Clean for the Queen Litter-pick

CLEAN FOR THE QUEEN
 Celebrating our Queen’s 90^th Birthday!

Aldborough Hatch Litter-pick

 

Saturday 27^th February

Meet at St. Peter’s Church Halls

Aldborough Road North

9.45am to 12noon

Free drinks to keep warm!

Hot food at Noon!

Keeping Aldborough Hatch a pleasant place in which to live! Litter-picks/black sacks provided by Redbridge Council

Organised by the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association

Further information from

Ron Jeffries TEL: 020 599 7250 Email:ronjeffries@live.co.uk)

New Balaclava Helmet - Davy Crocket look out!

My more discerning readers (and I have many, Cedric) will recall that I have taken to wearing a black Balaclava Helmet on these cold days and nights. Sadly, I lost the helmet on Friday. It could be at Aldi or Pets at Home - but I guess that some folk will not be sorry for they considered I looked like a terrorist. Be that as  it may, on Sunday I dashed into Blacks at St. Paul's to invest all of £12 in a sale offer for a fur-lined number as seen here. And rather fetching it looks too, I have to say. And warm! This photograph was taken by Chris in Seven Kings Park - and it is interesting that the green land in the backgound was where my father had two allotments during the Second World War where I worked with him at weekends and sometimes in the week too. But that story must wait for another time. Any likeness with Davy Crocket is purely coincidental.

Minus two for bulb planting!

With the temperature down to minus two degrees on Wednesday 20^th February, members of the Seven Kings Park Users Group and Redbridge Nature Conservation Team set to work to plant over 2,000 spring bulbs in the Park behind the railings fronting Aldborough Road South.

The bulbs were supplied by growers Taylors to the Metropolitan Garden Association. 

The last shot is of Chris Gannaway - in case you wondered!

On a cold and frosty morning

I felt for my neighbour this freezing cold morning as I watched her shortly after seven scraping the frost from her car windows – and then I thought, hang on! At least my good neighbour will be traveling in her warm car, whereas when I was a lot, lot younger I used to walk to Newbury Park Station, stand in the freezing cold on the platform until a train came in and then shiver on a tube train that always stopped for long periods at stations that were in the open air with the wind whistling through the doors that remained open for ages and ages and ages! In those days men did not wear woolly hats, but we had a full head of hair to keep us warm. Having lost my black Balaclava Helmet (which made me look like a terrorist), I have now invested in a fur-lined version with a clip under the chin to hold it in place. 

So, whilst I guess my neighbour was no doubt very cold clearing the frost, at least there was a warm journey ahead.

Richard, my youngest, tells me that it is minus 16 outside Oslo in Norway with a foot or more of snow. It fell to minus 4 when I was there for Christmas. I guess it is just as well I am not there now!

London Lumiere

Here are a few shots from my perambulations around the West End of London on Sunday evening. London Lumiere was a major new light festival over four evenings from Thursday 14th January, which transformed some of London;s buildings in the West End. 

After service at St. Peter's Aldborough Hatch in the morning and entertaining Heather and Marlon to lunch at home, I traveled to St. Paul's Cathedral for The Epiphany Procession. This was a superb spiritual experience, celebrating the visit of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus and the first miracle in Cana of Galilee, What made it so special was the fact that the congregation followed the Clergy and Choir through the Cathedral during the hymns, readings, anthems and intercessions. I find an amazing sense of being at peace in that vast building.

It was a cold afternoon, so I dropped into Starbucks for a coffee and cake (they have comfortable chairs at which you can relax and no-one moves you on!), then to Blacks to buy a replacement to my Balaclava Helmet (which I took to Norway at Christmas, but lost on Friday last!). The new hat is fur lined, clipping under the chin. I consider I look quite human on this headgear as opposed to the former helmet which made me look like a terrorist.

A bus took me to Trafalgar Square where I looked at the plastic bottles floating in a fountain with bright lights. It was fine but not my cup of tea. I then walked down Whitehall from where I sent a text to Paul Moynihan. I guessed he might still be at Westminster Cathedral where he is Master of Ceremonies. He was! We met at Central Hall Westminster where Paul has his Day Job – Visitor Services Manager and Archivist. Paul took me onto the balcony overlooking Westminster Abbey where the BBC place their cameras for Royal Weddings and the like – so my shots of the Abbey are almost unique for the day. Most folk had to content themselves with taking photographs from the ground. I went up high. How lucky was I, then!

Then Paul and I walked to the Mall (where there was supposed to be something involving lights, but we could not find it) and on to Trafalgar Square. Then up Haymarket and into Leicester Square. I wanted to go along Regent Street to Oxford Circus, but while the spirit was willing my legs were about to give out – and I did not feel it fair to risk collapsing in Regent Street and giving Paul the problem of coping with that for he may be a good friend, but there are limits! 

Home via the Underground, saying farewell to Paul at Liverpool Street from where he journeyed to Cheshunt where he lives. I had a cab home from Ilford - for my legs by now had almost left my body. A glass of wine and I was off to sleep by 9.30pm!

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