Celebrating a birthday in London was one of those things I dreamed about doing one day. Only there was a problem! My birthday is in mid-July; a time when I usually want to be at home. I am not a fan of crowds (now that I'm old) and let's face it; July is crowded in most tourist spots around the world. I also enjoy every moment of our short summer season on the prairies. Yep, summer is home time.
St James's Park has six resident pelicans. Above are Sun, Moon and Star who are recent residents. When this picture was taken they had only been around a few weeks.
After a couple of hours I headed out of the park and walked over to the Horseguards.
A female Horse Guard!
The sculpture on the fourth plinth changes every few years with an art installation. This was installed in 2018 and is a replica of the Lamassu which once stood in Iraq but was destroyed by ISIS (Daesh) in 2015. The sculpture was set to change in March 2020 and was to depict a swirl of cream with a cherry, a fly and a drone on top. Alrighty then. St Martin's church on the right is a favourite. They have a lovely cafe in the crypt downstairs (and free loos even if you don't eat a thing - you can still sneak in!) and they host great concerts in the church.
This is the gorgeous entrance to the Garden at 120. (Fenchurch St)
This scenic garden with a great view is free and you don't need to book. Linda told me about this and I really enjoyed my time there. (thanks Linda!) I wandered around checking out the views and sat and relaxed. Above is my building crush - St Mary Axe which is better known as The Gherkin. To me it symbolizes modern London. I love my London so much - old AND new!
And here's the Walkie Talkie building - I don't even know its real name! The open area on the right side is where the Sky Garden is. This is a beautiful viewpoint that is absolutely free but you generally have to book ahead. I've never paid the eye-watering price for The Shard (tallest building in Europe) but just book the Sky Garden instead.
An example of old and new.
I absolutely love this. Samuel Pepys was a gem. He wrote extensive diaries during his lifetime and he lived through very tumultuous times in London including the Great Fire in 1666.
Last year however I decided to stay on after my cousin flew home from England after our three weeks bopping around the UK. I explored Scandinavia during June (Land of the Midnight Sun and all) and mid-July was only a few weeks after that... My friend Judi who lives on the south coast of England celebrates her birthday a few days before me and we always talked of celebrating our birthdays together. July was the only month I hadn't been in the UK so I needed to fix that too! Okay my mind was made up - I would have my birthday in London!
So that's how I found myself waking up on the morning of July 17th in London. I lay in bed smiling - I just knew it was going to be a great day!
My homestay host and friend Claudia had made me an orange cake with a topping of melted milk chocolate (chocolate and orange is my favourite combination!) and I had posed with it the evening before.
Yes I was 67 years old. Hey, I'm old but I wouldn't have it any other way. I grew up with the best music ever and when kids were kids and played outside all day long. In fact I wish I was about three years older so I could have hung out outside EMI studios when the Beatles were recording back in the late 60's. Alas I was too young and had no money then.
Yes, the three of us had chocolate cake for breakfast! The three of us meaning Claudia, Linda and myself. My Oz buddy Linda (who I met at Claudia's homestay in 2018) had flown into London a couple of days previously as a complete surprise. She decided not to explore overcrowded Amsterdam and to fly back to London instead as she is a London fanatic too and hey, she could help me celebrate my birthday. What a wonderful surprise as our schedules weren't jiving on this 2019 trip and I thought I wouldn't get to see her on this trip which was a disappointment. So yay - a bonus!
After breakfast I jumped on the train to Victoria station and from there I walked over to St James's Park - my absolutely favourite place in London (and I guess that makes it my favourite place in the world!). I fell in love with that park on my first visit in 1975 and I don't feel I am in London until that first visit to see "James". It was a gorgeous day and I slowly made my way around the park - lingering for a couple of hours which was a first.
Above is Duck Cottage and Gardens which was built in 1841 as a home for the park's bird keeper. It is now the head office of the London Historic Parks and Garden Trust. Birds have been kept here since 1612 when King James I began converting it into a garden. Birdlife thrived here despite the presence of two crocodiles in the garden!!! (luckily no such creatures lurk here anymore)
And here are Isla, Tiffany and Gargi the current long time residents keeping a distance away from "those new youngsters". Apparently, they are all great friends now. They are all free to leave but they prefer to hang around as they do get fed every afternoon as well as eating fish from the lake. I once saw one of the pelicans eating a live pigeon - not a pleasant sight and I haven't felt quite the same about them since then! There have been pelicans in St James' Park since 1664 when the Russian Ambassador gifted some to the park.
Time to treat myself to a flat white coffee at the Tea room in St James's Park and catch up on my journal on the deck outside.
Unfortunately, the Horse Guards now need protection by armed police carrying high powered rifles. This started after the attacks on the unarmed soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa.
I walked over to Trafalgar Square and couldn't resist taking this photo of some iconic London sights. This was a day of "all my favourite things".
After walking through Trafalgar Square I hopped a number 15 bus to the City.
I went into the Hung, Drawn and Quartered Pub which was just down the street from the Tower of London. I was hot and decided as my day was far from over I should stick to coke and a bag of crisps (potato chips). For the salt and sugar you know!!
Charming!!!
I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the pub but I was so desperate for a cold drink I barreled into the pub without stopping. (except for taking the picture of the quote on the side of the building)
I was knackered but what a great day but it wasn't over yet! Time to head back to Streatham and rest up for the evening ahead.
Once I was rested, showered and dressed the group of six of us (including Claudia, her family and Linda) headed off on the train and tube to Soho. Our destination? Eat Tokyo for Japanese food! This is a very popular restaurant - reservations are a must!
My favourite is Tempura.
Then it was back to the house for wine in the back garden.
What a wonderful day I had!!
If that wasn't enough two days later I flew to Ontario and got to have a double celebration with my sister whose birthday is five days after mine. (I was actually due on her sixth birthday but jumped the gun a bit) My niece treated us both to a beautiful meal in Toronto and Colleen and I spent her birthday on Toronto Island.
What a fantastic birthday!!!
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