Page 2 of the Sun

Well it may be a very big place - with a lot of people but I still managed to make page 2 of the Sun.

Here is the link:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007380200,00.html

Turkish coffee

At the Turkish festival in Bernie Spain's Garden
A cup as black as hell I bought
Alone again the taste arose feelings as strong as death
And the face of the one who served as sweet as love

Star Toys.

A burst of shouts followed by cheers and I leapt up to see what was the cause was. There on the bridge 20 or 30 strong Jedi Knights wielding bright light sabres in all manner of colours. Plastic swords with neon like shafts swirled back and forward.

I went to check out the battle. What I found was a horde of (grown up) men, dressed in Jedi robes, one or two Darths, a stormtrooper. There were also a few women, a princess Leah, and several women with Yoda on their back. Looking as if he had been cannon blasted and hanging on for dear life.

The remarkable thing was, the residents of the Empire and the Revolution were mainly British, American and.....German!

There's nothing wrong with a bit of fantasy....

Royal Navy at Royal Victoria

Caught me a Routemaster home (well part of the way)

Have some fond memories of catching the no. 73 to my sisters place in Stoke Newington in about 1988ish.

There are only two routes that run Routemasters (for the tourist experience - or a sentimental journey). Looking forward to Kerren coming down in a few weeks and hopping on board the number 15.

More later on Routemasters - and hanging on to the past whilst falling out of a hole in the back of a bus...

Why don't you pronounce the 'h' in Thames?

My dad often recalls the story of when he was first in London as a young boy fresh from Irish shores. The locals used to always have a go at those from Ireland because they dropped their 'h' or 'aitch'. As in tree for three. Hence the joke, about the 3 irishmen who were looking for a job - one of them saw a sign 'Tree Fellers wanted'. You get the rest of it!

Anyway his response would be.
"What do you call the river in London?"
"The Thames" they would say.
"How do you spell that?".
"T H A M E S".
"Well why do you say Tames and not the Th-ames" he would reply, really emphasising the 'h'.

Well just the other day, before going off for my swim in Tooting Bec I came across the website for the Outdoor Swimmers Society. In it there is a link for a company who specialise in swimming holidays. They have a great strapline which sums up what they are all about - "Ferries are for wimps. Lets Swim"

And there I found the origin of the word for the Thames. It goes like this:
"Justifying its original Celtic name (Tamese) meaning "Tranquil River," the Thames has witnessed many important events through English history. In fact there are some 140 sites of special interest within reach of its banks. It has also been a source of inspiration for writers and poets throughout the ages."

They only bloody well drop their 'h' from the word Thames because its an Irish word! Well now, how ironic.

Swimming Outdoors

Decided to take myself to Tooting Bec Lido. Its the largest fresh water pool in England.

Swimming in fresh water was great, it was very clean. The few leaves floating on the water reminded you that you where swimming outdoors. Getting over the blast of cold water intially, it took me 2 lengths of the 90m pool to adjust. Having mainly swam in 25m indoor pools, the length was something to get used to. But it was very enjoyable not to have to turn so many times. After 5 my breathing fell into rythm and my body temperature aclimatised (my feet still felt cold though). In the end I did 20 laps. Felt great when I got out. It was a beautiful summers evening.

Walked backed to Tooting Bec Tube via the park.

(Picture courtesy of Tooting Bec website www..... - All other photos on the site are mine but they dont allow photography at the pool. You might get your camera wet or something...)

Dark clouds, dark water

Good afternoon London

Good afternoon London. After a couple of months in your care I will tell of some minor tales of time spent.