London trip

Highlights include

My lomo working! Lots and lots of photos taken.

Walking through Camden and seeing a narrow boat going through the lock with a urban duck swimming beside a floating beer can.

Meeting two Edinburgh friends at Verde in Spitalfields Jeanette Winterson's shop/cafe.

Walking and walking. Because of this I saw so much more than if I'd hit the tube or busses. I walked to Leighton House and on the way passed through Green Park. The seemed to be somekind of crazed Ruritanian ritual going on. Cavalry and braid and prancing horses. When I went up closer they started firing a salute. All the tourists began coverging around the taped off area. It turned out to be a 21 gun salute for Prince Philip. Then there was a marching band. Later my friend S (her 40th birthday being the reason for my visit) was told as a child that God Save the Queen was being played on the radio on her birthday - just for her!

I met my friend B at Leighton House which is magnificent. The 'Turkish' room is amazing and the photos I've seen just don't do it justice. We sat in the garden for about an hour (its free the garden) with a squirrel at our feet.

On the bus back into town I looked over at Hyde Park Corner and thought 'those people don't have very many clothes on'. Then I said to B 'Good grief they're naked!' The entire bus population's heads swiviled to the left as indeed a stream of naked people on bicycles sailed past. It appears to be the World Naked Bike Ride ab annual protest against oil.