A most enjoyable day out.
We departed Oakham at 8.30am prompt and arrived in Highgate a couple of hours later the weather was fab.
We had coffee at Highgate Ponds. The Ponds looking as good as ever, It is amazing this can be found in London.
(Photographs to be posted later)
We then walked across Parliament Hill towards Dartmouth Park, We stopped and visited St Mary Brookfield a church I attended for many years sometime ago.
The church was open two ladies Carol and Maureen very busy cleaning.
It was good to see some friendly faces from the past. It was also good to see the Church Fete will be next weekend. Some years ago the church needed funds and I thought why not bring the countryside to the city, at that time I was a member of the PCC and the group was not sure it would work, I was pleased it did, The Vicar Rev Guy Pope may not be so pleased as apart from the traditional plate smashing it has become a parish tradition each year the vicar must be put in the stocks and people pay to throw wet sponges at him! I remember Jonathan from the British Museum assisted with the organising of the first fete and it raised £2,000 I don't know what it raises now. http://www.stmarybrookfield.com/index.htm
It was also good to see inside this grand church and visit the statue of Our Lady of Wallsingham a gift to the church in memory of my partner.
The statue was one of the last carved by a sculptor who worked in Wallsingham.
Then we headed of on the tube to central London we went to Soho where we met John the man who organised Pride, he also organises the Birmingham Pride we are hoping he might like to do the same for Rutland, he lives in the East Midands, Then it was of to Covent Garden we met other friends who had travelled as far away as Glasgow and Lewisham outside Marks and Spencer Covent Garden. We also met the Village People there along with a number of Ladies (well they were dressed as Ladies) who seemed to be employees a Virgin Airlines.
(Photographs Later)
We headed to Piccadilly Circus and watched the parade and the moved to Leicester Square to avoid the crowds gathering at Trafalgar Square.
We eventually decided to brave Trafalgar Square.
We decided to have dinner at a very popular Spanish Restaurant in Old Compton Street, we were fortunate to get a table it is a very popular place, so good, the Spanish eat there, although not yesterday due to the football I am told.
At the end of the evening we trekked through mountains of litter in Old Compton Street, I have never seen so much in one place in all my life. People did not seem to mind sitting amongst the litter enjoying a drink in the street.
As we departed Westminster Council had start sending into Soho an army of street cleaners and dust carts. an interesting site, the dust carts were escorted through the street by an army of very cheerful met police officers on foot. More police than we had seen throughout the day.
I think the portable urinals could be a good addition to Oakhams streets at night, maybe Deans Street.
(Photographs of the days event will be posted later I am currently sorting the good from the bad)
There will be some political photographs, these photographs are not intended to express my own personal political views, Some are Labours "I have never kissed a Tory and Never Will" Socialist Workers "Tory Scum" The LG Tories will also be shown and the Liberal Democrats)
