The Northern lights and another trip to the big smoke

Last night I attended the TRHA quiz night. It wasn’t horticultural questions, it was general knowledge. The team I was a member on wasn’t doing too badly by the half way point, but at the end we fell down the pecking order somewhat. It was all good fun and the event raised £400 for two local charities. When I got home, had a bit wind down time, but after going to bed, I just could not sleep. There was something in the news saying a solar storm would mean most of the UK would be bathed in Northern lights, so I nipped out to take a look. My eyesight did not reveal much, I met someone else out there who was looking too. We both agreed there was nothing to see, but I decided to look out the back garden and later on after taking a few photos I got some half decent results. 



In the morning, slightly jaded, I got up. I shared some of my photos with friends, one said why did you not wake me up to tell me to have a look? Well I don’t think I would ever do that to them! Today was another trip into London, to mark off another of my bucket list items, to visit the Houses of Parliament. Better still,  my friend from Singapore was in town, with his son again. They visited me last year, when I had the metal cage on my leg. We met up, had a quick coffee and went to the entrance. My friend had bought me a jar of a sort of Coconut jam, it was in his rucksack, it was taken from him during the security scan, but he was given a voucher, so he could get it back.


We did the tour, self guided. It’s was really interesting, starting in Westminster hall with its amazing hammer beam roof.  Location of the trials of Guy Fawkes and Charles 1st. From here we saw both chambers, and all the intervening rooms, really in depth narration in our ears,  as we went into each. Understandably photos were only allowed in the outside chambers.

Outside while waiting for my friend to get back his jar of Coconut jam, I got this photo of the Elizabeth tower, looking spectacular after its refurbishment.


We then completed the day by going to the Imperial War Museum ( London ), it’s so vast and we only really looked at the WW2 displays, I think it’s best to spend a lot of time on one section instead of skimming over the whole thing. I can walk a long way, but standing for a long time, my leg does protest a bit and my friend spotted me trying to keep the ankle from seizing up. We then got the tube back to Paddington, for me, my departure station, for my friends son, who is a transport fan ( I gave  him my guidebook from the TFL Depot ) a steam train was  to be seen in the station, shortly after my train left.


They sent me this photo when the train pulled in. It’s been an amazing day, I feel so lucky, yesterday I walked with a friend along the banks of the Thames at Henley, in the sunshine.  


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