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!
