNxidQ5hk6s_tufdDTmlI/s1600/2016-04-29+13.20.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNnV8Ggehe7drREAwgleet9AK9ZvlaLGMSTqogF8eJxUHzW7YuU45qFKNm4OkCnWnIKkt1zg0hn_-_dKrEQ_6AGZZ8Mi5IaihzyFFs7NTnrAPcCNOsJPOFXwNxidQ5hk6s_tufdDTmlI/s320/2016-04-29+13.20.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How fresh does this look?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moving through to the wonderfully open, light restaurant with more great views we settled down to test out their good looking menu. As there was a group of us, we were able to try out a range of starters from juicy scallps to the hearty terrine and the healthy deep green pea soup. My favourite was the watermelon with goat cheese and pistachio for its fresh, clean taste of the melon against the tart goat cheese.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ80VCPLYTQTQDcQkd5w-lP5vlxycmox4WnKdYbGMM7ScXmK4j4Ii_EhmG0Kv74aybqHM6BUnMsL1Z09z-M8YBjuMdnG_Mwq3pJWmRSaFjC9l8D4fUL4Ye3ppuQOcoQ1VPbYuflPfKBI4/s1600/Gillray%2527s+Steakhouse+%2526+Bar+.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ80VCPLYTQTQDcQkd5w-lP5vlxycmox4WnKdYbGMM7ScXmK4j4Ii_EhmG0Kv74aybqHM6BUnMsL1Z09z-M8YBjuMdnG_Mwq3pJWmRSaFjC9l8D4fUL4Ye3ppuQOcoQ1VPbYuflPfKBI4/s400/Gillray%2527s+Steakhouse+%2526+Bar+.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The dining room </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpGymBdj2b2vGA5DJ2-ZB19cve0y3NQruZo8QLDvwFy5Oz6PZc574sGH4sFqjniSNZI_0pUzdBiPjwumzb6hOXO1LC4sBc6lCV-ZqsdeYN021NbyymK17KDy6X2fQY_G64g3ezhmi4Dg/s1600/2016-04-29+14.13.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpGymBdj2b2vGA5DJ2-ZB19cve0y3NQruZo8QLDvwFy5Oz6PZc574sGH4sFqjniSNZI_0pUzdBiPjwumzb6hOXO1LC4sBc6lCV-ZqsdeYN021NbyymK17KDy6X2fQY_G64g3ezhmi4Dg/s320/2016-04-29+14.13.57.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea soup and goat curd</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxNRT0syfDHub6L7ClrPIjXl7SucWuLODILAFCukVDmsjogoGVcWxhoNmNrFAZ47u2BUvmrC3H918-TpAYQ6Bws6a8i-EVx73XCtLjXg-qLOU4zxknymn4Psg9ZUXaG5QU5aV9ArTLxE/s1600/2016-04-29+14.13.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxNRT0syfDHub6L7ClrPIjXl7SucWuLODILAFCukVDmsjogoGVcWxhoNmNrFAZ47u2BUvmrC3H918-TpAYQ6Bws6a8i-EVx73XCtLjXg-qLOU4zxknymn4Psg9ZUXaG5QU5aV9ArTLxE/s320/2016-04-29+14.13.11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goat cheese, watermelon and pistachio </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSJ26BhSd-Qsqj0BkJexlXZo7nChCiW77FI7s7OGn_3L0ZQTaGMTk2TUtQpsRCGvtnwqEwpPn6URdN4lCQl0B8FxBjH6RMGCcTxG5_VYpoilhcXONkHwnXU66Mnl3kytH1jGv_ZPJmrE/s1600/2016-04-29+14.13.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSJ26BhSd-Qsqj0BkJexlXZo7nChCiW77FI7s7OGn_3L0ZQTaGMTk2TUtQpsRCGvtnwqEwpPn6URdN4lCQl0B8FxBjH6RMGCcTxG5_VYpoilhcXONkHwnXU66Mnl3kytH1jGv_ZPJmrE/s320/2016-04-29+14.13.20.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinoa and chicken salad with courgette</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PqRUeOm2fF62rH6Zo92_I9VOF13bsUgZ2QwVoBUhdIcr2QDvj1qN_tLyabxy495_b3prpFDfbS77GWAgz5cOV_obkjtHiA1mq-JXefVDBn4dBmDE3ioU6KS7YBrNWiDTqYwjo-Y5ZQc/s1600/2016-04-29+14.14.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PqRUeOm2fF62rH6Zo92_I9VOF13bsUgZ2QwVoBUhdIcr2QDvj1qN_tLyabxy495_b3prpFDfbS77GWAgz5cOV_obkjtHiA1mq-JXefVDBn4dBmDE3ioU6KS7YBrNWiDTqYwjo-Y5ZQc/s320/2016-04-29+14.14.21.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallops, apple, vanilla and dates</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOMiYMR_byvSRoNx4_yFc8MuWYjudrEAbZLkXkKh2X4MOWIjrCqOY_aRCd5KEO45n9T9g74st7q5CP3q9XiyGFjNwft5NHlvh-zp66pHqEQ9EceBKWeEpDVggPQpM7xCV1NRT4OMCKkk/s1600/2016-04-29+14.14.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOMiYMR_byvSRoNx4_yFc8MuWYjudrEAbZLkXkKh2X4MOWIjrCqOY_aRCd5KEO45n9T9g74st7q5CP3q9XiyGFjNwft5NHlvh-zp66pHqEQ9EceBKWeEpDVggPQpM7xCV1NRT4OMCKkk/s320/2016-04-29+14.14.36.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken liver parfait, pear and gingerbread</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yvnh90FEE5q5iIPrJnByQOV2uBWTXvhizZ_NY1g2VSfbCHZpQ9U1H9KiGmko55Zvt0LnTwYXaSHBEAOXwq7fDcnUqi3qr3RgPaQSSQ6vxkSyjGop9CxeubHMO2dhCNN8x5dvjFYGhV8/s1600/2016-04-29+14.15.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yvnh90FEE5q5iIPrJnByQOV2uBWTXvhizZ_NY1g2VSfbCHZpQ9U1H9KiGmko55Zvt0LnTwYXaSHBEAOXwq7fDcnUqi3qr3RgPaQSSQ6vxkSyjGop9CxeubHMO2dhCNN8x5dvjFYGhV8/s320/2016-04-29+14.15.11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confit salmon, fennel, pollen, dill and beetroot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj282baZ10oyNwt7HAlnEQEiOWqP5QhDQ8l52mUiToziD4wS0Sp85sZsj14S8xQBhR_XdZjmNYsuzc7ZHVIqg-ZjnR9KX4HhVa490y57AAI_UWnGDUYtA87BCDJHRgrVEdUzj1JRIIfH24/s1600/2016-04-29+14.14.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj282baZ10oyNwt7HAlnEQEiOWqP5QhDQ8l52mUiToziD4wS0Sp85sZsj14S8xQBhR_XdZjmNYsuzc7ZHVIqg-ZjnR9KX4HhVa490y57AAI_UWnGDUYtA87BCDJHRgrVEdUzj1JRIIfH24/s320/2016-04-29+14.14.52.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old spot pork terrine and piccalilli </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Given a choice of main courses, it had to be rump steak and triple cooked chips and a wonderfully soft and generous sized steak appeared with Bearnaise sauce and portobello mushroom with heritage tomatoes. No one stepped up to the 1 kilo Bull's Head steak as it seemed a challenge too far! I asked for the cooking to be medium rare and it turned up just a fraction too rare for me so I asked if they could cook it just a little more and without any fuss, they whisked it away and returned very shortly with a new mushroom and the steak 's cooking perfectly adjusted. Excellent service. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxbdfOxt5ywuKs9pWkhtNTddRvgtjcTw6Stf8CYRfMSlwIsFwGonBMS9bsFfnCNRQU8NJnWBwqouK40tQwuX1OzZlrT2oOTEpLi9_sUYp8qQ1wMWZssSTPaoQNbS4Kycxu2370ooTEno/s1600/2016-04-29+14.45.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxbdfOxt5ywuKs9pWkhtNTddRvgtjcTw6Stf8CYRfMSlwIsFwGonBMS9bsFfnCNRQU8NJnWBwqouK40tQwuX1OzZlrT2oOTEpLi9_sUYp8qQ1wMWZssSTPaoQNbS4Kycxu2370ooTEno/s400/2016-04-29+14.45.25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jiuicy steak, sauce and mushroom </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNH717zSJs7dI-04EB5LqezpNcBFG42JIrHwx65Ynh7vzGNalFhVPcUAK5wD9JfLUxWmLn1iZLLKIBxDY_KrSxQsoAIlk7oIxm6lWQk31CpYofmbCU8iVjs8uK0iPUAF65HQJpl5pESU/s1600/2016-04-29+14.48.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNH717zSJs7dI-04EB5LqezpNcBFG42JIrHwx65Ynh7vzGNalFhVPcUAK5wD9JfLUxWmLn1iZLLKIBxDY_KrSxQsoAIlk7oIxm6lWQk31CpYofmbCU8iVjs8uK0iPUAF65HQJpl5pESU/s400/2016-04-29+14.48.55.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large, crispy chips </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Was there some space for dessert? Of course there was! Luckily as we were a small group, we could, again, taste a range of options and here they are. My favourite by far was their unique take on a sherry trifle. The multilayered trifle arrives in a jar with an accompanying glass of sherry. Using the long spoon you make a space down the side of the jar and 'just add sherry'. It was very creamy and luxurious and got top marks for taste and presentation. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSgo3zZGP2xmShbI_wDI2Zs0k1GRRfDYYtXGXHOQvXseHCv2WxQb9xQUaAG32nJNCD7CnbUL3Bq8YTtF30SKxxEPhTpkEFaf7Titn4Xo3xEFbdXjWefoSBIHeJx9ODUkIzCKyOMSpWiI/s1600/2016-04-29+15.49.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSgo3zZGP2xmShbI_wDI2Zs0k1GRRfDYYtXGXHOQvXseHCv2WxQb9xQUaAG32nJNCD7CnbUL3Bq8YTtF30SKxxEPhTpkEFaf7Titn4Xo3xEFbdXjWefoSBIHeJx9ODUkIzCKyOMSpWiI/s320/2016-04-29+15.49.38.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rather special chocolate bombe and raspberry sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqCg8yH6Z4kJHPUZhEgpsxX3wD2j3PR13aEXVH14rnqA6-uqM9eth6P6zeMfsyU8rNNZFvDy4mjy31I7n-MAdKIzYOLBmccimtrJycw5rC5IuZzufqO-WgaTXnAn-GO5MzuNWS1nVS8s/s1600/2016-04-29+15.52.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqCg8yH6Z4kJHPUZhEgpsxX3wD2j3PR13aEXVH14rnqA6-uqM9eth6P6zeMfsyU8rNNZFvDy4mjy31I7n-MAdKIzYOLBmccimtrJycw5rC5IuZzufqO-WgaTXnAn-GO5MzuNWS1nVS8s/s320/2016-04-29+15.52.11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautifully served sorbets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyt5VQ1K0oRZglQr7oF1Cwxfu1qbyAf5GjLBG5k4O-u0tTKby0uQfXhXfxlaBJ4_0ieyL3A4ZCI7vEOO06Sk3wQT-JuWcuD8h_dbO3l1UOMrlVeay4NmkTgPqabOWl7qE6BwL4DxA7v8/s1600/Gillrays+pud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyt5VQ1K0oRZglQr7oF1Cwxfu1qbyAf5GjLBG5k4O-u0tTKby0uQfXhXfxlaBJ4_0ieyL3A4ZCI7vEOO06Sk3wQT-JuWcuD8h_dbO3l1UOMrlVeay4NmkTgPqabOWl7qE6BwL4DxA7v8/s320/Gillrays+pud.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gillray's sherry trifle </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4ZU7V93z5k9iIozs-CDn_G-l_bG92610VpMjl7aAv9BOUGAP24qAbFEl71zYul7KP6fp6XSfRBGRPjtitOSLawZikv-3Na-lZIjq_trWjilsF_SGArP9HknNGmwW-F2SUPGNIoQbTog/s1600/2016-04-29+15.55.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4ZU7V93z5k9iIozs-CDn_G-l_bG92610VpMjl7aAv9BOUGAP24qAbFEl71zYul7KP6fp6XSfRBGRPjtitOSLawZikv-3Na-lZIjq_trWjilsF_SGArP9HknNGmwW-F2SUPGNIoQbTog/s320/2016-04-29+15.55.33.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gillray's sherry trifle </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I was sorely tempted I could not return to the bar after lunch to taste more of their inventive cocktails and anyway, I was rather full by then so I waddled off home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you want to read more about James Gillray here's a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gillray" target="_blank">link. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Full disclosure: as is usual for these events, my food and beverages were paid for by Gillray's, however the views expressed are all my own. </span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-44470389844752404492016-06-16T11:59:00.001+01:002016-06-21T10:53:13.984+01:00The new Tate Modern opens in London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been watching the extension to the Tate Modern grow for the last 5 years, seeing the twisted pyramidal shape emerge as the exterior changed from a white cladding to a brick lattice which matches yet is different from the original Tate. They are both part of an old power station site so in a nod to its origins the first Tate building is now called the Boiler House and the new Tate is the Switch House. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hailed as a gallery for the 21st century, a significant addition to London's cultural scene, the Switch House brings us 10 storeys, a whopping 60% of new exhibition space and a focus on new interactive forms of art, more women artists and a wider representation of international artists. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRO-SsdJKNRoxBJl_-230NdzOA1XZmwQe7KZ2gWlnBhFA4rwDorwsXH0DSxugutlWodOrVgQL9jI_35qBmqRsTTk8Q6iX3MZuOPOEaKYOBvP5w6gElIQKhxNDvW39HxYZ6wHjr3hiCTU/s1600/2016-06-06+14.17.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tate Modern London" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRO-SsdJKNRoxBJl_-230NdzOA1XZmwQe7KZ2gWlnBhFA4rwDorwsXH0DSxugutlWodOrVgQL9jI_35qBmqRsTTk8Q6iX3MZuOPOEaKYOBvP5w6gElIQKhxNDvW39HxYZ6wHjr3hiCTU/s640/2016-06-06+14.17.28.jpg" title="Tate Modern" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viewed from the south </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Undoubtedly the building is the star, it's light, has wonderful shapes within it and outside, the materials are gorgeous wood and raw concrete and the panoramic views afforded from the top floor are among the best in London. It sits happily alongside the Boiler House and looking across from one to the other when you are inside makes perfect sense. They have achieved a contrasting yet co-ordinated feel between the two buildings, helped no doubt by using the same architects, Herzog & de Meuron. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are some views of the interior of the Switch House, showing the sweeping spaces and the effect of the lattice brickwork on the interior light and shadows. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorious wooden floors and benches, smooth the the touch </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to The Tanks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The area called 'The Tanks' which was opened up a couple of years ago, return to form the basement of the Switch House. Here you can find the floor plan, showing just how much extra space the Switch House brings to the Tate Modern. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking across to the Boiler House gives you a new perspective along the enormous gaping space of the Turbine Hall: You'll spot a new installation by Ai Wei Wei, a monumental sculpture of a tree made of dried tree parts from all over China. I saw it being assembled the week before like a massive 3-D jigsaw.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up on the 10th floor is an external viewing platform around the outside of the building giving the chance to see 360 degree panoramas across the whole of London which few can match. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What about the art? I'm more of a painting/sculpture art lover so some of the more abstract items left me unmoved. There are very few paintings and a lot of very new work but some familiar names and some intriguing pieces drew me in and I did find something to enjoy in most of the rooms. It feels new, contemporary, bold and, of course, challenging. Here are just a few examples to give you an idea of what is on display:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYk08CgnpEHcG897WVUQ6u80rE9ertaZGVezWAXri6ytN178IesfTNfEfIykK3CR3NmeMFGyHgsiDobsFus6qJOq0kHxnP5cy0NrZgxVjonKrbvesXBOrf412AMY8emlLjvDcwLO9gNQ/s1600/2016-06-14+17.33.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYk08CgnpEHcG897WVUQ6u80rE9ertaZGVezWAXri6ytN178IesfTNfEfIykK3CR3NmeMFGyHgsiDobsFus6qJOq0kHxnP5cy0NrZgxVjonKrbvesXBOrf412AMY8emlLjvDcwLO9gNQ/s400/2016-06-14+17.33.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Bradford, yes a painting!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIXju0uJW3OwGuHn67KSbMhjJ5u766xnOY4VcgntSD8qA4-uIkGOVdQZyr7prMlmQjtDepm4CRoU3sbpQilqMy33qcGxavmXMmvpmc-6Nt0Jr8rE7ElZF36pT0WrcwqgkoquwOl-KDBw/s1600/2016-06-14+17.40.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIXju0uJW3OwGuHn67KSbMhjJ5u766xnOY4VcgntSD8qA4-uIkGOVdQZyr7prMlmQjtDepm4CRoU3sbpQilqMy33qcGxavmXMmvpmc-6Nt0Jr8rE7ElZF36pT0WrcwqgkoquwOl-KDBw/s400/2016-06-14+17.40.26.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marwan Rechmaoui - a map of Beirut in rubber </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A room dedicated to Louise Bourgeois</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9EGIasXHTRv276tmYTldWuuEa5jodUqIF9_C5LtwKT-4hX_uCUBBEkewpGyIPvys6VyOhzTVhb3nfEvwLG6XkLMVyjfNtkp4TPiNW3T4eS9lRa3BBSmwkI_b3noMnyQB439_MCN5GVM/s1600/2016-06-14+17.55.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9EGIasXHTRv276tmYTldWuuEa5jodUqIF9_C5LtwKT-4hX_uCUBBEkewpGyIPvys6VyOhzTVhb3nfEvwLG6XkLMVyjfNtkp4TPiNW3T4eS9lRa3BBSmwkI_b3noMnyQB439_MCN5GVM/s400/2016-06-14+17.55.58.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, live macaws with a sign saying they are well looked after!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHMrVphYGje2C0d5GnWy3mke8TB5xLFyk8CNk1z4I-PhyGnDu2HsUCjOlNKV8Gj1qIkuKAXTjuo5XggVKBrYfkOgqziIhQUZJZoCbX8M8sNWhqhOVLQHMoZAjjvrhngrCaBB_IUFQw9A/s1600/2016-06-14+18.20.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHMrVphYGje2C0d5GnWy3mke8TB5xLFyk8CNk1z4I-PhyGnDu2HsUCjOlNKV8Gj1qIkuKAXTjuo5XggVKBrYfkOgqziIhQUZJZoCbX8M8sNWhqhOVLQHMoZAjjvrhngrCaBB_IUFQw9A/s400/2016-06-14+18.20.02.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of fun in a box of mirrors by Yayoi Kusama</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0ngRJuQ16I5j8BvZm9f-ImMQkvvdknxd92pvKUIY_QD6d1Tn2LdX9NBZpSpF1h0vbnakkdQWalqBcetEYrTf11MqDIPWHsXDhqQAu4RLetMZX9PQJCufx6mto1_skMDJn1t1-66_Rl8/s1600/2016-06-14+18.22.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0ngRJuQ16I5j8BvZm9f-ImMQkvvdknxd92pvKUIY_QD6d1Tn2LdX9NBZpSpF1h0vbnakkdQWalqBcetEYrTf11MqDIPWHsXDhqQAu4RLetMZX9PQJCufx6mto1_skMDJn1t1-66_Rl8/s400/2016-06-14+18.22.53.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roni Horn's beautiful pink glass box</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SsR1wyn5xa5v4SnmoyekKacVueo6sVsPuv7d4gUTVUit1M4ZItimHfXDM64d1dFFEK2iaoFFGSvvVGcqs6mqR-9BPyE5GgXbZukJuQV5POpriuyx4aH_74wXMdZ-a_Q9yJs1KMDoe68/s1600/2016-06-14+18.24.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SsR1wyn5xa5v4SnmoyekKacVueo6sVsPuv7d4gUTVUit1M4ZItimHfXDM64d1dFFEK2iaoFFGSvvVGcqs6mqR-9BPyE5GgXbZukJuQV5POpriuyx4aH_74wXMdZ-a_Q9yJs1KMDoe68/s400/2016-06-14+18.24.47.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbles frothing from David Medalla </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6Jch9jeDG45iGHYVUqynlQRoHzQ3864CpXubhzn8IX6JdlVx31N0C5GpJzuCc3rsT1vAO_q_QCxTWeeu5dbwbhEimpoGmgXEdtexAsKbuRdlrme3PrDHkuUkA5g57vas4L5_od1ZSpg/s1600/2016-06-14+18.20.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6Jch9jeDG45iGHYVUqynlQRoHzQ3864CpXubhzn8IX6JdlVx31N0C5GpJzuCc3rsT1vAO_q_QCxTWeeu5dbwbhEimpoGmgXEdtexAsKbuRdlrme3PrDHkuUkA5g57vas4L5_od1ZSpg/s400/2016-06-14+18.20.54.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Metz's aluminium piece </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are restaurants, cafes and bars in the Switch House as well as existing Boiler House offerings so there is plenty to refresh you as you explore these 2 extraordinary buildings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more information check out their <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern" target="_blank">website</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-46995480905493299012016-05-09T19:59:00.000+01:002016-05-09T19:59:09.181+01:00Maria Merrian's Beautiful Butterflies, catch them now!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is always a treat to stumble across a new artist, especially one who has a fascinating life story to amplify your interest in their work. Maria Merian is a perfect example of this, a little known botanical artist from the 17th century who changed what we know about the life cycle of the butterfly through her exquisite art. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Queen's Gallery in London has access to the Royal Collection and luckily for us George lll was a great collectors of Merian's work and their summer exhibition twins her nature drawings with a group of Scottish painters, but more about them later </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Born in 1647, Maria Merian was encouraged to draw and paint by her step father and by the age of 13 was already painting insects and plants from actual specimens. She was fascinated by the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies and in 1679 she published her first illustrated book focusing on insect metamorphosis. How did she gather her scientific knowledge? She was a great observer, collector and documenter and as a child she had ready access to books on natural history and built on this background when she lived in Amsterdam, building contacts in the scientific community. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What really made me see her as an admirable pioneer was that in 1699 at the age of 52 she set sail for Suriname in South America with her daughter. Can you imagine what that was like for a woman at that time? She had become frustrated with only being able to examine and paint dead specimens in collections, so she went in search of live ones. She spent two years in Suriname, studying animals and plants and examining their life cycles, and although her plan had been to work there five years, illness cut this short. Her work from Suriname was published on her return and we can see her fabulous work bound into a large precious book in this exhibition. As a botanical artist she left work of great beauty but also scientific breakthroughs through her direct observation of species new to the old world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her paintings are so bright, so detailed and feel so fresh that it was a delight to be able to see them. Here is a selection for you to enjoy too:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A copy of her illustrated book on insects from Suriname </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The headline exhibition at the Queen's Gallery is Scottish Artists 1750-1900 which has some fine paintings but they were more traditional and not as surprising as Merian's work, however, they are worth a visit. These paintings were collected by several royals from George lll through to Queen Victoria, a famous lover of all things Scottish. On display are portraits of George and his family, Victoria's first meetings as a royal and a selection of lovely scenes of the Scottish countryside, commissioned by Victoria. The Scottish painters did travel outside of their homeland and a fine picture of Cairo from 1840 caught my eye with its timeless quality. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNV8RyUcVXxn5HhJHUKCXGqSxcjj3m17OMimVebL1fNVap6V_dk7UDA3TFQVzEpawE-sa34OT-RH55_LBkDldKqRxa5oBJ5X5YqqzuZbx1NMxeoFKdPD5yPPf1nZxdpDJ5DjO4bcQ7zYI/s1600/2016-04-15+09.12.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNV8RyUcVXxn5HhJHUKCXGqSxcjj3m17OMimVebL1fNVap6V_dk7UDA3TFQVzEpawE-sa34OT-RH55_LBkDldKqRxa5oBJ5X5YqqzuZbx1NMxeoFKdPD5yPPf1nZxdpDJ5DjO4bcQ7zYI/s400/2016-04-15+09.12.39.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George lll by Allan Ramsay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPyxdLaTzUGUsJP8zWerLgy1IZPdb55UDWi9PvCLRnZojsKQc-zpgYzqY-L3NdgedVbVvSHg6srgrZT2AG3BsdLDFjqg4WCmLikkb8DAciboWvv-MSLaD0HTGuPeIB3SF8IH-bYrcJGM/s1600/2016-04-15+10.04.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaPyxdLaTzUGUsJP8zWerLgy1IZPdb55UDWi9PvCLRnZojsKQc-zpgYzqY-L3NdgedVbVvSHg6srgrZT2AG3BsdLDFjqg4WCmLikkb8DAciboWvv-MSLaD0HTGuPeIB3SF8IH-bYrcJGM/s400/2016-04-15+10.04.17.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the gallery with George next to his family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Victoria meets her Council on her fist day as queen by Sir David Wilkie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast list of Queen Victoria's Council </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bonnie' Prince Charlie by John Pettie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh from 18 24, still recognisable today by Alexander Naysmth</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balmoral Castle by James Giles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cairo by David Roberts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For information about tickets and opening times for the Queen's Gallery </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as well as more about these two exhibitions </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">click </span><a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Full disclosure: as is customary in the travel business, the entry ticket for this preview visit was provided free of charge.</span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-29135793331638615242016-04-28T11:35:00.001+01:002016-04-28T11:35:11.522+01:00New favourite London tapas bar: Duende<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seven friends enter a tapas bar, they stare at the menu and ponder the big question: how to chose, how many dishes each, who wants which dish, do we all like the same things? We don't have all day to make these big decisions. Then it came to us, there was an easy answer - order one of every dish on the menu! Except no one likes oysters so we drop those 3 choices and wait in anticipation for everything else to arrive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are in Duende, a new and rather chic tapas bar in Covent Garden from the co-founder of Bravas in St Katherine's Dock which I <a href="http://www.coolplaces.co.uk/blog/2014/10/6/259-the-tapas-of-london" target="_blank">reviewed </a> in 2014 and still rates as one of my top tapas bars in London. Duende is small and beautifully designed yet big enough to house a table of seven and still have room for a couple more tables and bar and window counter space. A single room serves as restaurant, bar and kitchen so each dish arrives freshly cooked and carried just the few feet to your table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Join me now for a tour of the menu, although the range of dishes on offer change so you may miss some of our favourites when you go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our first dish was Galician Seaweed salad with avocado and piquillo pepper vinaigrette. Immediately we were feeling positive about the place with this beautiful and healthy dish packed full of flavour with and a riot of colours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grilled Aubergine and Goat's Cheese Croquettes with crystallised acacia honey had me slightly worried as I'm not always a fan of the aubergine but the mixing of the purple (yes a Prince reference!) veg and the cheese was a perfect blend topped decoratively with the lightest of crystallised honey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pacharan Marinaded Salmon Rulada with crispy sweet potato, red onion escabeche and wasabi alioli came next. These had good texture and a long way from the standard salmon roulade, showing off the pacific fusion touches we found in other dishes here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then we had Semi-cured Galician Beef Filet with pickled hon-shimeji mushrooms, roasted hazelnut and seasonal truffle and mushroom vinaigrette. This was my least favourite but it seemed I was in a minority of one on this one so I perhaps I should not comment further!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blistered Padron Peppers with aji amarillo and roasted garlic dip, and charcoal salt. was eagerly anticipated. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've have tested many padron peppers all across London and can pronounce these among the best, with a great dip and plenty of crunchy salt. The serving dishes were fun too, looking like paper but were solid china pieces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poached Duck Egg with smoked potato, truffle and grilled bread was next. We needed more bread which was supplied without any question as the cooked just right egg demanded to be soaked up </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roasted Quail with Iberian pancetta and Pedro Ximenez demi glace was a fun dish. It was the presentation that really caught our attention with quail brochettes sitting in a nest with the demi glace dipping sauce served in an egg sitting in the nest..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crispy Tiger Prawns with kataifi, 'vi de panses' and tamari caramel and horseradish infused 'queso de Burgos' was our next treat. I had no idea what 'kataifa' was and it turns out to be the sort of shredded wheat type pastry you find on Greek deserts. This gave a good crunch to the prawns. At the risk of sounding like a fussy eater, I have to own up to hating horseradish but those who love it really enjoyed the zing it gave the cheese. I also had to check what 'vi de panses' is and found it to be a sweet wine from Catalonia which was blended into the dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lamb chops with rosemary and tarragon alioli was a dish we had doubled the order for so fortunately we didn't have to fight over just 2 chops. I love lamb and particularly chops with a handle for ease of eating so this one was for me. The meat was great quality, soft and tasty and the simplicity of the cooking allowed this to come through with the delicate alioli accompaniment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And finally, Velvetted Turbot with cava and anchovy cream and morels. This was definitely a favourite even though we were feeling pretty full up by now. The combination of good well structured turbot with an amazingly smooth sauce full of flavour to complement the fish resulted in a vote for this as our favourite dish of all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We squeezed in a share of the ice cream and almond caramel cookies but just a very small piece each! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even the bill was beautifully presented! It was also a very reasonable price, coming out at £22 a head without drinks but with coffee. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, what was the overall verdict? The room is lovely, the staff charming, the food outstanding and we were all checking our diaries to see when we were next anywhere nearby to engineer a return visit as soon as possible. I've not heard my group so enthusiastic about a restaurant for a very long time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out Duende's </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.duendelondon.com/" target="_blank">website</a> for more information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Full disclosure: myself and my 6 friends paid for ourselves.</span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-55569977418711447462016-04-22T13:10:00.002+01:002016-04-22T13:10:23.036+01:00The ever changing Notting Hill restaurant scene <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notting Hill is famous for the crazy annual carnival, Portobello market, posh houses, garden squares and of course that unforgettable film with its bookshop and blue door. As it's my own stomping ground, i have a special fondness for of the above but also love this area for its restaurant and bar scene. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notting Hill has everything from the 2 Michelin starred and one of the top 10 restaurants in the world, The Ledbury through to some great small cafes and the many and varied food stalls along Portobello </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing that is both a pleasure and a pain is how quickly places change due to the exorbitant rents charged around here. Some places last for ever but others come and go before you realise it. Old favourites like the First Floor have gone forever and I still miss El Pirata de Tapas but life moves on and it's moving very fast at the moment!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here a couple of the latest additions:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great casual dining experience with the unmissable hunger-inducing smell of rotisserie chicken as you enter. This is their key main dish and they are keeping it simple which is a good think in my book - you know what you are going in there for and they do it very well. There are interesting large and small salads and sides and a tempting wine list. Chose half a chicken between 2 with some tasty potatoes, a bit of veg and a glass of red would be my recommendation. It's a good spot to drop in day or evening and is very reasonably priced. They have a 'healthy' label which is a bit of a thing round here and their chickens live good lives in France!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mycocotte.uk/" target="_blank">Check</a> them out (slow responding site..)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rather posher, this Italian menswear/restaurant combo serves top Italian food in classy surroundings with a bit of a price tag. I recommend a plate of Bigolo cacio e pepe and a coupe of prosecco, it's a very simple pasta dish which is tasty and satisfying and I do love a coupe! The room is beautiful with a cool nautical look and I can't wait to see what they have done with their garden which was being prepared when we visited. This site saw Tom's deli and restaurant with its gorgeous hidden treasure of Mediterranean bohemian patio space but I'm guessing the new space will have a very different vibe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This clothes/restaurant combo is popular on this stretch of Westbourne Grove as we have 202 which is houses a Nicole Farhi boutique and one of my very favourite brunch spots in London. 202 offers top quality food in great surrounding with excellent staff but don't tell everyone as I need to be able to get a table whenever I want!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOP4S1ABNtwOfKPagB7o1cSvWvoEZLDDrFGRzAbV1DR0FPhEWpJmBg3uueh0zriEr_yuAui6MBy73cUAuUHWfYCIpilkP3h-Y7P9mSOb2PZY35B55LCkENrQ3HU3l-jJyY50gup6X1xQ/s1600/Chucs+NH3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOP4S1ABNtwOfKPagB7o1cSvWvoEZLDDrFGRzAbV1DR0FPhEWpJmBg3uueh0zriEr_yuAui6MBy73cUAuUHWfYCIpilkP3h-Y7P9mSOb2PZY35B55LCkENrQ3HU3l-jJyY50gup6X1xQ/s320/Chucs+NH3.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FqvSeOwSEyHhn6v0KPRUdpVO4ivZyRJ2lfbMvMPhP-Twwi7MkOg-HZ3z-r6KNZl3qjvIBujLzMXu_MqFKUONLlx5jL3WKdj2t4ta0FAiryfyKZQ6KeI_rCr7CwiMIcVu9dVD-4O67Hk/s1600/Chucs+NH2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FqvSeOwSEyHhn6v0KPRUdpVO4ivZyRJ2lfbMvMPhP-Twwi7MkOg-HZ3z-r6KNZl3qjvIBujLzMXu_MqFKUONLlx5jL3WKdj2t4ta0FAiryfyKZQ6KeI_rCr7CwiMIcVu9dVD-4O67Hk/s320/Chucs+NH2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.chucs.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Check </a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">them out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have 2 new venues about to open which are next door to each other but couldn't sound more different. One is a super healthy plant based restaurant and bar with no expense spared in the fittings as it's owned by Camilla Al-Fayed. The other is offering takeaway and delivery of sushi so at least the healthy theme continues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch this space for reports of these and any other new openings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span></div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-72065598844021966792016-04-11T10:41:00.000+01:002016-04-11T10:44:54.182+01:00What's on in London this Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">I send out a </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">seasonal</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> newsletter to subscribers but I wanted to share with with my blog readers too so here's the It's Your London Newsletter for Spring 2016. It's full of great listings for April, May and June so I hope you'll find some stuff you will enjoy: </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Over 35,000 runners in
the London Marathon take over the streets and the nation’s hearts as they
struggle past the sights of London to raise incredible amounts for charity,
keeping going long after the elite runners have reached the end on the Mall.
The crowds are huge and it’s great fun to join in to cheer them on to the
finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The magnificent Chelsea
Flower Show is the greatest flower show in the world and it gets us in the mood
for gardening with all that fabulous colour and design. Let’s hope we get some
London sunshine too. Don’t miss the very
British Canal Cavalcade when scores of brightly decorated canal boats gather in
Little Venice for two days of fun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Our Queen has 2
birthdays, her real one in April and her official one in June and this year
it’s her 90<sup>th</sup> so there will be all kinds of celebrations as well as
the usual royal event called Trooping the Colour. You can see the royals ride
past if you get to The Mall well ahead of the start and don’t forget to take
your flag to wave at them. The end of June sees the start of Wimbledon when we
all go tennis mad for 2 weeks and SW19 is the place to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">THEATRE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lots of excitement
about Sunset Boulevard coming to the Coliseum starring Glen Close and I have a
ticket so let’s hope it lives up to the hype. Transferring to the West End at
the Savoy is Funny Girl starring the excellent Sheridan Smith – I also have tickets
for this so April is looking good. Doctor Faustus at the Duke of York’s is also
getting a lot of attention due to its star Kit Harington from Game of
Thrones. More musical fun from Show Boat
from the great Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein at the New London Theatre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was surprised to see
that the version of Jekyll and Hyde opening at the Old Vic is a dance
production, an intriguing option. At Shakespeare’s Globe you can catch
Midsummer Night’s Dream and hopefully it will keep dry for those standing in
the uncovered section, which is a lot of fun.
More Shakespeare at the Garrick where Romeo and Juliet has stars turns
from Derek Jacobi and Lily James. The Print Room is staging Beckett’s novels in
their festival Beckett in London bringing his prose to the stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is always a lot
of Shakespeare on the London stage but this year it’s the 400<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of his death so even more plays are being staged. The Open Air Theatre
in Regent’s Park brings us Henry V with a female actor in the role of Henry, a
nice twist from when the bard wrote his plays and all roles were played by men.
On a lighter note, Breakfast at
Tiffany’s at the Haymarket Theatre Royal stars Pixie Lott. Michael Crawford
returns to the stage for the first time since 2011 to star in a musical version
of The Go Between at the Apollo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">ART GALLERIES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To celebrate the
arrival of spring, a free exhibition at the National Gallery brings us Dutch
Flowers, exploring Dutch painting from its beginnings in the early 17<sup>th</sup>
century to its peak in the late 18<sup>th</sup>. The Tate Britain has Conceptual Art in Britain
1964-1979, exploring this pivotal period in British art and its legacy. The
Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition, the world’s largest photography
exhibition, showcases over 500 of the winners and shortlisted photos across all
categories from photojournalism through to fine art landscape. Let’s not forget to mention the Saatchi
Gallery’s blockbuster Exhibitionism: The Rolling Stones sure to be the most
visited in London this month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Painting with Light at the
Tate Britain looks at art and photography, and the interplay between these
forms, from the Pre-Raphaelites to the modern age, a wide sweep indeed. More
photography at Somerset House when Photo London opens, bringing together 80 of
the world’s leading galleries and offers specific exhibitions such as the war
photographer Don McCullin. Damien
Hirst’s gallery Newport Street hosts a Jeff Koons exhibition called Now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the Courtauld
Gallery you can see paintings by Georgiana Houghton, a spiritualist medium
whose abstract watercolours were ‘guided’ by artists including Renaissance
masters – intriguing! The National
Portrait Gallery hosts the annual BP Portrait Award, the most prestigious
international exhibition of contemporary portrait painting. The National Gallery’s Painters Paintings has
work from the collections of artists such as Matisse, Reynolds and Van Dyck,
exploring the motivations for collecting and the influence of these works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SHOPPING, FASHION, MARKETS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This year’s St George’s
Day has a special Shakespeare theme to celebrate his 400<sup>th</sup> so look
out for events across London offering food, fun and market stalls. Borough
Market is one to head for as they will be going all out to celebrate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Carnaby Street’s
Shopping Party promises to be the ‘ultimate shopping experience’ with
restaurants and bars joining the array of cool boutiques and live music for
their evening of retail therapy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The Spirit of Summer Fair at Olympia
exhibition centre has everything you never knew you needed for your home and
garden and yourself. The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane hosts the 25<sup>th</sup>
Annual Graduate Fashion Week so check out what the latest trends will be and
spot some up and coming names.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The British Museum’s new
major exhibition is Sicily: Culture and Conquest, telling the fascinating
stories of how the waves of invaders have shaped the cultural identity of this
Mediterranean island. The Victoria and
Albert Museum will be expecting a lot of interest in their new exhibition
Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear tracing developments from the 18<sup>th</sup>
century to the present day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another big show from
the British Museum is Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds with wonderful
artefacts from two recently rediscovered sunken cities at the mouth of the
Nile. May sees the enjoyable Museums by
Night event where a wide range of museums in London and across the country
offer late specials over a 4 day period. This is a great opportunity to see
some of the smaller museums out of hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is an Engineering
Season at the Victoria and Albert Museum, highlighting the contribution and
importance of engineering in our everyday lives. There will be a special garden
installation in the courtyard, an exhibition looking at the life and work of
Ove Arup and a gallery looking at London’s role as an engineering centre. One museum to catch up with is the Museum of
Brands, Packaging and Advertising which has moved to new larger premises to
give their displays more room to breathe.
It’s a nostalgia fest and fascinating to see how packaging has changed
and yet stayed the same since Victorian times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">FOODIE THINGS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s hope it’s a warm spring
as Four Winters opens in Gloucester Road offering liquid nitrogen ice cream
with its roots in Jordan. Ex Nahm chef
Andy Oliver opens a new Thai restaurant Som Saa in Spitalfields after
successful temporary versions. Also moving on from temporary to permanent basis
is Walter and Monty in the City, billed as ‘street food with Michelin
expertise’ they offer charcoal grilled meat and fish with eastern flavours. A
first London site for Mexican Cielo Blanco, inspired by the barbacoa markets of
Oaxaca. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Foleys in Fitzrovia,
run by ex Palomar chef Mitz Vora, will be "experimenting with food from
around the world with trade route twists and influences". Also branching
out on his own is ex Bar Boulud maitre’d Paulo de Tarso, opening a rustic
Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. A new Galvin opens at the revamped
Athenaeum on Piccadilly. New city wine
bar called Humble Grape offers wine and small plates off Fleet Street. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Listed for ‘late
spring’ or ‘early summer’ are several new restaurants which are not committing
themselves to an exact date, often the way….
Samarkand will be a new place in Charlotte Street offering Uzbeki
cuisine in the old Fino location. Tandoor Chop House planned for Covent Garden
from the team behind Hoxton Hotel and Egg Break looks interesting – and English
chop house with a touch of Indian spices. Farang in Borough is part of the new
development in Flat Iron Square where Seb Holmes will be offering Thai food at
its best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">PARKS AND GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The London Marathon
starts and ends in royal parks – Greenwich and St James’s – so if you are
watching the race, enjoy the parks as well. April sees the reopening of The
Banqueting House after several months of restauration work so now’s a good time
to admire its amazing painted ceiling by Rubens and hear of the role this room
has played in dramatic historic events. Hampton Court Palace is celebrating 300
years of Capability Brown, the palace gardener (!) with a special exhibition of
his drawings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Richmond Park is a wonder and is home to a
large herd of deer, in May you can take a guided walk to learn more about it.
Kensington Gardens is hosting the Vogue Festival with shows and talks from
leading international designers including Tom Ford and Donatella Versace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Regent’s Park is home
to the annual foodie extravangza that is Taste London. St James’s Park is where you will find the
Trooping of the Colour, an extra special event this year as it marks the
Queen’s 90<sup>th</sup> birthday. A week
before the main event they hold the rehearsal which offers a great chance to
catch the pomp and circumstance with a closer view – no royals tho’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SPORT <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The big event in April
is the London marathon with over 35,000 runners and thousands more lining the
streets throughout the course to cheer on the brave souls who battle on to
raise millions for charities. County Cricket is starting its season and the Harlem
Globetrotters come to the 02 Arena to show off the basketball skills. Also at
the 02 Arena is the mad world of American WWE Wrestling, although I’m not sure
it really is a sport is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s a big summer for
football with the Euros next month but we have the small matter of the FA Cup
at Wembley to round off the English season and the Football League
play-offs. Twickenham hosts the Rugby
Union Premiership finals and the World Rugby Sevens Series is also in London
.Golf’s PGA is at Wentworth, just outside London <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> England take on Sri
Lanka at cricket at Lords in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Test, Men’s and women’s Hockey
Champions Trophy take place in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. However, June
is all about tennis as we are treated to 2 major events in London, Queens which
is the warm up on grass for the main event, Wimbledon starting at the end of
June. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">April </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Good to see Tinie Tempah is
back with a new album and shows at the Brixton 02 Academy. The Vaccines are on
a the Royal Albert Hall as part of the big annual Teenage Cancer Trust bash as
are New Order, Everything Everything and Simply Red and Dave Gilmour. Bryan
Ferry brings elegance to the London Palladium.
Adele brings her major to London’s 02 Arena as part of her major UK tour
– tickets like gold! Brit award winner James Bay plays the Apollo and Muse’s
well reviewed tour comes to the 02 Arena. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Donovan Turns 70 tells
you want you need to know about his show at the Palladium. Not quite as old but
still been around a while is Bryan Adams playing at the 02 with his oddly named
‘Get Up Tour’! Talking of strange tour names, Iggy Pop has this nailed with his
‘Post Pop Depression Tour’ at the Royal Albert Hall. May is quite the month for
older performers with Ralph McTell, Elvis Costello, OMD, Yes, Rita Coolidge to
name but a few. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">June</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. The oldies theme continues as the festival
season kicks into gear. One of my favourites is back: Bonnie Raitt at the
Apollo where I saw her many years ago.
Check out this list of big names in town this month: Coldplay, Bruce
Springsteen, AC-DC, Tom Jones, Foreigner, Adam Ant, Neil Young, Van Morrison,
Barry Manilow on his ‘Last Time’ tour and Art Garfunkel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Enjoy
London!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">@itsyourlondon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-47223898695614926852016-03-30T16:20:00.002+01:002016-03-30T16:20:45.659+01:00My African Adventure 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After 2 months of great adventures, of wonderful experiences in 2 African countries, armed 2800 photos I sat down to work out how to share all this. No one wants to see thousands of photos - well, just me - so I set myself the task of choosing just 5 pictures to sum it all up so here they are!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of my trip was focused on volunteering and as usual I had signed up for a building project. This year my challenge was to immerse myself in hut building for families affected by AIDS in rural west Zambia. When I say 'immerse' I really mean it as there is no way to avoid getting covered in termite mud and gloves don't work so it's a real hands-on experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The huts are made of wood, mud with a metal roof and we used shovels, saws, hammers and people power as there is no electricity anywhere near the site. It's satisfying, hard work, especially when the villagers joined the volunteers and the local building crew to speed on the work. Sometimes it felt like it would take for ever to finish a house on a baking hot sun filled day but knowing about the people who will move into the houses makes it worth it as they are families who have taken in children orphaned by AIDS, currently living in very poor conditions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After 5 weeks of building mud huts I was very fit and ready for some adventures so I set off for Livingstone to take on one of the more extreme ways to visit the Victoria Falls. 6 years ago we had explored the Falls from the Zimbabwe side and I had seen the microlights buzzing around and decided I wanted to have a go only to discover that they fly on the Zambian side not the Zimbabwean. So, finding myself back in the area, a microlight flight was top of my list to sign up for. I was a bit nervous as we waited at the take off site for my turn to come round but as soon as I sat down I felt safe. The microlight itself was robust, the pilot was excellent and once you are in the air the sight of the Falls takes your breathe away. It was just a 15 minute flight but well worth it and another one ticked off my bucket list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Photo 2 shows me in mid flight over Victoria Falls with Craig my excellent pilot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zambia is a big country and I was in danger of just seeing a small slice so I took a 6 hour bus ride to Lusaka - or rather seven and a half hours because the bus broke down and we had to wait for another to come along and squeeze us all in. I gained a better sense of the countryside, the typical village and the floods the suddenly swamp the roads in the rainy season. I was on my way to a safari in the little known South Luangwa National Park which is in the east part of Zambia and required a small plane ride to reach it to avoid an even longer bus ride. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was well worth the journey as in just 2 days I saw plenty of zebra, elephant, giraffe, even a leopard walking on the path and several lions as well as many small less 'glamorous' animals. We watched one pride of lions being chased off a stretch of land by a large herd of deafening, trumpeting elephants and 3 lionesses sat by the road for over half an hour watching the elephants and watching us so I experienced the rare treat of making eye contact with a lioness who was just a few yards away. I was a little nervous, fearing her making a single leap into the open sided safari vehicle but she was not interested in me and went back to staring at the elephants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is that lioness!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My next destination was Sudan to join an organised tour and learn about this country which I knew very little about beyond Gordon, Kitchener, the Nile and Darfur. When I announced I had booked to go there, I was greeted with more then a few raised eyebrows and mostly asked 'is it safe?' Yes it is. There are very few tourists and once you venture beyond the banks of the Nile there are miles and miles of empty barren desert. The people are very friendly once they got over the shock of seeing a foreigner and I was delighted to find their first words are invariably 'welcome' and I did truly feel welcomed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The children are particularly fascinated by a white woman with red hair and on one visit to some impressive ruins (at the wonderfully named Western Deffufa!) we were become the centre of attention for a group of excited schoolgirls who had huge fun posing for pictures with us. They were also pretty skilled photographers, somehow....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The school girls and the tourist:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nubia is northern Sudan and our tour was centred here. The numerous ruins are impressive although often very ruined and little excavated. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt and they shared the many dynasties of Pharaohs for centuries so the sculptures and carvings are of shared gods and symbols, except for the lion headed god which is only found in Sudan. What is not shared with many of Egypt's great sights are the crowds as we had most of the sites to ourselves which gives them a special magic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The busiest of the archaeological wonders were the pyramids of Meroe as there was a BBC America film crew installed, making a documentary of the area so watch out for programme coming out later in the year which should be aired in the UK as well. Sadly they did not film me arriving at the pyramids on a camel but it was very Lawrence of Arabia I can assure you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could write enough and post enough pictures to fill scores of blog posts but I have stuck to my discipline of just 5 photos to illustrate my African adventure of 2016 accompanied by some short text to give you a just flavour of it all. I hope you enjoyed reading this and if you ever want to hear more, do let me know!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to London based blogs next week...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon </span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-76970155598423815092016-01-06T00:00:00.000+00:002016-01-06T00:00:15.854+00:00What's on in London this winter 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;"><b>Here's my seasonal newsletter for January, February and March 2016 with highlights and a range of events, shows, exhibitions that might brighten up your winter!</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SPECIAL EVENTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">JANUARY </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A big tradition of the
festive season is the January sales with massive bargains at all stores from
the small to the very grand, from a local shop to Harrods. Watch out for Burns
Night on 25th when you’ll find Scottish traditions breaking out all over London
so why not try some haggis this year!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">FEBRUARY </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
is in the air with arrival of Valentine’s Day so watch out for special lovvie
events. Ready yourselves for Pancake Day
races around London, one of the best being at the Guildhall in the City where
the livery companies race and toss pancakes while wearing their very special
traditional costumes! February also brings us the Chinese New Year, a big event
in London, as we welcome the year of the Monkey.<b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MARCH </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">St Patrick’s Day is big
all round the world and London is no exception as the Guinness flows and we
have a huge parade and dancing and bands so get out that green outfit and join
in the fun in Trafalgar Square. The 162<sup>nd</sup> annual Boat Race will see
the river Thames and the local pubs full of cheers as the 2 crews zip past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Shakespeare’s Globe
kicks off 2016 with The Winter’s Tale. Eddie Izzard, perhaps one day Mayor of
London, brings his Force Majeure Reloaded show to The Palace Theatre for an
evening of surreal brilliant comedy. Acclaimed writer Caryl Churchill’s new
play Escaped Alone opens at the Royal Court. Ralph Fiennes stars in Ibsen’s The
Master Builder brought to the stage by David Hare at the Old Vic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Hopefully not
reflecting the weather, The Tempest opens at The Globe in their beautiful
indoor Sam Wannamaker Playhouse. Former Friends star Matthew Perry brings his
own play The End of Longing to the Playhouse theatre and also stars in it. The
Dominion theatre stages War of the Worlds by H G Wells with a score by Jeff
Wayne who will conduct a live orchestra – I wonder how they will portray the
Martians! The National Theatre brings us Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, charting
this blues singer’s struggles for recognition. Battlefield at the Young Vic is
based on the Mahabharata, a dramatic tale of a family torn apart by a great
war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Charting the story of the
famous record label, Motown the Musical at the Shaftesbury theatre will have
you singing along. I’ve got tickets already for Les Blancs at the National, a
powerful African story. One of last year’s most impressive, if disturbing,
plays and performances returns to the stage at the Wyndham’s so don’t miss
Denise Gough in People, Places and Things. The Old Vic continues to showcase
key British talent with Timothy Spall in the Caretaker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of my favourite
painters is featured in a new show<b> </b>at
the Royal Academy called Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse. Outside
of the galleries the London Art Fair 2016 at the Business Design Centre
Islington is a major event in the art calendar with over 100 galleries
represented with modern and contemporary work. There are few other new openings
this month so it’s time to catch a number which close soon, including The
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize show at the National Portrait
Gallery, The World Goes Pop at the Tate Modern and Liotard at the Royal
Academy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Delacroix
and The Rise of Modern Art opens at the National Gallery. Vogue 100: A Century
of Style can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery with beautiful
photographs commissioned by the magazine since 1916. The Courtauld Gallery has
2 openings this month – Botticelli and the Treasures from the Hamilton
Collection, including his drawings for Dante’s Divine Comedy. Their 2<sup>nd</sup>
show is Bruegel in Black and White: Three Grisailles Reunited, a rare chance to
see these 3 paintings together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> A display of Tracey
Emin’s work, including My Bed alongside 2 of Francis Bacon’s work chosen by
Emin can be seen at the Tate Britain. The National Portrait Gallery is showing
Russia and the Arts: The Age of Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky, a selection of great
works on loan from Moscow. The new
exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery is Scottish Artists: from Caledonia to the
Continent with works from the Royal Collection from 1750 through to 1900.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SHOPPING, FASHION, MARKETS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The January sales are a
big event and massive bargains are to be found in the grand department stores,
designer boutiques and the reliable chain stores. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
big news for February is the winter London Fashion Week which will showcase the
spring/summer collections followed by London Fashion Weekend when they let the
likes of us in to peruse what’s new.
It’s a good month for fashion as Somerset House are hosting The
International Fashion Showcase for emerging fashion designers on the theme of
Imaging Utopia, spread over 15 galleries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the days get longer
and the temperatures warm up, make the most of London’s street markets: Portobello on Saturdays; Camden market any
day; Spitalfields most days but best on Sundays; Borough food market Wednesday
to Saturday; and, Columbia Road flower market on Sundays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">An exhibition from last year
which slipped through the net is at the Museum of London Docklands where The
Caribbean’s Great War looks really interesting in their impressive gallery
called London, Sugar and Slavery. There are some key closures this month: The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Fabric of
India exhibition and their Shoes: Pleasure and Pain; and, Celts: Art and
Identity at the British Museum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Science Museum’s new show
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mechanics of a Genius explores his incredible inventions
with models, drawing and interactive games as you would expect at this creative
museum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the Victoria and
Albert Museum a major show called Botticelli Reimagined will explore his
enduring influence, looking across the centuries his impact on art, <sub>=</sub>fashion,
design and film through 500 of his work and examples of those who have been
touched by his art from William Morris to Andy Warhol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">FOODIE THINGS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Swan at the Globe
with its great views of the Thames and St Pauls reopens after refurbishment. A
new restaurant on a familiar site sees 100 Wardour Street, a new D&D
venture, take on the old Floridita site, carrying on their tradition of music
in the lower floor. London favourites the Galvins are turning their
Spitalfields venue into a pub called Hop tho’ not your average pub as the food
and drink will be posh and they will be serving de luxe hot dogs! January sees Burns Night so seek out some
Scottish food to celebrate and bravely try some haggis!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Duende
from the Bravas Tapas folk of St Katherine’s Dock opens in Covent – I really
like this place so hope the new opening lives up to their original restaurant. Tom
Sellers of the massively successful Restaurant Story opens a new place called
Restaurant Ours in Kensington and promises to have a dramatic design with 3
enormous interior trees! Close to me
will be a new Italian restaurant with a menswear upstairs when Chucs opens with
a garden terrace and coffee bar. Oliver Maki, big in Kuwait and Bahrain, opens
in Soho with his contemporary sushi. Good news for those who like to plan, Pitt
Cue Co are opening a new venue in the City as we hear they will take bookings!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sourced Market is a new
deli/café/wine and beer shop in Marylebone stocking 100 small artisan food and
drink suppliers fine goods. Some of the
February openings say ‘late Feb’ which usually means March so check the
February listing just in case……<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">PARKS AND GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Twilight Tours of the
Tower of London will open your eyes to the spooky and gruesome history of this
historic site but please don’t have nightmares. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> A Charity Gala at the Tower of London brings
the stars of the West End stage into the Tower for 2 nights of variety acts
including some with the famous Beefeaters. The Tower is busy in the evenings this month
as Nightwatchers returns, an after-hours immersive experience of a shadowy
world of surveillance in modern and Tudor times – sounds scary but fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sporty times at Hampton
Court Palace where their half marathon takes in the palace grounds and the
Thames paths. More sedate fare but still
needing some endurance is their Dusk til Dawn Sleepover with entertainment,
tours of the palace, a meal and a chance to sleep inside the palace. Kew Palace
reopens at the end of March after its winter hibernation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SPORT <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The World Snooker – The
Masters comes to Alexandra Palace, snooker’s biggest invitation event. Also at
Alexandra Palace are the World Championships of Ping Pong where unsung hero
Englishman Andrew Baggaley is defending his title. The football season pushes
through the 2 cups with key rounds being played in the League Cup and FA Cup
with plenty of London teams on show. NBA Basketball can be cheers on at the 02
Arena where Orlando Magic face the Toronto Raptors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Six Nations starts with matches at Twickenham where we will be looking to
England to offer more than they managed in last year’s World Cup. The football
League Cup will be played at Wembley. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The Six Nations continues. The annual
University Boat Race sees Oxford v Cambridge for the 162<sup>nd</sup> time with
Oxford leading Cambridge 81 wins to 79 (for those of you good at maths, there
was one dead heat in 1877 which makes the numbers right). The Velodrome in the
Olympic Park is the venue for the UCI Track Cycling Championships, full of the
top names - mostly British hopefully!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">MUSIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">January </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trevor Nelson’s Soul
Nation comes to the Jazz Café. The reformed (ie back together, I can’t speak
for anything else being reformed!) Libertines play at the O2 Arena. Also coming
back are the Corrs, also at the 02 Arena. Hozier are at the 02 Brixton as are
the Maccabees. Ron Pope and the Nighthawks take on Koko<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">February </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jess
Glynne plays the 02 Brixton as do Twenty One Pilots, and Jo Harman plays the
Jazz Café. Jason Derulo comes to the 02 Arena and Gabrielle Aplin is at the 02 Empire
Shepherds Bush. Old favourites Fun Lovin Criminals can be seen at the 02 Empire
Shepherds Bush and Massive Attack take on 02 Academy Brixton supported by Young
Fathers. (Check the 02 Shepherds Bush as they have roof problems so some shows
may be moved)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Rudimental come to the
02 Arena with ’We are the Generation’ and Ellie Goulding plays there too. Leona
Lewis comes to the stage of the London Palladium. Wolf Alice is at the Forum
and Lianne La Havas is at the Royal Albert Hall. C2C – Country to Country music festival rolls
into the 02 Arena and old favourite The Stranglers take to the stage at the 02
Brixton Academy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Enjoy
London!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">@itsyourlondon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-28825775986342571082015-12-17T17:28:00.000+00:002015-12-17T17:28:08.354+00:00Christmas lights in London 2105 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's that time of year again when London comes to life with festive lights in all the major shopping areas. I've been out and about checking them out for you and my view on 2015 is that some new ones are great, some areas have kept with old favourites which is no bad thing but some of the major shops have not made much effort this year and one major street is just not up to our high standards. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Carnaby Street's 2015 offering wins as usual, it's fun, it suits the street and is new and fresh and even looks good before it's completely dark!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7ZsSfyJIQCO1Q5Yz4FGxjbO_Z_tzexi5L848VXDLEDv_5oBgO96djq7d434e2RZGcI-yxjqmBAm3mLghks8gYDQLMQj_s8kzTTalEQ58338p6Sn66UA9HHpOzGI3E8LHDg0G6PEhXbw/s1600/2015-12-08+16.09.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7ZsSfyJIQCO1Q5Yz4FGxjbO_Z_tzexi5L848VXDLEDv_5oBgO96djq7d434e2RZGcI-yxjqmBAm3mLghks8gYDQLMQj_s8kzTTalEQ58338p6Sn66UA9HHpOzGI3E8LHDg0G6PEhXbw/s400/2015-12-08+16.09.00.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnaby Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rQOSWMSVru_1K33RVZa-HPXKdBFNjOji3Dz2frMShda4oQ8zbgy5cOstLAyDCFPQMWN8yVvgu1lReSk04iiPgy6SnSFBag-i8mrR2Xb9aOiqTKDQ8uRwifwAqFMkwHPRnKOWmBxxEPU/s1600/2015-11-16+17.30.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rQOSWMSVru_1K33RVZa-HPXKdBFNjOji3Dz2frMShda4oQ8zbgy5cOstLAyDCFPQMWN8yVvgu1lReSk04iiPgy6SnSFBag-i8mrR2Xb9aOiqTKDQ8uRwifwAqFMkwHPRnKOWmBxxEPU/s400/2015-11-16+17.30.26.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Carnaby Street side street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69UerEPW45xorbQGW4FcHaSs5uRUJeCAVttCzf7NP7SzqYsepQh3cfrXbFYwg-YXAASMaDG7UtbhwAmlNtEVgFwwt_Wh6Fy5whzoVHM_VVpIPcbVgAmV_PpUKQ4iN3y_s-kUGi8nVy_s/s1600/2015-12-08+16.08.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69UerEPW45xorbQGW4FcHaSs5uRUJeCAVttCzf7NP7SzqYsepQh3cfrXbFYwg-YXAASMaDG7UtbhwAmlNtEVgFwwt_Wh6Fy5whzoVHM_VVpIPcbVgAmV_PpUKQ4iN3y_s-kUGi8nVy_s/s400/2015-12-08+16.08.47.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnaby Street </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trafalgar Square hosts the Christmas tree sent each year by the people of Norway to express their ongoing thanks for our support during the 2nd World War. This year it's been a bit battered by a storm which hit the capital just after it went up, so it's slightly crooked but as lovely as ever, especially when reflected in the fountains. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHX3THFEOQVsjqSJjE-PqYr0MGIlwCo346ItvWqC7mxUmN9ND9PqwWxcwV-c0pEHFjl3IdMf2-w450mmuTFbudBowfSwxhMVENIqE02FOkq5n2Z0tUCWg4xEB0s3zowMhXDPx_crG1MY/s1600/2015-12-08+17.43.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHX3THFEOQVsjqSJjE-PqYr0MGIlwCo346ItvWqC7mxUmN9ND9PqwWxcwV-c0pEHFjl3IdMf2-w450mmuTFbudBowfSwxhMVENIqE02FOkq5n2Z0tUCWg4xEB0s3zowMhXDPx_crG1MY/s400/2015-12-08+17.43.58.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trafalgar Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oxford Street has stuck with it's massive baubles which works well for them and I was pleased to see that South Molton Street have kept with their elegant blue arches.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPxkuEUx8OY93vZsVPCJCmxjkxVWR9BCoEfqW_98ecOGD33peps5RnmZDtliAIm2VvGwJotNaEV3Ad0fHAsE1c2BjGYuvdfmcTqIPdM1L811hPcTRgeXsjzdEky3NSDLDn5tX3hjmCUY/s1600/P1180710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPxkuEUx8OY93vZsVPCJCmxjkxVWR9BCoEfqW_98ecOGD33peps5RnmZDtliAIm2VvGwJotNaEV3Ad0fHAsE1c2BjGYuvdfmcTqIPdM1L811hPcTRgeXsjzdEky3NSDLDn5tX3hjmCUY/s400/P1180710.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oxford Street at the Selfridges end</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoLEtFGayaMHsNEZn59Bdve62Vvbr9I9KIkGUFzFC9h6NVKKbbjgrAJ0USS3ocVUC4fTm7HTs0isNnW7xDjKqLJZRoz_PDjkeLwq2SSeHgFsSIsnF4gbdISAGrlxj6Oa62ySozs-AQ-I/s1600/2015-11-26+17.56.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoLEtFGayaMHsNEZn59Bdve62Vvbr9I9KIkGUFzFC9h6NVKKbbjgrAJ0USS3ocVUC4fTm7HTs0isNnW7xDjKqLJZRoz_PDjkeLwq2SSeHgFsSIsnF4gbdISAGrlxj6Oa62ySozs-AQ-I/s400/2015-11-26+17.56.29.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Molton Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Covent Garden has gone for enormous mistletoe this year which I liked and had some fun to it and they have kept their enormous Christmas tree and the striking silver reindeer.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant mistletoe in Covent Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covent Garden's tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covent Garden's silver reindeer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">This year's big disappointment is Regent Street where they have replaced their successful reindeer antlers with the 12 days of Christmas with small shiny triangles which are too small to bring much light and large circles with projected video animations which I couldn't quite fathom and the circles are not always lit on both sides. Apologies for a poor photo to match!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regent Street </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Strand has joined in this year with a jolly look in blue which brightens up this part of the city: </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Strand</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of our major stores, Selfridges and John Lewis, usually have inventive and playful festive window displays but this year they are unimpressive and so have not made this gallery of the light show of 2015. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">London hosts ice rinks outside many of the famous landmarks such as the Tower of London and Somerset House, and the Natural History's rink is one of my favourite sights especially when the kids have a go. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skating a the Natural History Museum<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, I visited the posh shopping streets of Mayfair to see their lovely display, again kept from last year, of delicate, feathery lights. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayfair</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayfair</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed this visit to London at Christmas, it's a great time of year to come here and even the shorter days are a bonus as you can see the festive lights from late afternoon onwards before enjoying a mulled wine in a cosy bar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span></div>
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-35246021876207683352015-12-11T14:33:00.003+00:002015-12-11T14:33:56.844+00:00Lunch at .... J Sheekey, London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where to find a good lunch in London is a fun but possibly daunting challenge. There are said to be over 5,000 restaurants in London ranging from the corner cafe to the best in the world and every price point that goes with that. Then you have the choice of almost any cuisine you can think of and London boasts having many of the world's top chefs to add to your decision making woes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, here's another post in my series of 'lunch at...' to help you. I usually put my disclaimer at the end but here it is to let you know that this is an independent review and my visit was paid for by me! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I'm featuring J Sheekey, a famous London fish restaurant, dating back to the 1890 when it started life as a market stall selling oysters. It is now a London institution, a well loved part of the dining scene here and, in a wonderful nod to its past, has an oyster bar where we took our lunch, alongside a main restaurant room. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arriving down the small pedestrian thoroughfare the exterior
is impressive and enticing and yet my dining companions claimed to have walked
past the red canopies and wooden tables on several occasions without even
noticing this fine establishment. The location is really handy for Covent
Garden but more importantly for the nearby theatres and galleries. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheekey's impressive entrance </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We met early and were among the first there but very soon the place was packed and it was clear these were regulars, comfortable in their usual seats, tucking into familiar fare. This was our first visit and we had chosen the Oyster Bar section as it's a bit cheaper than their main room but still offers a good choice of dishes. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oyster Bar</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">My lunch group, a regular bunch of diners, are not easy to please so I was relieved that they finished their plates and reported back in very positive terms. The highlight were the Deep Fried Goujons with tartare sauce, meaty, tasty with a crispy coating. I had the Sheekey's Fish Pie which was a great winter dish with plenty of fish filling including good salmon chunks. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheekey's Fish Pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO3nRm00MTb4fO04o85ZdkHdZ6jAV6QJlYL8JBURT_Z3r7xcALuOBNzR6bluT_fz9wqLHGy6WLX3C8xGvhAVKMl1g5t0_j97352O2cZyCHPISNHbcSkkvEGKtf3nFltxJIH8uq8Ic-MA/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO3nRm00MTb4fO04o85ZdkHdZ6jAV6QJlYL8JBURT_Z3r7xcALuOBNzR6bluT_fz9wqLHGy6WLX3C8xGvhAVKMl1g5t0_j97352O2cZyCHPISNHbcSkkvEGKtf3nFltxJIH8uq8Ic-MA/s400/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goujons</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cornish Fish Stew was another winner and the extra portion of thin chips (Pommes Allumettes) disappeared right away. Our fourth member of the party had the Seared Scallops as she was not so hungry and loved the chilli and garlic sauce they were in. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cornish Fish Stew</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irresistible chips </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXs9kWwhduU3aA7acGd7I05GGU-btSDYtTS6pi_pOoQ5oEJQak5mO6upw9-JtMMtiMTxxKpB9XlWxvO7kvB4dmRbzjBFh2H7bFZ4_lKy0xjms6QBaFHB_T9djBuLyU2406koZkz6NQXg/s1600/IMG_0030+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXs9kWwhduU3aA7acGd7I05GGU-btSDYtTS6pi_pOoQ5oEJQak5mO6upw9-JtMMtiMTxxKpB9XlWxvO7kvB4dmRbzjBFh2H7bFZ4_lKy0xjms6QBaFHB_T9djBuLyU2406koZkz6NQXg/s400/IMG_0030+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallops</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sadly we were under time pressures so could not try out any of the desserts but I would definitely go back and indulge myself another time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our dishes cost between £11.25 and £13.75 which we felt was very fair for the quality of the food and the surroundings as well as the good service.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more information about this restaurant click <a href="http://www.j-sheekey.co.uk/" target="_blank">here. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620656421920271964.post-39862494632595317352015-11-29T13:17:00.000+00:002015-11-29T13:17:00.450+00:00Dutch life and great satire at the Queen's Gallery London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Royal Collection is the British Royal Family's art collection and is one of the largest and most important in the world. This holds so many pieces that only a fraction can be on display at any one time in the royal palaces across the UK. The Queen's Gallery holds exhibitions throughout the year, curated to show a different range of these precious works. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Their new exhibitions bring together Dutch art and Georgian caricatures linked by kings George lll and lV who were art collectors and the subject of the cartoons. The Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer' presents 27 of the Royal Collection's finest Dutch paintings. My eye is always drawn to Rembrandt's paintings, there's something about his use of light to illuminate faces that is so powerful. I was rewarded with several in this show:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt's Rabbi with a Cap. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt's Agatha Bas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt's An Old Woman called the Artist's Mother</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Desmond Shaw Taylor, the curator, explained how they had chosen to use plain walls, popular at the time, to display key painting in one of the exhibition rooms which certainly contrasts with the lush blue of the walls in the other display room.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unusual plain grey walls </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">We saw popular painters from the 17th and 18th century such as Gerrit Dou, Peter Bruegel the Elder and Jan Steen as well as Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch who both took Dutch genre painting to a new level of brilliance. Genre paintings capture everyday life, ordinary scenes and these painters bring extraordinary detail to their work. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pieter de Hooch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johannes Vermeer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both George lll and lV were keen collectors, paying high prices to secure these works as well as Sevres porcelain and fine French furniture, examples of which are on display around the rooms. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The accompanying exhibition at the Queen's Gallery is High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson showcases the brilliant work of Thomas who was one of the most popular and wittiest caricaturists of Georgian Britain, poking fun at the kings who collected the fine works we've just seen as well as the politics, fashions and mores of the time. Rowlandson was inspired by Dutch art and although seen to be a cartoonist was a fine artist as this exhibition shows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From showing the public criticism the Prince of Wales for his drunken behaviour during his father George lll's illness to laughing at the misfortunes of the Duke of York, these drawings give us a great insight into the gossip of the time. I loved the drawing of the Duke of York, who had been caught up in a huge love scandal and had to resign amid the public humiliation of his love letters being published. Here he is pleading with a whale that had been found in the Thames to help keep him out the headlines which feels very modern! </span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prince of Wales dancing at his father's sick bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleading with the whale to keep distracting attention from the Duke</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This cartoon lampoons the Duchess of Devonshire who was rumoured to be trading kisses for votes at a time when canvassing outside of ones family was considered unseemly for a woman. Here in this cartoon which was damaging to her reputation, she is kissing a butcher. Given our own political scandals of votes for cash in parliament, these again feels very contemporary. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Most Approved Method of Securing Votes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His sense of humour shines through and the man himself was great company and a popular man in society which makes for an enjoyable exhibition. He went to the Royal Academy school and his skill shines through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the things I love about the Queen's Gallery is their education room where they bring fun and interest for younger visitors. One example of how they do this is shown below where they have picked out a section of painting to encourage the viewer to look at the detail not just the overall impression of a work. Here the game in the corner of the painting is highlighted, something I had missed in the main gallery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exhibitions are on until 14th February 2016 and for more information click <a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/" target="_blank">here.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bye for now,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@itsyourlondon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.itsyourlondon.co.uk</span><br />
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Disclaimer: I was invited to visit the gallery for free and the curator tour was part of this.<br />
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LondonSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16209204375163558458noreply@blogger.com0