COLD DARK ROOM

CarolM

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Good Morning/Afternoon all.

Up early this morning to soon depart for a drive to southern Maryland to kayak on Mattawoman Creek. It’s an interesting area, part of the creek meanders through a large boggy, marsh area complete with eagles, beaver, otters American Lotus and more....whereas the opposite end widens up, has a lot more waterfowl, eagles and eventually joins the mighty Potomac River. So, depending on the route one can really encounter a vast array of “stuff”.

The paddle plan (pix below) today is to head toward the Potomac - unless it’s way windy...the marshy area is much more protected.

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Enjoy
 

CarolM

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South Africa - Cape Town
Good afternoon all. It’s been wet, wet, wet here in the south east today and it’s due to get wetter.

JoesDad and I have spent today in London. It’s the annual Open City weekend when around 800 buildings, both ancient and modern, that the public cannot normally visit are open free of charge.

This year we visited 5, so postcards will be split across more than one post.

Our opening visit was to the brand new Bloomberg building ... it even has a Roman temple in the basement which we visited last year. Designed to be eco friendly and base for their 4000 staff monitoring and reporting on the financial markets.

It is stunning!
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View of St Paul’s Cathedral
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View towards the Leadenhall Building aka the Cheese Grater due to its sloping side (see later)
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Stunning places.
 

CarolM

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Well today has been a really good day. As hubby brought home something that I thought was lost. @Kristoff thank thank thank you. It totally made my day.
Then i went to High Tea at the Table Bay Hotel. So I took some pics to share with the ladies who like their high tea. It was very filling and very yummy.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. And did I tell I got my postcard from Lena. Just in case I didn't let me tell you that I got my postcard from Lena all the way from Denmark. Jarrod asked me who was sending me stuff from Denmark very surprised. So I said from one of my friends. Then he acts all surprised that I even have friends. Just like his father and likes to push the buttons. [emoji85] 20180922_124540.jpeg20180922_124631.jpeg20180922_124653.jpeg20180922_141436.jpeg20180922_141701.jpeg20180922_141704.jpeg20180922_144356.jpeg20180922_151729.jpeg20180922_151737.jpeg20180922_151745.jpeg20180922_152014.jpeg20180922_152057.jpeg
 

JoesMum

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Next up was the viewing gallery of The Cheese Grater... views would have been improved in the sunshine!

Looking south: Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast with The Shard, London’s tallest building, just sneaking in behind The Walkie Talkie
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Looking west with St Paul’s just visible through the mist
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Coming down in the glass lift looking towards St Helen’s church (see later)
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And exiting the building looking towards the famous Lloyd’s building designed by Richard Rogers who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris. I used to work for Lloyd’s ... it’s the major international insurance market where ships, satellites and all things expensive get insured.
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Kristoff

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Well today has been a really good day. As hubby brought home something that I thought was lost. @Kristoff thank thank thank you. It totally made my day.
Then i went to High Tea at the Table Bay Hotel. So I took some pics to share with the ladies who like their high tea. It was very filling and very yummy.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. And did I tell I got my postcard from Lena. Just in case I didn't let me tell you that I got my postcard from Lens all the way from Denmark. Jarrod asked me who was sending me stuff from Denmark very surprised. So I said from one of my friends. Then he acts all surprised that I even have friends. Just like his father and likes to push the buttons. [emoji85] View attachment 252191View attachment 252192View attachment 252193View attachment 252194View attachment 252195View attachment 252196View attachment 252197View attachment 252198View attachment 252199View attachment 252200View attachment 252201View attachment 252202

WHAAAAAT?????!!!! Seriously? It reached you? I’m so surprised. And, hey, it only took... four months? [emoji33][emoji6] We’d better start our TORTOISE gift exchange soon... [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
I’m so happy though!!!!!!!!!
 

JoesMum

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Well today has been a really good day. As hubby brought home something that I thought was lost. @Kristoff thank thank thank you. It totally made my day.
Then i went to High Tea at the Table Bay Hotel. So I took some pics to share with the ladies who like their high tea. It was very filling and very yummy.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. And did I tell I got my postcard from Lena. Just in case I didn't let me tell you that I got my postcard from Lena all the way from Denmark. Jarrod asked me who was sending me stuff from Denmark very surprised. So I said from one of my friends. Then he acts all surprised that I even have friends. Just like his father and likes to push the buttons. [emoji85] View attachment 252191View attachment 252192View attachment 252193View attachment 252194View attachment 252195View attachment 252196View attachment 252197View attachment 252198View attachment 252199View attachment 252200View attachment 252201View attachment 252202

That tea looks wonderful!

And I am so pleased your Danish mail finally made it to South Africa... I think it probably did travel by snail!
 

JoesMum

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Next up one of the oldest churches in London, St Helen’s.

It is medieval (15th century) and was the church for a convent next door which now houses St Helen’s Place (see next post)

However, Henry VIII fell out with the Pope and had all the convents and monasteries closed keeping their land and money for himself. The church survived and became a protestant Church of England church.

It survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and even survived both World Wars with no more than a couple of broken windows.

Then, in 1992, the IRA bombed the Baltic Exchange and this poor church was badly damaged with the pressure blowing out windows and blowing the roof off.

The church underwent significant repair with things being salvaged where they could.
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Stand for the Lord Mayor’s ceremonial sword when he attends services!
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Memorial to a merchant from 1594 who established trade with Turkey.
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CarolM

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South Africa - Cape Town
WHAAAAAT?????!!!! Seriously? It reached you? I’m so surprised. And, hey, it only took... four months? [emoji33][emoji6] We’d better start our TORTOISE gift exchange soon... [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
I’m so happy though!!!!!!!!!
Lol. I know right. Can only be africa.
 

JoesMum

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Next up St Helen’s Place and Leather Sellers’ Hall. The Worshipful Company of Leather Sellers is one of the city’s oldest Livery Companies founded in the 15th century. While the leather trade isn’t as important as it was, the company still does much charitable work and runs several schools which were originally founded for the poor.

They bought the convent land from Henry VIII for £380 five years after he closed the convent and established their second hall their. They are now in their 7th hall, the 6th on this site, renting out the rest of the buildings.

The modern building behind is called The Gherkin
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The Court Room with some ancient leather goods on the table
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The modern Reception Room faces St Helen’s church (previous post). This side of the square was also damaged by the 1992 bombing. They have made the most of the view.
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The apprenticeship indenture paper for JRR Tolkein’s Great Grandfather. It’s called an indenture because of the dents at the top of the document. Two copies were made on the same sheet of paper. One copy was kept by the Livery Company and the other by the apprentice. The cut was wiggly and you could prove it was the original because it would match its opposite half!
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JoesMum

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Next up we went to Whitechapel, only a few minutes walk from the city wealth. It has been a very impoverished part of London through most of its history, still not that good now.

Here we went to Toynbee Hall, a Victorian social work project, trying to help the poorest people in the community from the late 19th century to the present day.

We were shown round by a historian who gave us a really interesting insight into the work of Samuel Barnett who founded it and what the area was like back then.

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And a lovely quote from the founder which translates don’t decide not to do something because you’re afraid of the future
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Yvonne G

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Well today has been a really good day. As hubby brought home something that I thought was lost. @Kristoff thank thank thank you. It totally made my day.
Then i went to High Tea at the Table Bay Hotel. So I took some pics to share with the ladies who like their high tea. It was very filling and very yummy.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. And did I tell I got my postcard from Lena. Just in case I didn't let me tell you that I got my postcard from Lena all the way from Denmark. Jarrod asked me who was sending me stuff from Denmark very surprised. So I said from one of my friends. Then he acts all surprised that I even have friends. Just like his father and likes to push the buttons. [emoji85] View attachment 252191View attachment 252192View attachment 252193View attachment 252194View attachment 252195View attachment 252196View attachment 252197View attachment 252198View attachment 252199View attachment 252200View attachment 252201View attachment 252202
I LOVE bread, so those finger sandwiches and all that other bread-type stuff just looks so good to me. YUM!!!!!
 

JoesMum

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And finally, we jumped on a tube and headed to the poshest bit of London by St James’ Palace and The Ritz Hotel to a private members’ club called the Royal Over-Seas League (and yes it is hyphenated)

This club is very proud that it has had female membership since its foundation in the very early 20th century unlike several of its neighbours.

It’s actually 3 buildings of different periods knocked together
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This Georgian staircase has a bowed banister to allow ladies wearing crinoline skirts to use it more easily. Right at the top, the bars are straight as servants didn’t wear crinolines
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Yvonne G

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Next up was the viewing gallery of The Cheese Grater... views would have been improved in the sunshine!

Looking south: Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast with The Shard, London’s tallest building, just sneaking in behind The Walkie Talkie
View attachment 252203

Looking west with St Paul’s just visible through the mist
View attachment 252204

Coming down in the glass lift looking towards St Helen’s church (see later)
View attachment 252205

And exiting the building looking towards the famous Lloyd’s building designed by Richard Rogers who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris. I used to work for Lloyd’s ... it’s the major international insurance market where ships, satellites and all things expensive get insured.
View attachment 252206
London has quite the mixture of new and old. I love your pictures.
 

Yvonne G

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10 Year Member!
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Next up one of the oldest churches in London, St Helen’s.

It is medieval (15th century) and was the church for a convent next door which now houses St Helen’s Place (see next post)

However, Henry VIII fell out with the Pope and had all the convents and monasteries closed keeping their land and money for himself. The church survived and became a protestant Church of England church.

It survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and even survived both World Wars with no more than a couple of broken windows.

Then, in 1992, the IRA bombed the Baltic Exchange and this poor church was badly damaged with the pressure blowing out windows and blowing the roof off.

The church underwent significant repair with things being salvaged where they could.
View attachment 252207
View attachment 252208
View attachment 252209

Stand for the Lord Mayor’s ceremonial sword when he attends services!
View attachment 252210

Memorial to a merchant from 1594 who established trade with Turkey.
View attachment 252211
That is so neat! Don't tear it down to make way for progress. . . just build around it!
 

JoesMum

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Hi, first time for me in this dark room, sorry for interrupting, does anyone know when will be this photo contest and amazing calendar that I heard of?

Hello and welcome to the CDR.

Send a message to @Yvonne G and she will be able to tell you.

In the meantime, pull up an armadillo and relax to join in the madness of the CDR. I’m Linda and I live in Kent in south east England.

I am sorry I can’t stay long as I am just going out in the real world. Maybe I’ll see you around in here tomorrow :)
 

Maro2Bear

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Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
A very late good morning to all of you and a very Happy Birthday to Adam @tidgysdad

Rain has finally reached us so it’s a lazy indoor Saturday... I’ve got a porkloin on the smoker and and a couple of good books. Read ya later!

Even though I pretty much try to only do vegetarian meals - a good old fashioned pork loin on the back yard smoker sounds (and smells) good. Pix of the end product!
 

Maro2Bear

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Good Afternoon & Evening All

Just back from our 5 hour paddle where we knocked off about 12 miles or so. Started off overcast and calm, then some sun followed by a brief gale which created some nice wakes and waves as we crossed Mattawoman Creek where it meets the Potomac. Many (5 or 6) Bald Eagle sightings along with the rest of the usual suspects (geese, ducks, cormorants, herons).

The Start of Our Paddle Heading West

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A Hunter’s Goose Blind

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Time for a Break on a Small Peninsula

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My Paddling Companion

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Paddling Back Through the Marshy Area (A Short Cut)

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