IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE: PEPYS AND POPPIES.

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Well hello everyone  how are you all today, come on in we are moving indoors  now  as  the Autumn is well and truly  here  and Winter is hot on her heels!! We have the coffee and the cakes all ready the fire is all lit! The sofas and armchairs all have their cushions all plumped up! So go on spoil yourselves we have stocked up on hot chocolate now and brought in some good books for you to read too! I can hear Paul has all his guest here many of whom you will know so lets see, what have you been up to this week. Paul  is still using  the Marquee  but he  and his  guest  will probably  be  coming in here  too, soon!! Also  we have an extra  hostess  Audrey  from Oldest Daughter & Red  Headed Sister. I am so very  excited to have Audrey join us!

If we were having coffee:  I would say  woo!  what a week it has  been my feet have hardly  touched  the ground! Monday  was a surprise  day, late Sunday evening  the husband  up  and said  let’s go  up to town  and see The Poppies  at the Tower of London. It was a wonderful idea  and all the better  for  going on the spur of the moment! So  first thing Monday morning off  we set!

We arrived in London mid  morning  and  made our  way  by tube  to Tower Hill. Well it was so impressive  I cannot  explain  it just needs to be seen!

Light by heaven light

Fountain of poppies

Mother’s sons

fathers, brothers , lovers,

such a sacrifice

each one a life

 

poppies galore

Pouring out of Poppies

 

Every poppy is a life, young, old all given for  what was to be a better world. A  war  to end  all wars. Sadly  they were lied  to, they returned  to harder lives  than before!

As for a war to end  all wars  that  did  not  happen  either! No world war 2 came  and went  Vietnam, Falklands, Middle east and so on! . But I am not going to go on  and on the pictures  tell  the tale  it is just heart breaking .

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If we were  having  coffee : I would  tell you that after  we had  walked  completely  round  the tower and seen  all the poppies, one of which  will be ours! We  bought one a couple  of months  ago  and we intend to keep it  until  the Newbie  is old enough to  understand it’s importance at  which point  we will  give it to  him!

If we were  having  coffee : I’d tell you  that after  seeing the poppies  we went  for an amazingly well planned walk. My husband  knows the city of  London  well, having worked  there  among other places. He  took  me to where Samuel Pepys  used to live in Seething Lane, also  where  he and his wife  Elizabeth went to church at  St Olave’s  in Hart Street.

We  spent  an hour looking  around  the church, churchyard  and even visited  the chapel in the crypt.  Samuel Pepys and his wife  are buried  in the church  and  have a plaque commemorating  them on the wall inside the church. Samuel  out lived his wife  and was very sad when she died. He had  a bust  made of  Elizabeth had it positioned  so he could  gaze upon her  from his pew in the  raised gallery.

There use to be a  mezzanine around  the church   but it is  no longer there. The  church  was damaged  in WW2  and  the mezzanine  was not replaced. Now  hold  on  where  are  my  manners! Would  you like another coffee  or tea or even hot  chocolate?   Do join  me lets  have some cake . I had  the coffee cake and carrot cake  last  week  so I fancy  some of  that lemon  drizzle  cake.

If we were  having  coffee : I hope I am not  boring  you  but  I  tell  you  how  after  leaving St Olave’s and  seeing  Seething  Lane  we headed off  to see the infamous Pudding  Lane , then on to Monument  . The  monument  if it  was lain  down  would  reach  to  the exact  spot  in Pudding Lane where  the fire of London started.

After  that  we headed off  towards  the river  and  the South Bank,  past  the Globe  Theatre , then half way across the millennium bridge then back  and along  to have a a picnic  in a park  my hubby  used to use  when he was working! Then it was a quick  dash  past  the ITV  studios  then back to Waterloo  and  then train home!

Fabulous stained glass windows in St Olave’s

a haven of peace jus off the street

unusual ceiling

Mr and Mrs Pepys memorial plaque

more windows

 

fabulous wood pulpit

Stone alter donated by the King of Denmark.

the crown resting on the alter

The wood above the door is where the mezzanine was.

Entrance to the crypt

St Olave’s grave yard

 

this would of been the mezzanine

The door Samuel and Elizabeth used to enter by.

The Bust of Elizabeth Pepys

 

 

All Hallows by the Tower

If  we were having  coffee: I’d  have to say well now  I have  to go  out now  as I have another  coffee  morning to join they ladies I used  to work  with.So I  wish  you all a lovely  stay  here  remember  you can eat as much cake  as  you fancy  they  are  all calorie  free! So  please  stay as long  as  you like , Paul and Audrey  will take  care of  you all!! I shall be  back soon  so mix and enjoy I won’t be long.

 

Monument

Where the great fire of London started

 

Seething Lane

 

 

 

Church on the site of the entrance to London Bridge

 

This was once the entrance to London Bridge

Southwark Cathedral

 

The Shard by the river

 

Borough Market

The New Globe theatre

 

The Golden Hind

The Millennium Bridge

Ah! good  you  you are still here, so If we were having  coffee: I say  that  the rest of  my  week had  been very  busy too! I have been writing  poems all this month to  bring  Breast Cancer  Awareness Month to the fore. I cannot say it has been easy  but I have put my  heart and soul into it you can read read them if  you like  they are dotted about  through out  this month.

Tuesday: After the gym  my friend  and I set  off on the bus  to our local town ( we love  the fact  that  the bus  stops  almost outside  my house  so it transports us door to door!) We had  coffee  and cake  and I spotted  the perfect  Christmas Present  for the Newbie…. A Rocking Horse.  After we got  back home  we told  the husband  all about  it  and  then when  my friend  had left to go and get  dinner  for her husband  we rushed to the computer  and ordered  the horse. I have put  a photo of “Dobbin” our name  for him, below.

If we were having Coffee: The  rest of the week has been filled  with Drs  appointments,  and trip to a clinic  for  a Dexoscan  to check out  the density of  my  spine, since I have have  broken it  twice  the Drs  think it wise to keep an eye on it’s density . Apparently  it is very difficult  to read  my  scan. The  radiographer who  did  it told  me  she would  have to spend  some  extra time  reading  my scan as there was so much, cement, metal work and pins and screws in  my back it was hard to make out the bone  let alone  the density. OKAY ! I have heard  all the jokes about  me  being dense!

I really  must go now  so thank  you so much  for visiting  and I really hope  you will all be back again  next week. Don’t  forget to spend  time  with Audrey  and Paul  they have so much to share with you . I was going to talk about the sad goings on at  the Canadian Parliament  this week  but Paul  has  covered  that  with  great thought  and information  so  I have left that to him apart from saying GOD BLESS CANADA. So bye bye  for now enjoy  your weeks  and hope to have coffee with you all again  next week.xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Newbies Christmas present

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IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE: I would ask you if you would  like another  cuppa, or  another cake . !   If we were having Coffee  Original idea  from  http://parttimemonster.wordpress.com/