Some purple for the weekend.

The Big Day!!

I went out at 7.30 this morning and walked to Westminster Abbey then along to Horseguard's parade, down the Mall and along to Buckingham Palace. The atmosphere is absolutely amazing, every nationally is  represented, everyone is dressed up, waving flags, it really is such a great party atmosphere. I really didn't think I would get so caught up in it all but because we are staying just around the corner I have seen it as a wonderful photography opportunity. Thank you all for indulging me even if you have had enough of it all, I promise these are the final shots!

 Westminster Abbey, this is as close as I could get due to the crowds.

 Horseguard's Parade - they will travel through this archway

 Obama is being represented!

 The balcony!! this is as close as I could get.

Royal reporters

I took a quick walk to Westminster Abbey this evening and the crowds are gathering, people are pitching their tents and the media is in full force opposite the Abbey. I thought I would take some shots of the various presenters, I have no idea who they are, do you?

 These people are gathering below the media scaffolding, here is where people are pitching their tents opposite the Abbey

 This presenter was eating a sandwich whilst putting his microphone in place, no idea who he is.

 The man in glasses is our Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell.

 These ladies had pitched their tent in prime position and were being interviewed by all channels but the lady on the right didn't seem too happy about it all.

 This lady was American and signed off for Channel 5, maybe you know who she is.

 The media circus

walking away from westminster

Rehearsals

I turned on breakfast television this morning at 6.30 and saw that they were doing a dress rehearsal for the wedding so I dashed out with my camera but sadly I only got the tail end with some of the soldiers. They started rehearsals in the early hours of this morning but of course didn't tell anyone it was happening!
I also took a short video with my 7D, the first time I have used it to film so it's a bit wobbly and shaky as I got so excited!

 The green rooms behind are where the worldwide television stations are watching from

 No one was outside Buckingham Palace this morning, the calm before the storm

Alice

Alice was watching television lying down on the sofa today, she looked so peaceful and contented and didn't even notice me taking her picture.

A splash of purple

Saw this allium through a fence today, I do love them, they always remind me of summer.

Scenes from London

This fellow didn't catch me taking his picture, it's easy when they are asleep!

shades of green

I thought today I would show you another view of the flat, this time it is our bedroom in the early evening sunlight. As you can see it has quite a few shades of matching green in it. I am still slightly out of my comfort zone with my daily photographs, I wander around London trying to find things that catch my eye, I can't seem to connect with anything. I long to ask strangers if I can take their portraits but I am not brave enough, hopefully inspiration will come soon! I am also struggling with the internet and just using a dongle to get connected in the flat so please be patient and if I don't get to comment on your blogs it isn't through lack of trying.

Guards caught off guard

Everyone is getting ready for the Royal wedding and as we walked past Buckingham Palace today I caught a glimpse of the guards getting ready to march and practice.

Here they are heading off to the Palace.

Totally random

The theme for 'picture inspiration' this week is totally random. I was completely at a loss until Harry came in the room wearing one of the masks in the flat, perfect for the prompt!

More of London

It is a miserable grey day today so instead of taking my camera out I thought I would show you my new view from the sofa in the flat we are renting for the next six weeks. We have a small balcony seven floors up but I am scared of heights and won't go on it - silly I know but 7 floors is still 7 floors and of course the children love to scare me and lean over it precariously. The view we have across that you can just make out in this shot is of the tower of Westminster Cathedral but it looks best on a sunny day so I will save that shot for another day.

sightseeing in London

This morning I went to visit the Royal Mews since we are staying just around the corner from Buckingham Palace. The mews houses all the state carriages and of course the Royal horses. Sadly there were no horses to be seen this morning but I took a few pictures - it was packed with tourists so quite hard to get a good view of the carriages.
This is where the carriages are stored when not in use -

and this is a replica of the real thing, very lifelike!

Artichoke season

I love this time of year when all the wonderful vegetables and fruits are coming into the shops straight from the farms. I bought these artichokes this morning, I'm not a great fan of them as a vegetable but I do love them for their beautiful colours - nature at its best again.

Westminster Cathedral

This is the main tower of Westminster Cathedral, not to be confused with Westminster Abbey which is just down the road.

Views of London

This is the view from our bathroom window seven floors up. You can see the London eye in the distance and also a glimpse of Westminster Cathedral and the Tower of London. The netting you can see stretches all the way to the ground and I assume it is to stop pigeons getting in.

Happy Fenced Friday!

London is basking in a heatwave at the moment which is fantastic after such a cold long winter. The flowers are all out, and everything looks so pretty and summery. This fence and flower display caught my eye this morning. I am not fully on the internet at the moment so it takes me ages to get around to comment on blogs, please be patient!

Back again!

We are staying in a rented flat for the next couple of months before we move into our new home. It has some wonderful artwork in it and a beautiful Buddha. I haven't worked out what to photograph daily yet as suddenly my quiet life in the countryside has been replaced by busy London, it is all rather overwhelming but hopefully I will get back into a rhythm and pattern soon!

Phlox