March 2022 Archives

The bridges across central London from Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge are currently in the process of being illuminated. The first phase started in 2019 and consisted of the illumination of the first four bridges (London Bridge, Cannon Street, Southwark Bridge, and Millennium Bridge). Due to the pandemic, the second phase was delayed and was completed in the spring of 2021; it was meant to be launched in the autumn of 2020 originally. The second phase included the illumination of the next five bridges from Blackfriars through to Lambeth bridges. Each illumination has its own artistic style, which is influenced by the location and sensitivity to the environment. The project is designed by New York-based artist Leo Villareal, who is also working with British architecture firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and specialist teams on the installations.

Blackfriar's Bridge, designed by 26-year old Scottish architect Robert Mylne, opened in 1769. The bridge is much-photographed and painted due to its position on the river and the framing of the nearby St. Paul's Cathedral. It was originally known as the "William Pitt Bridge" (for the prime minister), but its modern name refers to the 13th-century monastery that was located near the spot. This is the widest bridge on the river. The lights under the bridge highlight the architecture, and it cycles from deep red to deep blue to orange. The red colour symbolises the colour of the bridge pillars (which can be seen in daylight) and the surviving columns of the original railway bridge that stick up from the river between the new rail bridge and the road bridge.

Waterloo Bridge was opened in 1817 to commemorate the second anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The bridge helped to ease congestion of a bustling London. The bridge fell into disrepair and was shut at one time. During the second World War, the bridge was repaired by women, and it is known as "Ladies Bridge". It suffered multiple damage by bombs during the war. It was the first bridge to incorporate electric lights. The bridge was visited by artist Monet and others, and the illuminated lights were inspired by the paintings produced of the bridge. A single line of light follows the length of the bridge with additional lights underneath to illuminate the arches.

The Golden Jubilee Footbridges were formerly known as the Hungerford Bridge. The previous footbridge was a very old and narrow one along only one side of the rail bridge, but it was replaced by the new Golden Jubilee Footbridges in 2003. (I crossed the original narrow footbridge several times before its replacement.) The artistic lighting for the bridge mimics the other footbridge - Millennium Bridge - in is use of pulsating white light. The white light appears to move across the bridge, and the suspension towers have also been illuminated with white light.

Westminster Bridge is famous for its view of Big Ben and has appeared in paintings, photographs, movies, and other media as an icon of Britain. The original bridge was designed in 1750, and it was meant to be funded by a lottery but fell far short of the amount raised, so it is called the "Bridge of Fools". The bridge has the most arches of any bridge on the river, and it is painted green to match the seats in the House of Commons. The bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the green lighting is a subtle enhancement to complement the green paintwork that can be seen during daylight. The green lighting illuminates the architecture under the archways nicely. Green is my favourite colour, so I liked this lighting, although it did also remind me of the green bridge in Dublin.

The final bridge to be illuminated in the second phase is Lambeth Bridge. It was opened in 1932 and has sculptures of dolphins on it. The colour of the bridge in daylight reflects the leather benches in the House of Lords, the closest building in the House of Commons to the bridge. The bridge is illuminated in red light, but I noticed the blue and red colours on my visit. The red light mimicks the colour in the daylight, which matches the leather seating in the House of Lords.

The bridges will be illuminated for at least ten years, and they really do add a lot of colour to London. Before the illuminations, the bridges were unlit or lit with dull lights, so this project has helped highlight London's architecture and also to make London appeal as a centre of tourism and nightlife. I can't wait to see the remaining phase of the Illuminaited Bridges in London.

Read about the first phase:
London Illuminated Bridges (Phase One) 2019

Today's lockdown treats are from Pop Bakery, who specialise in cake pops. Pop Bakery started small in 2010 as an idea to create simple cake pops with different designs. They became popular and were featured in magazines and blogs. In 2015, they moved into a dedicated premises to create the cake pops. I ordered the mixed foodie set, and I was impressed by the flavour and the designs of the cake pops.

I really thought this was a cute box of cake pops with a variation of different food items: slices of pizza, sushi rolls, popcorn, and Fab ice cream bars. 

This is a late Pancake Day post from me. Pancake Day this year was at the beginning of March. I had originally booked an evening slot at Coffee Addict near Victoria station in London to enjoy pancakes on Pancake Day. However, the tube strike that took place on that day meant that I could not get into London and had to cancel my plans. I did get to Coffee Addict a couple of weeks later to have a belated Pancake Day pancake binge, and the photographs below are of this pancake binge.

Coffee Addict are known for their fluffy (soufflé) pancakes and a floral wall that is Instagram-ready. The pink neon sign is made to look quirky and fun. I ordered the "Red Berries" pancake stack, which was meant to have come with a pink sauce, but they were out of it and only had chocolate or caramel sauce. This was the second disappointment after a long wait to be seated even though I'd previously booked in advance and they saw me waiting outside. The cafe was not too busy either. There were a couple of groups inside and one outside, but over half of the tables were empty. 

I also ordered the hot chocolate, which came with a cute bear design. Unfortunately, this was delivered thirty minutes before I received the pancakes. Overall waiting time for the pancakes was fourty minutes. You heard me correctly. FOURTY MINUTES. For a stack of two pancakes in a cafe that serves seven tables (mostly tables-for-two) not in use as I visited after work on a dreary rainy Monday. I was told that the pancakes would take between fifteen and twenty minutes, but this was not true at all; believe me, when you're dining solo, you take note of these things.

With now-cold chocolate drink and fluffy pancakes on my table, I took a few photographs, and my verdict is below.

Unfortunately, I will not be returning here. The pancakes do not taste as good as they looked; they had a slightly milky taste and were not really sweet at all; this may have been because the cafe did not have the correct ingredients. The pancake stacks do not look as nice as what they show on their Instagram. Slow and even downright rude service and a fourty-five minute wait to get one stack of pancakes was very poor form. Now for my impression; I think Coffee Addict is all hype and gimmicks. It did not live up to expectations but hopes to gain popularity and sales through social media influencers. However, if it wishes to obtain those influencers and to keep them, consistency is key. Have the correct ingredients and make sure that your products always look amazing.

Check out some of my Pancake Day posts:

• TFL Tube Lockdown Strike Pancake Day (2022)
• Lockdown Pancake Day 2021 (2021)
• Happy Pancake Day! Pancakes at Pancs, Covent Garden (2020)
• Pancakes: "Crème de la Crêpe" in Covent Garden (2020)
• Pancake Day at "Where the Pancakes Are" in Flat Iron Square, (Borough, London) (2019)
• Leadenhall Market Pancake Day Race (2019)
• Pancake Day at Outsider Tart (Chiswick, London) (2018)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2017 (2017)
• Happy Pancake Day - Balan's Soho Society (Westfield)! (2016)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2015 (2015)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2014 (2014)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2013 (2013)

Last Saturday was the day that I was able to get over to northern Hampshire to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Laverstoke Mill. I have been wanting to visit this attraction since it opened its doors in 2014 and when I used to live down the road from it in Basingstoke and drove past it a few times. Unfortunately, the bloke and I never got to visit it before we moved to west London, exhausted from daily and expensive commutes and fed up of living in a flat. However, this experience was a gift, and we got to visit this weekend with the glorious spring-like weather.

The distillery attraction contains the historical buildings, a newly-architected greenhouse filled with botanicals to demonstrate what goes into Bombay Sapphire gins, a movie about the distillery, a bar, a cafe, a gift shop, and a few rooms for other purposes, such as the Cocktail Masterclass. There are a choice of a couple of different tours. The main tour is simply just a tour of the site with a cocktail, or you can pay a bit more for the Cocktail Masterclass tour. It's the same as the main tour, and you get the cocktail, but you then get to create or learn how to create three additional cocktails at the end. 

The site of Laverstoke Mill dates from the Domesday Book. Bombay Sapphire moved onto the site in 2014, but it was previously owned by Henry Portal in the 1700s. The mill was used to create cotton for bank notes. This production printed bank notes for 500 currencies, and it closed in the 1960s. (That part of the business formed De La Rue, a company that I knew well because I worked there for over two years; their main production of bank notes is down the road at Overton, which I toured as an employee many years ago now.) The water that runs through the site is crystal clear; it is the rivert Test, which travels through Hampshire.

The tour started with a briefing, and then we entered a room where we were told to fill a glass with ice and then get a sample of gin from a choice of three different types of gin: Bombay Sapphire (the original gin), Bombay Sunset (limited edition), and Bombay Bramble (a limited edition in a reddish colour).

I selected the Sunset variety as I'm familiar with Bombay Sapphire as it is and even own a bottle of it. The gin was dispensed from a little button.

The Bombay Sapphire tour guide told me to pair my gin with orange and star anise as per their recommendation. There were two other tables for the other gins with different spice and citrus that are best paired with those gins.

They recommended a half of a can of the tonic and then a mix of the gin with the ice, and this did make the perfect combination for this gin.

We were then told to take our gin and tonic into the theatre so that we could watch a movie on Bombay Sapphire's history and introduction to the flavours used to create the gin. We sat sipping our gins, except for me because I pretty much downed it quickly. After the movie, we walked outside to the glass greenhouses and a view over the river where we learned more during the second part of the guided tour.

We were told about the history of the building, which dates from the early 1700s.

Along the side of this building are the worker's homes. The end one is converted into the cafe. We were told to look through one of the windows of a larger warehouse building where we could see the stills in use - Henry and Victoria. 

This led us around the glass greenhouses, which were constructed in 2014.

Thomas Heatherwick was the architect responsible for the glass greenhouse structures and guiding the sustainable site at Laverstoke Mill. (One of his other creations was the London Olympic Stadium.) We were told more about the different botanicals used in the gin, and we were then allowed to go into these greenhouses to see the plants growing for ourselves. The greenhouses are built to take the heat from the factory, so they are quite warm inside. Iris root, angelica, lemon, grains of paradise, juniper, coriander, almond, and cassia were some of the plants we were shown and told to look out for in the greenhouses.

After looking at the greenhouse and watching a water vole on the bank along the river, we headed into another building where we could see the different botanicals. Because nuts are included, we were told to not unscrew the jars. The tour guide opened lids from the spices and grinded up some of them so we could all have a sniff. We were also shown a couple of vintage Bombay Sapphire gin bottles to see the brand evolve. The brand gets its name from a famous sapphire, the Bombay Jewel, the largest blue sapphire. The branding originally contained the image of the sapphire along with a portrait of Queen Victoria. Today, the bottle is a blue colour. (The gin itself is not blue in colour; it is clear.)

In this building are two of the other stills used, and we were told about the basic gin-distilling process in the room.

After the tour, we went on to our Cocktail Masterclass with Chelsea. She helped us to create two different types of cocktail and made one additional one for all of us to try. The ingredients were all laid out for us on the tables.

The first cocktail we made was the Laverstoke cocktail, a special gin cocktail created for the opening of the site. It was a refreshing cocktail, and I really enjoyed it. It included squeezed and crushed half of lime, 15ml of St. Germain, 15ml of dry Vermouth or fortified wine (Martini brand), a single shot of Bombay Sapphire gin, and half of a glass bottle of ginger tonic. This was garnished with a slice of ginger and a sprig of mint.

The Martini cocktail was made for us with equal amounts of gin and Martini fortified wine along with some lemon peel. (I think that was all of the ingredients.)

The final cocktail - Gin Sour - we made ourselves. I selected the elderflower cordial, but there were a choice of two additional cordials - a ginger one and a fruity one. A shot of Bombay Sapphire gin was also included, and I added a slice of orange and a slice of lemon slightly crushed. The product was then strained through into a glass.

After the cocktail-making, we headed to the cafe for a bite to eat. We had ham sandwiches, and I had the Queen Bee cocktail in the bar, which I thought looked very trendy with its blue marble-effect countertops. The cocktail was a little too strong for me personally.

This sums it up for the Bombay Sapphire Cocktail Masterclass experience. We had a really good time learning about the distillery and enjoying making and drinking cocktails. 

In the centre of Bury St Edmunds is the remains of one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England with a complete 14th century gatehouse and Norman tower. The location has been popular with pilgrims since 903 when the relics belonging to king St Edmund were moved here. The abbey was founded in 1020, and it became one of the wealthiest and powerful in England.

The abbey was the important place with history of the Magna Carta. People were upset with the treatment under king John in 1214, so they aired grievances in the abbey. This paved the way for the Magna Carta.

In the 1300s, the townspeople clashed with the abbey and rioted often for 100 years. In the 1400s, Henry VI stayed at the abbey for four months from Christmas.

The abbot's palace survived the dissolution of the monasteries and was in use as a house until 1720.

Visitors can see the abbey remains of the crypt and imagine how wonderful it would have looked. The gate shows the example of stonework and detail, and the abbey would have been much more impressive. The abbey entrance to the great court was damaged in 1327 when the townspeople stormed the gate and kidnapped the abbot. The new gate was built in the 1400s to replace the old one.

The grounds of the abbey area are now gardens with beautiful flowers and views over the cathedral, and the ruins make up one section. During the monastery days, the gardens would have been the site of various workshops dedicated to daily life. Inside the gardens are an "Internet Bench", which is famous and cutting-edge for its time. It contained a dial-up modem so that people could sit and use the Internet. (There was no such thing as WiFi then.) The connection has since been disabled as no one uses dial-up modems now, so it was no longer required, but it served a place in history.

The rose garden outside the cathedral contains several memorials to people or troops who served in the wars. There are several monuments and plaques and a bench created from a plane and dedicated by the U.S. Air Force.

Groups of ruins exist around the ruins of the abbey.

The abbey, below, can be seen with the lower crypt level and columns pointing up from the ground.

A plaque mentions the link to the Magna Carta where there was the meeting with King John.

The Norman tower exists on the other side of the present day cathedral.

The present day cathedral and buildings appear to use some old stonework from the monastery structure.

The ruins of a church in the grounds on the opposite side of the cathedral are roped off. There are several graves here, and the chapel is located in the present day cemetary.

Bury St Edmunds has an attractive town centre with everything within walking distance. Visitors can enjoy a walk around, and the market was taking place during my visit. There were crafts, baked goods, alcohol, clothing, jewellery, and so many different types of items that could be purchased.

Lavenham Guildhall is located in the beautiful little village of timber-framed medieval buildings, Lavenham in Suffolk. Lavenham was one of the wealthiest towns in Tudor England, and the building is a museum of information about some of the people who are associated with the building with some rooms open for display. Unfortunately, there was only one guide giving information about the building and answering questions from people, so I did not get a good introduction of the building. 

Lavenham was the centre of the wool trade of East Anglia, and its special was a broadcloth known as Lavenham Blue. Due to its wealth, there were four guilds in the town, and the Guild of Corpus Christi (known as Lavenham Guildhall today), founded in 1529, was the most important.

Burn marks and symbols burnt into the wooden beams (above the fire place) promise to ward off evil and fires. There is also a deceased cat in a case, which was found in the walls. Placing cats in the walls is thought to have also warded off evil and witches.

After the decline of the wool trade, the guildhall was used as a workhouse. Prison and mortuary buildings were set up in the grounds behind the guildhall. It was purchased in 1911 for social use. During the World War, the building was used as a social club for American troops, and it was a restaurant in the second World War. The owner gifted it to the community in 1946, and it became managed by National Trust in 1951.

One of the upstairs rooms contains information about the Lavenham railway station, which closed in 1961.

There are several timber-framed Tudor houses in Lavenham.

Lavenham has a cafe, shop, and bookshop and is worth a visit.

George's Bakery sells baked treats in Cambridgeshire around various markets, such as Ely Market. I have had my eye on some of the cookie sandwiches as I have a real weakness for cookies. Unfortunately for people who wish to purchase them and do not live close to the Cambridgeshire markets, these kept selling out. I did manage to purchase a box of treats, althought they were not all cookie sandwiches. There was one cookie sandwich in the box that I purchased: The Cookie and Carmac Box.

The box contained a variety of items described below:

- Cookies & Cream Wagon Wheel
- Cookies Tub
- Cookie Bulge
- Cookies & Cream Cookie Sandwich
- Caramac Cookie Cup
- Caramac Ball
- Caramac, Custard & Caramel Slice

My favourite was the cookie sandwich, although the cookies tub and Caramac Ball was also nice. I am not a fan of white chocolate, though, so I found them to be a little too sweet. I would definitely buy again, as long as it was a cookie sandwich box. The cookie batter is delicious.

The National History Museum celebrates the planet Mars this week along with other organisations. This is the 6th anniversary of the ExoMars mission, and there are special events taking place about the red planet. To coincide with this, there was a giant touring artwork located in the entrance hall of the museum on the 14th and 15th of March. Luke Jerram's Mars is currently being hosted at the museum, and it is seven meters in diameter with a resolution of 120dpi NASA imagery of the surface of the planet. 

Luke Jerram has also created a giant moon, which is also on tour currently. The moon (there are multiples) had been hosted at a few venues in London before the pandemic and also toured globally and in the UK in the past couple of years, but I missed seeing it so far. 

The artwork allows the visitor to examine the planet while it slowly rotates. Visitors can view the planet from the ground or from above on the balcony on the first floor.

Over the past few months, I've discovered some artwork by Dan Kitchener (who also goes by the name Dank) around east London and Camden. I found a few photographs of his street art that I have not posted, so I've also included them. Most recently, Dan Kitchener has been updating murals on a couple of the same walls in London on Brick Lane and Commercial Road. 

The most recent street art mural by Dan Kitchener appeared recently on Brick Lane by the post office, which is difficult to photograph because there's always something in front of this wall. I managed to visit it when they were closing up so that I could see the full wall, which depicts a mural named "Skylights 2". This is one of the science-fiction and fantasy skyscapes that is popular with the artist. It was painted at the end of January.

The next mural on Brick Lane no longer exists, but it is titled "Skylight 1" and was painted in November on a wall on Brick Lane near the post office. 

"Queen of Colours" was painted on the same wall earlier this year and features one of the artist's portraits of geishas.

I forgot to post this additional mural photographed in 2020 on the same wall.

The next mural appeared on Commercial Road, a spot that Dan Kitchener has been painting on for several months now. It is the first I have seen with the new style that appears like rainwater on glass of a street scene. The mural is called "Traffic Flow" and is inspired by being stuck in traffic in the rain.

This mural appeared on Brick Lane in late 2020.

I think I posted this mural in Camden next to a mural by ManyFace5 previously.

I also discovered this mural on Brick Lane on a shutter, and it was painted awhile ago.

A large-scale mural by Dan Kitchener appeared on Hanbury Street. I don't think I ever got around to posting it, but it appeared at least a couple of years ago. It shows an urban night street scene.

For more work by Dan Kitchener (DANK) featured in this blog, please read the following links:

The ruins of a twelfth century earthworks and fourteenth century castle in the village of Torthorwald stands on a hill in the middle of pasture. Although I've read that visitors are allowed to access the castle ruins, the fencing was lined with barbed wire without any place to climb over the fence, so I was only able to appreciate the castle from a distance below.

The history of the castle lies with the Kirkpatrick family in 1418 and then the Carlyle family in 1544. It was primarily used as a residence and is best described as a fortified house. It was the reason for a family feud of Michael Carlyle who attacked the castle with his sister-in-law staying there and then fought over ownership of it with the Douglas family, who it was passed to through marriage. The roof was removed in the 16th century, and that was the downfall of the castle.

It's been two years since the start of the pandemic lockdowns in the U.K. (first to have originated in China, but it was a few months before it really made an impact outside China). The United Kingdom was locked down from mid-March after many were admitted to hospital unable to fight off the virus. Those were dark times. Outside St. Thomas' Hospital on the South Bank of the Thames (opposite Westminster and Big Ben) is the National Covid Memorial Wall. It was established to pay respects and to remember those who died of Covid in the United Kingdom.

Each heart represents someone who has passed, and there are many names and dates written in the hearts. Many of the hearts are also empty.

The memorial is still growing as people are dying from Covid and suffering the long-term side effects, but not so many are dying now due to the vaccinations. I thought that today was a fitting day to post this memorial because of the changes made for life to be brought back to normality. The memorial was intended to be a temporary one, and I am sure that there will be some other memorial set up in London to pay respects at some point, as was promised by the Prime Minister. 

At the start of the year, street artist Conor Harrington created a mural on a gate off Brick Lane. The artist, who is originally from Ireland but now lives in London, has painted many murals across London. This newest one replaces a similar mural painted in January. Similar to the January mural, the subject is a man covering himself in bunting. It is a political and social piece that reflects on self-congratulatory masculine society. The artist generally paints his subjects in a classical style with traditional costume. This mural has been painted in greyscale with a pale blue background.

More work by Conor Harrington on this blog can be seen here:

New Mural by Conor Harrington Off Brick Lane
Street Art: Conor Harrington
Baroque the Streets: Dulwich Street Art
Dublin Street Art
Street Art on Whitecross Street
New Street Art by Conor Harrington
Belfast Street Art
Street Art Round-up in Early Spring 2014
Street Art Tour of Walthamstow

I needed a post to let some things out, so here it is. I think this post may resonate with some people, and we all need to be aware of our own needs and realise sometimes that things are not okay. I will be honest in that I am struggling a little bit, which has been set off by external factors - a combination of things, and it all got too overwhelming.

Before the pandemic and the lockdowns that began two years ago this week, things were generally okay. I was coping. Sure, I've had low points in my life. I've dealt with narcisstic and manipulative exes, bullying at school (and even in a couple of previous workplaces). I also realise that I have always suffered with high-functioning anxiety, although I didn't realise or know there was a name for it. It's difficult to get these things diagnosed officially, but I have read up on it and realise I actually do suffer from almost all of the symptoms, and I'm working on addressing it and trying to look after myself more. However, the pandemic has had a lot to answer for as does my previous employer with redundancy, and I was in a very bad place last autumn. Winter also isn't the easiest of times without leaving the house much at all this year so far, and things still have not been easy; a combination of things have caused a relapse in my mental health. Last year during this time, my workplace were giving us half-day Fridays, so I was actually feeling quite content at the start of last year. That was the last time that I felt remotely content.

Seeking help. One issue I have is over-thinking. When I think about my problems, I am quick to brush them aside. My first thought is that I am wasting time and others need more help than I do...that I am lucky in what I have and that someone else may need help more. That's destructive, though. I need to stop thinking of myself as a burden. I have done this throughout my life. Perhaps it stems from "children should be seen and not heard" mentality that was thrown into me as a child. This is not a good way to be. When I've needed to talk to bosses in past jobs - perhaps I had a good idea, I would think "don't bother them; they're too busy". Also, the same comes back for going to the doctor. I don't think anyone likes to take time out to go to the doctor, especially if they are busy. I've had bad coughs and pain linger for months before I decide I've had enough and go because I don't want to inconvenience the over-worked staff on something that may not be an issue. However, part of the problem is that women are not taken seriously at the doctor.

Seasonal. Certain months or times of the year are worse. Late January used to be the bane of my existance because the bad stuff happened around that time; late May through mid-June were also bad times. The last few years have seen this shift to March and then October. For the past few years, March has been unkind for a whole variety of reasons. Last year, it was work redundancies, and then I had that crazy woman leave a threatening letter through my door. The year before was the pandemic. The year before that was contracts. Then it was deaths. Then this year has been poo as well. 

Coping mechanisms. I realised quite awhile ago that I have some coping mechanisms. I am good at bottling it up. At times, it's difficult to get out of bed. Other times, I try to keep myself busy. At social events, I try to keep busy by my photography hobby. I try to keep my hands doing something so I don't worry about being awkward. Keeping myself busy takes my mind off of it, but then that can be a bad thing too.

As I mentioned in a previous post already this month, things have not been going so well lately. In general, the whole world seems to be a mess. There's still the pandemic, and now there's a threatening dictator starting wars. (And I think my troubles are far less to be concerned about than what is happening with the people caught up in this, but I do still have valid problems and that is okay.) I was dealing with everything that was going on and feeling "acceptance" and trying to keep positive. However, one too many things can set a relapse.

I started back at work last week from the compassionate leave, and I've been so busy with back-to-back meetings and playing catch-up; my work got behind of course. I was dealing with that too. There were a lot of important meetings last week to tackle. Then, I was meant to receive a parcel. I got a notification to say it had been delivered. I panicked when I saw that it was at someone else's house on the ground in a garage in a photograph, and I had no idea where this house was, and it was pictured next to a bag of trash. I became extremely angry with the delivery company (DHL) for their incompetence, and this also concerned me because of my address and details left at someone else's house. The parcel had my correct details, but it was delivered to someone else.

The background of this is important. Go back to last year. Last year, I had a stranger in the community leave a threatening and nasty note in my letterbox. Somehow, she got my personal details. This situation caused me stress, and I am still paranoid about it. I changed my name across social media and locked things down further. I was always very careful before. I never gave my address out and was always concerned with what I posted. 

The DHL delivery driver leaving my parcel at the wrong and unknown address, despite my address on it being correct, relapsed my paranoia and anxiety on top of everything else going on at the moment with death, inability to travel to see my family, new busy job with demanding hours...on top of rarely leaving the house for months and coming out of a mental health crisis last autumn. Sure, it sounds like not much to perhaps some of you, but it brought back all of the memories last year and was the final straw.

The parcel contained treats for a "pick me up" to deal with the crap that has been going on in the past few weeks. I wanted something to look forward to. During the lockdown, I purchased "lockdown treats" every now and again because I wanted to support others who were struggling due to that mess. (I've got a couple more of these posts to publish that have been written in the past two months.) While I have had to chase DHL, I also chased the company, and I've been bombarded during important client meetings about it during my hosting of the meeting. This angered me very much. It caused me a lot of extra stress in my life that I did not need.

I felt that the company that I ordered the treats from was also not being supportive after the parcel was delivered incorrectly. I know it's not their fault that it was not delivered to me (the address was correct on the parcel), but DHL have told me that they would refund the shipping costs, but it has to be done through the sender. I've broken down in extreme stress dealing with this; I'm angry at the incompetence, time spent on it, and the anxiety. And this placed me back to last year with the crazy lady with the letter.

I have now decided that I will not be using delivery unless it is absolutely necessary, and the "lockdown treats" posts will not continue after the other two posts that I've already written have been published. In fear of DHL or some other delivery company delivering my parcel to the wrong address, I have decided to discontinue these types of post. I do not want to risk the situation again where DHL or another company will deliver my parcel with my full name and address to the wrong address. 

It seems like a "not a big deal" kind of event, but it's the background of it and everything else. I guess this was just the last straw in a chain of events. And I am still paranoid about my address due to that violating letter from the stalker.

Be kind. Often, I don't think people realise what others are going through or understand that something could trigger emotions. I'd never thought of myself as someone who could be easily-triggered as normally things do just roll off me, but it has. I've also seen people who I guess are having a bad day taking it out on someone else, and I've had this happen to me too. That may be one step away from someone having suicidal thoughts. Stop and think, even if it sounds so simple. Think if what you are doing or saying is causing stress to someone else. Especially if they have repeatedly said it.

I am feeling broken, and I've not been myself at all for awhile. I have been struggling to find motivation and happiness. I often feel I have not got anything to look forward to. Unfortunately, this has caused a bit of a relapse. I will try to continue posting on this blog and hopefully I can get back into the rhythm of it. 

Last year, we were locked for for the first few months of the year, and I was able to take some walks and explore some places around my local area. Eastcote House Gardens was one of those places, and I immediately fell in love with the place; it became a firm favourite place to me. I first visited Eastcote House Gardens on New Year's Eve in 2020 during the lockdown. As I visited often throughout last year, I thought that I should post some photographs of the gardens changing throughout the different seasons. (Admittedly, I did visit at least once a month, but I visited less often in the summer as things started to reopen and I had a lot of annual leave to use.) My favourite month at Eastcote House Gardens was April, which I am sure you can see why with the beautiful tulips and spring colour below. 

January: The gardens looked pretty bare in January. There was not a lot of colour, and the overcast sky provided a muted landscape. Some of the plants had left to dry, such as seedum, which flourishes in the early autumn. The gardens were hibernating with some green shrubbery to add form but otherwise waiting for the spring. On one of these January Friday afternoons, I watched a little robin hop around on the ground near me. I felt relaxed and took my time to unwind, content in my life despite the pandemic and feeling lucky and optimistic about the months ahead. Unfortunately, things did not last long, but I was content. January is normally a time that is unkind to me.

Early February: Early February was not much different to January in the gardens, and I know that the sunshine does make a difference. The trees were starting to bud slightly, and a sunny day brought more people to the gardens. The gardens looked a little greener, but this may be from the sunshine.

Late February: I visited two or three times in February and watched the gardens come to life as the month progressed. Early miniature daffodils and other spring flowers began to emerge from the ground in promise that spring was coming and winter was ending. The plants grew, producing green shoots. The gardens were coming to life again and spring was emerging.

Early March: The daffodils continued to bloom sunny yellow heads throughout the gardens. They looked the best in the sunlight. Different varieties of the daffodils were emerging.

Late March: By late March, the daffodils had seen their peak in the gardens and were beginning to die off for the next star of the show in the gardens. Spring had arrived, and I was eager to see the next phase of the gardens, although they did look bare in late March once the daffodils had finished.

Early April: Spring was firmly in progress, and a few new different varieties of plant and flower emerged in the gardens, bringing different colours of orange and red and white and yellow. The garden was starting to fill out again with promise of the months ahead. The first of the tulips were emerging now.

Mid-April: The middle of April was the highlight for me. The tulips were out in their full glory with other spring flowers in amazing bright colours. 

Late April: The end of April was another key change in the gardens with the tulips on their way out and the gardens looking ready to transform again. I was sad to see the tulips on their way out, but I waited for the next transformation.

Early May: Early May brought the purple irises and lillies out along with other colours of irises and flowers. A few of the remaining late variety of tulips were still in bloom as well. A lot of bright colours were visible in the gardens. The weather was not great with a lot of cloudy skies, but the gardens still looked beautiful with more plant growth and colour.

Late May: Roses and more plant colour continued to transform the gardens throughout May. Still technically spring, the gardens were looking healthy. The wisteria was also out in bloom, and I enjoyed a slice of cake in the gardens.

Mid-June: Spring was nearly over now, and the gardens were looking beautiful with a new range of flowers and plants taking the centre stage. The wisteria was almost over in bloom, and roses and lavender were in abundance. The gardens were looking very green and lush.

Late June: It was firmly the summer now. The gardens were looking perfect with so many different types of plants in bloom. It was a popular place, especially on the sunny days. In the summer, finding a place to park was difficult.

Late July: I missed the plants on show in early July, but late July was another transformation in the gardens with many of the plants not as full as they had once been, but the colour was very much alive despite the garden not looking quite as green.

Mid-August: With autumn quickly approaching, the colour in the gardens was not quite what the early summer had been. The late summer plants were in bloom now.

Mid-September: The autumn had arrived, and the summer plants were on their way out. The autumn colour and plants had arrived. The gardens still looked nice, but they were beginning to look autumnal with many autumn plants in bloom - asters, seedum, cosmos.

Early October: The plants were still in bloom but looking very autumnal by the middle of October. The bees were loving the flowers and making the most of obtaining the pollen. Some of the foilage and plants were drying and transforming into reds and browns, looking less full as they did in their height of early summer. There was still a lot of wonderful and bright colour.

Mid-October: The seasons change quickly once the transformation begins. Even a week makes a big difference. Blooms of some of the flowers had disappeared and were drying up, and the leaves were changing colour. The seedum changed from its bright red blooms to a muted red colour. 

Early November: By early November, a lot of the leaves had fallen off the trees. The blooms had also fallen or dried further. The garden was beginning to look bare again, ready to quietly go to sleep.

Late November: By late November, the colour drained further, and the trees were bare. The plants were all drying out and dying. It was the last hurrah!

Early December: The end of the autumn was approaching, and the garden was looking empty with the final plants drying out.

Late December: Winter settled in now, and the garden had some dry stems remaining, but it was looking very bare and tired, calming down before starting the new year where there would be more transformations and bright colours in the months ahead.

I loved visiting this garden throughout the year, and it helped to calm me during the long months of the lockdown in 2021. 

Street artist Ant Carver, who is based on London, created a lot of portraits across east London back in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, I had captured some photographs of a couple of paste-ups that were spread around Brick Lane that year, but I did not get to capture too many that year as I wasn't making many trips in to see the street art. On a street art tour in Penge at the end of last year, I photographed another mural from the artist on a wall. The style used in these is illustration with greyscale portraits imposed with colourful crayon-like markings drawn across them.

The above mural located in Penge was painted in the summer of 2017, so the colourful markings across the greyscale portrait are appearing faded.

The artist is currently focused on a new style with more realistic portraits in recent work, such as the one that appeared on Hanbury Street a couple of years ago. 

Nearly fourty yarn-bombed sculptures placed on the top of post boxes in Hemel Hempstead make up a trail for "World Book Day". The yarn-bombed sculptures represent characters in much-loved books. Visitors can follow a trail to discover these creations around the town of Hemel Hempstead and further afield. The best way to explore the wide area is by car as there are a lot of subburbs of Hemel Hempstead. I did not manage to discover them all as some of them were along major roads, and there was not a place to stop safely. 

The Yarn Bomb trail of crochet artwork on the tops of postboxes for "World Book Day" will be in place until the end of next weekend, so you still have time to discover them.

The first sculpture trail of the year put together by Hemel Hempstead and Wild in Art is "The Big Hoot" in Hemel Hempstead. This family-friendly trail featuring twelve large-sized painted owl sculptures can be explored on foot in the centre of Hemel Hempstead, and it is designed to bring people into the town as part of the Business Improvement agenda after the pandemic. Each of the owl sculptures is unique and encourages exploration of the area with themed events taking place during school half term. The sculptures are in place until the middle of April and just after Easter, so there's plenty of time to visit.

Night Owl by Sue Guthrie

Captain Bluebeard by Donna Newman

Dandelion by Ruth Green

Professor Mechanicus by Glen Brooks and Owlbert by Carloline Daly

Midnight Blossom by Milan Topalovik

The Love Owl - Nisha Grover

Nocturnals by Amanda Quellin

Oh what a night by Roy Meats

Open with Love by Sally Adams and The Beach T'Owl by Megan Heather Evans

Terry the Tiger Owl by Lucky Pablo

I visited the owls on a chilly weekend day in early March. All of the sculptures are relatively close together along a twenty-minute walk from the old town High Street to the modern city centre with shops along the river.

The weather has not been great recently with rain and clouds, but there was a bit of sunshine last Saturday and Sunday at the end of February. I remember that last year at this time, the crocus flowers were out at the Eastcote Cricket Grounds, and some daffodils were also emerging at Eastcote House Gardens. There was lovely weather, so I decided to take a walk at the same time this year to see if there were any flowers. I was impressed that there were, and I also discovered a new cluster of daffodils a little further along that I did not walk to last year. (You can read last year's here.)

There were a lot of crocus flowers, but I thought it was not quite as many as last year. I feel that last year had more sunshine and warmer days. They look amazing, and the visit was exactly a year apart. Last year, I had visited it during my half-day Fridays, and I remember it well because we had the first really warm weather of the year and the bloke was finishing his last day of work that day.

I then headed into Eastcote to grab some cake from Cake Villa. I had the pistachio cake, and I took this to Eastcote Gardens to eat while enjoying the sunshine and a few daffodils that had come up.

Eastcote High Street is roughly a ten minute walk from Eastcote House Gardens, so it is great to walk to and grab some shopping or lunch. The cafe at Eastcote House Gardens is currently closed, but there is a cafe there. It's just closed longer at the moment due to staffing problems. 

One of my favourite dessert cafes has closed its doors last weekend at relatively short notice. Yolkin was famous for its delicious and cute ice cream macaron sandwiches. Yolkin originally started as a little kiosk at Brewer Street Market, where they often sold out. (You can read my post about their early days and see a few photographs here.) 

Due to their success, they leased a shop on Rupert Street, just down the road from where Brewer Street market is. They were doing quite well, I thought, and I visited them almost every season. Then, the pandemic hit, and the lockdowns happened quickly without warning, so they would have had a lot of wastage. The nature of their products is also difficult to deliver as it melts quickly, so delivery services probably were not an option for them like it was with other places. Of course, tourism and footfall in London do influence on sales, so that took a hit. I think that with the cost of it all, the exhaustion the pandemic has put everyone through, and numbers not quite to what they once were, the owners decided to call it a day. It's very sad, because this treat was on London's food map.

The last day to purchase was on the last Saturday in February. I got to try their newest creation, the creme brulee cone. It was absolutely delicious. It is a custard put inside a waffle cone with carmelised sugar torched on top. I am sad that they won't be selling these or the delicious ice cream macarons anymore.

I personally think that they would have done better selling from Spitalfields Market or some other market or getting a smaller shop on a street with a higher footfall. There's not much happening on Rupert Street, which is located to the edge of Chinatown and on a road that not many use, so unless you were visiting Yolkin specifically, you would walk right by it. I also think they could sell fewer items - perhaps different flavours of ice cream and a couple different macaron options (seasonal ones) - and their fans would still flock to visit. I am just sad to see such a great place close. 

At the time of publishing this post, it appears that they will be starting new business Boolay Crepes, and you can find them on Instagram. We should see the delicious creme brulee again coming to a market in London.

Wingman's has been on my radar for awhile, and I finally got to try it. I visited the Wingman's branch in Soho (there's also one in Kilburn), and I had lunch. Wingman's is most famous for its wings and sauces, but I was disappointed to see that there was not a boneless wings option. I am not a fan of eating chicken on the bone, so traditional wings are not so appealing. I opted for the classic chicken burger without the pickle and sauce.

So, how was it? I was disappointed that it was created with brown meat, which I found a bit chewy and flavourless. The batter was good, but it was a disappointment overall. I had also ordered the truffle fries at the same time, and I would have finished my burger before they arrived. So, the timing of the food was not great. The food took an age to arrive as it was.

Wingman's does a Bottomless Brunch, which did originally appeal to me. Overall, I was not impressed. Perhaps I will return to see if the other sides and wings are any better, but I am not rushing to do back with the slow service and below-average food. However, I think they are more renowned for their chicken wings. So, maybe I just had a bad experience.

Right after Halloween last year, I came across a large Halloween-themed paint jam that took place on Grey Eagle Street behind Brick Lane and another smaller paint jam that took place off of Great Eastern Street. The work is painted on the walls and contains at least twenty new street art murals featuring Jim Vision, Captain Kris, BAOne, Frankie Strand, and others.

Captain Kris

BAOne

BAOne

Asto

The Real Dill

?

?

unknown

Frankie Strand

Tom Blackford

REN and XRC

REN

unknown

Jim Vision

Jim Vision

Coffee CanArt

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

Sugar, 2Rise

Trafik

Tizer

ThisOne, MichoGato, Nush Poke

MichoGato

ThisOne

Jim Vision

Matika

Jim Vision

Only HMZ

Most of these murals have since been painted over, and it's taken me a little while to post this.

Going back to the end of May in 2020, the United Kingdom was in the middle of one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. Meanwhile, across the ocean in America, a social awakening was happening. The "Black Lives Matter" movement had begun to bring the awareness of prejudice and social injustice. Several murals across London had been painted along the same lines, which I managed to photograph as soon as the lockdowns ended and as soon as I was able to get out. I obviously was unable to capture everything, but here are a few photographs of some of the murals painted. Additionally, one of the murals I'd already posted up with street artist's Zabou's mural here: Racism is a Virus.

The above mural appeared on Great Eastern street and is mainly typography sreet art. I am unsure who painted it.

Street artist David Speed, who has been painting many murals in pink neon style across east London for the past couple of years, painted the words "I can't breathe" on a gate across from Shoreditch High Street station. Unfortunately, this was the best photograph I could get before it was tagged over. On my first visit, it was blocked with a white van that would not move. On the second visit, the colour had faded a lot more, and it was being blocked by a motorcycle.

Street artist Pegasus, who has been painting paste-ups and social concern street art in London for the past many years, created a mural on a wall around Redchurch street: "I'll tell you what freedom is to me: No fear."

On Brick Lane, the railway bridge was painted in big and bold letters "United against racism".

The above mural was painted as a memorial to Ebow Graham.

Located near Great Eagle Street behind Brick Lane is a grafitti "BLM".

Last, but not least, is one of the favourites of this time that I discovered in Allen Gardens. It is a very gold "I can't breathe" along the wall here, and you can't miss it.

I was looking forward to pancake day this year after last year's lockdown pancake day, but the TFL tube strikes have put an end to that. A few weeks ago, I had booked a table to indulge in some pancakes this afternoon, and I was planning to watch a pancake day race that I have not seen previously. Unfortunately, I've had to cancel my booking at the cafe/restaurant today; I did not realise that there was a TFL tube strike until the last minute. All of the tube lines are suspended except for a few stations at the end of the central line but falling short of going central. So, I am stuck at home today. 

Luckily, though, I had a leftover packet of pancake mix that I purchased last year from The Little Pancake Company. I had to go out to get some milk, though, as it isn't something I keep stocked at home. I tried to venture out to the shops by car, but the traffic was horrendous. I decided to turn back before I was stuck in the traffic, and then I walked to the shops. Unfortunately, all of the milk was sold out except for a few half pints of the skimmed milk. I opted for single cream instead, and I purchased double cream to make my own whipped cream. I already had eggs, strawberries, and maple syrup. 

The pancake mix contained dark and white chocolates, and the pancakes were really delicious, blending well with the maple syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream. I'm hoping that next year will be more normal without TFL underground strikes. I feel bad about cafes and restaurants today (including the booking that I had to cancel) because today is always a popular day for them, and losing business due to TFL after the pandemic has to be really terrible.

At least my pancakes turned out to be nice and look nice this year when comparing to last year's pancakes, which I thought looked like "cow patties". One of my ex-colleagues who took a lot of food photographs told me to purchase a miniature frying pan, and the miniature frying pan worked wonders. I am not a chef, so the presentation is not perfect, but they did not look too bad. But yes, they do look home-made. I realise that you can only see the finished product in my photograph with piles of whipped cream and strawberries on top.

Although today feels like a write-off, I will be making a delayed pancake day visit to the restaurant/cafe that I had booked, so keep checking back. The pancake races will have to wait for a new year, though. In the meantime, you can read about past Pancake Days and Pancake Day races that I featured on this blog below:

• Lockdown Pancake Day 2021 (2021)
• Happy Pancake Day! Pancakes at Pancs, Covent Garden (2020)
• Pancakes: "Crème de la Crêpe" in Covent Garden (2020)
• Pancake Day at "Where the Pancakes Are" in Flat Iron Square, (Borough, London) (2019)
• Leadenhall Market Pancake Day Race (2019)
• Pancake Day at Outsider Tart (Chiswick, London) (2018)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2017 (2017)
• Happy Pancake Day - Balan's Soho Society (Westfield)! (2016)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2015 (2015)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2014 (2014)
• Great Spitalfields Pancake Day Race 2013 (2013)