Monday 15th March 2010

OK, I can say it now loudly, but spring has arrived! We were able to sit outside this afternoon with our cups of coffee in just our t shirts, and were not cold; just cool when the sun went behind a cloud. Ladybirds are abroad, and the birds fill the air with their calls.
Julie is off this week and she did the garden, whilst I did stuff around the house, looked for jobs, baked some cakes cooked lunch and dinner. It worked well. Although still no news on jobs, but I did apply for several.I got a big pack of bacon from Tesco last week and so we had bacon sandwiches again today, and very nice they were; as there is nothing quite like the smell of bacon to get the taste buds going. And this evening I did roast chicken again, which was very nice, along with lots of veggies and Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes.

Anyway, Friday was much the same as most weeks; Tesco after dropping Julie off at work, and then putting the shopping away, looking online for work before settling down to listen to the radio in the afternoon. But, once every two weeks I have to go to the job centre to sign on, and tell then I have been looking for work, checking online, buying local newspapers and the such. And then back home and wait for Julie to finish work.

Saturday we were up with the larks, heading off into London for a tip under the Thames and into the past. We boarded the train once again at a quarter to seven, and were soon zipping through the Kentish countryside and into Essex before plunging into the long tunnel to emerge once again as we approached St Pancras on the Euston Road.

Since embarking on my project to photograph Kent churches, I have developed and interest in churches generally; and I saw that the oldest site of Christian worship in Britain was at St Pancras; although the church has been rebuilt several times. The site was consecrated in AD 314, and used to stand on the banks of the River Fleet; but that river now runs through a culvert, and it's once idyllic location is now sandwiched between a main road and the many lines now approaching St Pancras Station. It is at least a green space amongst the urban sprawl, and the church tower rises and pierces the sky.

I take many shots and then we turn our attention to second breakfast. We had already eaten back home, but we decided we needed some more sustenance, and so we head to Costa coffee and have a soup-bowl sized cup of coffee and a toasted sandwich each.



And then we set off to walk through south Camden, past the British Museum and then into Soho, wandering down its maze of lanes and alleys. We head to Neal's Yard, a quiet haven just off Dury Lane where there is a good bead shop.



We go past Convent Garden and have a look in, but the crowds of street performers were not yet out in force, just a woman miming to opera records and getting a good round of applause for it. Down then to the river, and at the back of the Savoy Hotel we pass a tiny church, which turns out is owned by the Queen, and then onto the Embankment and along to the quay, as we were to travel by a different mode than usual.

At weekends, London's transport is at the mercy of engineering, and many Tube lines are closed or only partly open; we wanted to get to Rotherhithe, which is not best served by the tube at the best of times, and at the moment the East London Line is closed, and so we took the Thames Clipper, which zipps along at a fair rate of knots along the river to quays along the river. And so we boarded under the shadow of the London Eye and were soon heading east to Greenland Pier. Past HMS Belfast, under Tower Bridge and into the East End.

We arrive at Greenland Pier and walk to dry land. We find ourselves at Surrey Quays, and I recognise it right away, and knew there is a floating pub not two minutes walk away. We walk to the Wibbley Wobbley, have a drink and a ham sandwich before setting off down the Thames path around the long curve of the river into Rotherhithe, whilst on the other side of the river, Canary Wharf and the other new high rise new builds of Dockland rise above the water.



From here the river looks several hundred yards across, the nearest bridge is Tower Bridge a half hour by car each way. Now there are many tunnels, for cars and trains. But in the 1830s, it was decided that a tunnel under the river would be the ideal way to get goods and people across the river. A bridge would be impossible due to the height of masts and rigging, and so the way forward was to build a tunnel. Even though no one had ever built one under a river before.

It took 18 years, 5 miner's lives and the death of on of this land's greatest men; IK Brunel. But the tunnel was built, and opened for wagons to cross under the river. It was a failure due to the poor roads in the area, and was eventually sold to a railway company and became part of London Underground.



After it was built, it became a wonder of the age, with two million walking through it, parties and fairs were held down there. And then the trains took over and people only saw it dark through the windows of their trains.



Then, a couple of years ago, TFL decided that the line would become part of the overground network, and it colosed for re-engineering. And to celebrate is reopening, people were to be allowed to walk the tunnel just as they had done in 1860. And it was last weekend it was to be opened, and closed again.



I had heard about it from a friend, and we got tickets, and so this was the reason for our trip up. We met an online friend of mine as we had a spare ticket, and so we queued up outside for our allotted time, whilst half of London turned up hoping to go down as well, unaware that tickets were needed and had sold out.



We went down the escalator, met our guide, donned rubber gloves due to the risk of disease from rats; and then down the steps onto the platform and onto the tracks. And then under the river.



It is just 440 yards to Wapping, and takes less than 5 minutes to walk it, but in it's day it must have seen a miracle. I managed to get some good shots, and was very happy to see decades of smoke and soot on the brickwork on the arches of the tunnel.



And then we were back on the south bank, and heading back into the daylight and then to find our way home.
We got on the bus with my friend and headed to Deptford, and got onto the DLR and north through Canary Wharf and to Stratford to pick up the High speed train back to Kent and Home.

Sunday, we decided it was time we began to exercise again, and so went on a ramble once again. We were to meet up in the village of Barham, and we took the chance to meet another online friend and she came along as well.



Up and down we walked, through wood and across fields and through picturesque villages. The sun was out, but there was a chill wind blowing, and so big coats were required, but by the time the walk ended it was warmer.

We went to Jools' Dad's for dinner and had a fine roast dinner, pork, and loads of vegetables and plenty of fine chat.