City of London Lunch Break

This weekend has been a working one. I am glad to be home now and a few hours to relax before bed then work tomorrow. Today I had some free time in the City. I had my point and squirt Olympus, but it wasn’t really up to the pix I wanted to take. I’m not dissing the Olympus, it’s a great little camera, but I was looking at details quite high up on buildings.
Then I saw this:

I have no idea of its title. I walked all around the base, but didn’t see one. I like its optimistic, zingy, quality.
A group of tourists were huddled around a City policeman. They were all looking at a map.

You can tell he’s a City policeman, as opposed to the Met, by his helmet. In common with all forces in cities founded by the Romans, it has a ridge down it, an echo of the centurion’s helmet. Now who thought that idea up I wonder? I’d love to know.

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Safe

Not Cat went out first thing, and disappeared. I searched for him, armed with a length of string, a box of treats and my jangling keys, Not a sign. Minstrel, the black and white cat from over the wall, watched me dispassionately.

Eventually, I had to leave for work. This was the first time I have left not knowing where Not Cat was.

Boats on Skye

The weather here in London is mild I know compared to what is happening further north and east.
My friend on Skye reports howling winds and driving rain; just the same weather we had during part of my visit to see her last year.
I took these picture after we had lunched in Dunvegan and attempted to walk along the shore. The dog shivered in her coat, and picked her reluctantly through the shingle. Conversation was impossible. The boats at anchor lurched on grey waves. We turned back after only a couple of hundred yards.

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A Scoop of Skye

The Fairy Glen

Sleeping

Innocence

A rare, quiet moment in the day.

Cat Last December

A year ago today I took this photo of Cat in the garden.
It’s a bit out of focus, but gosh, he was such a handsome boy!

Cat 17th December 2010

Ordinary and Extraordinary

The garden this morning was frosty. I hung the washing on the airer above the bath.

Christmas cards continue to arrive, but I still haven’t sent any.

No, instead I spent some time in the garden with Not Cat. I took some pictures too. Frost makes the most ordinary
plants extraordinary.

Geranium Petal

City of Contrasts

Back in the City today and as I had my camera handy, I took these pictures.
There is always a huge amount of building going on in the Square Mile, as property owners compete for the best offices to let at huge rents.
The current trend is for very tall buildings with names such as the Pinnacle and the Heron, while just south of the City is the Shard. Sounds like a bit of willy waggling to me: mine’s bigger than yours type of thing.

I have a soft spot for the Lloyd’s building. It’s the most photogenic building I know. Just point a camera at it and the results are at the very least good.

The Lloyds Building

High Jinks

More wobbly hand held camera action with Not Cat gracing the walls.

Bees Make Honey

Though these are purely decorative, and obviously not real, we do have a local beekeeper whose bees produce the most wonderful honey.

They are part of the gates to our local City farm; the pictures I meant to post last night, had I not become distracted by the Globe.