Spring finally comes to London!

Ganesh

This is the Ganesh mom painted in her class. 

It is hard to get a good picture of it as it is painted on glass. 

It is proudly displayed in my hallway to welcome people and remove all obstacles. 

Spotted

I feel like the local Paparazzi ready to take a picture every time there is a fox sighting in my backyard. This is the best shot I got this morning. You can see his (her?) golden eyes. 

Touring London

Beefeater Tour Guide

Tower of London

Borough Market

The Tube

City Hall

My holiday in London is fast coming to an end. I leave tomorrow for Chennai and I am taking many great memories with me. Besides all the fun things we did together, I also toured London on my own. I became familiar with the Underground and took it to revisit Borough Market one day. (Kate and I had spent time there earlier in my visit and I really enjoyed the colorful displays of food, the milling crowds, the invitingly warm restaurants.)

Yesterday, I left with Kate in the morning. She went to work and I went to see the Tower of London. One of the Yeomen, or Beefeaters, led a tour of the site, pointing out all the grisly beheadings that had taken place there. Of course, I marveled at the Crown Jewels with their enormous diamonds and other precious gems.

From there I walked across Tower Bridge, past glass sphere that is City Hall, and back to Borough Market for one last go-round and a chance to buy some real coffee and a goodie.
Then back to Kate's on the Underground. It was a cold, windy day and I was happy to sit by the fire.

Mom comes to London

Kate in front of her fireplace. Her flat

with its gas log fire is a warm welcome

after hours on foot, touring the city.

We walked for hours and hours. The

day was cold and rainy, warm with

sunshine, dark with hail, all within

a few hours. We walked the

Embankment, stopped at little cafes,

had teas, sandwiches and walked

some more....

The London Marathon during a cold, rainy

spell. We think we walked 26 miles at least.

Saw a variety of racers including a dog, a

superhero, a Santa Claus and a naked man.

Also saw Buckingham Palace, Covent Gardens,

Fortnum and Mason and more..

Kate's cozy flat, complete with a fox that

visits the garden every morning.

We walked Portobello Road as part of our

Saturday tour on foot. Also saw Kensington

Palace, ate at Diana's favorite cafe, got caught

in the rain, shopped on Kilburn High Road,

went to the movies and saw "27 Dresses."

Royal Ascot

Got tickets for Dad and me to Ladies Day June 19th. 

Finding the right Ascot hat and outfit is all important for Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot

The venerable Gold Cup is run on Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot, when everyone shows off the latest fashions and the loveliest (or most outrageous) hats. In 2007 the Gold Cup race was 200 years old - 100 years younger than the track