Weekly Photo Challenge: Monument

This weeks challenge from The Daily Post is Monument… 

“The Eiffel Tower? Stonehenge? Your town’s sole traffic light? For this week’s photo challenge, blow us away with your take on the monumental.”

The good old open back red London Bus… maybe more of an icon than a monument but hey… it’s a London red bus!

This is Hamleys toy shop in London… I use to love visiting it and would always get excited at Christmas when my dad showed up with Hamleys bags! 🙂

This is the model of Hogwarts castle used for filming in the Harry Potter films!

Two in one here… the Victoria memorial and Buckingham Palace… definitely monumental!

The gold figures on top of the Victoria memorial opposite Buckingham Palace

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

Another well known monument… Tower Bridge, London… pictured here with the Olympic rings hanging from the middle!

One of the towers on Tower Bridge

For other entries click here!

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Brick Lane: Revisited #3!

The third and final gallery of Brick Lane street art photos taken a couple of weeks ago.  

To see #1 click here and for #2 here!

Bit of a quirky one here!

Perhaps not the most intricate of street art but fun all the same… think I could manage this one!

A lovely shop shutter!

Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow

Another lovely shop shutter…

Close up of the upper part of the shutter…

Close up of the lower part of the shutter!

A depiction of someone living on the street?

Lots happening on this wall!

Sir Winston Churchill

Ronnie Biggs… train robber

Her Majesty the Queen, sitting on a wall… playing the accordian!

And to finish on… absolutely love this! For those who don’t know… this is a ‘no entry’ street sign so I guess the artist is saying ‘Huh, no entry? No way!’ So simple but brilliant!

That’s all, for now anyway… I visit Brick Lane often so I can’t promise there won’t be more in the future!  Hope you enjoyed them all!

Brick Lane: Revisited #2!

As promised, here’s #2 of the Brick Lane street art photos taken a couple of weeks ago.  To see #1 click here!

Hope you enjoy them…

This was down a side street off of Brick Lane

I wonder how long this took to do… the detail is incredible!

These eyes were in the previous one with the ship… I think they’re great!

The colourful walls and doors of Brick Lane…

The colourful doors always bring a smile to my face… funny how it’s normal there but would be so out of place where I live!

‘Amara por dios’

Is it?

Floats like a butterfly… stings like a bee!

Something’s spooked her!

Enough to make your eyes go funny!

Looking at them, looking at him

Love this fairy… I like to think she’s just resting, rather than sad

‘Speak Louder!’ Love it!

The Vibes are good!

 

The final gallery, #3 will be posted shortly!

Brick Lane: Revisited #1!

I love visiting Brick Lane in London, not only for the variety of vintage clothes shops, the wonderfully quirky and diverse people and the best hot salt beef bagels, washed down with my favourite dirty chai coffee… but also for the street art that changes or is added to on a regular basis… I could never be bored, there’s always so much to draw the eye and keep that camera shutter clicking!  

So much so that I took far too many shots for one post!  I couldn’t decide which to use and which to ditch so I’m going to spread them out through a few posts over the next two or three days!

This is one of my favourites… there’s so much emotion in there!

I love this elephant/octopus!

The bird has been there a while and was included in my first Brick Lane post but the break dancer is relatively new

Break dancer!

Artist at work

One to make the eyes go squiffy! The cat’s seen something to get it’s back up!

No introduction needed!

Johnny Cash but also look to the right… there’s more!

Rebel rat with a saw!

Does this mean that Big Brother is listening to us?

This was on a wall outside an art shop… they were selling the original inside!

I quite liked the giraffe in the doorway!

This was also in my original Brick Lane post but there’s more this time!

Is this Banksie at work? Hmm…

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!  More to follow…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Object

I’ve been otherwise occupied for a wee bit, with goodness knows exactly what but it’s certainly kept me busy!

I hope a merry Christmas was had in every corner of the blogosphere and I wish one and all a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year!

This weeks photo challenge is all about the ‘object‘…

Flowers in your window…

A bit of old boat rope!

Statue outside a building somewhere in London…!

St Paul’s Cathedral with quite a large Christmas tree dwarfed in front of it!

Lovely Gelato… roll on summer!

Empty crab shell, found on a beach in Devon, England

Dinosaur skeleton in the entrance of the Natural History Museum, London

London Underground sign!

A shot of a small part of one of my Son’s guitars

Weekly Photo Challenge: Let There Be Light!

For this week’s photo challenge I’m posting some photos taken recently in London’s Piccadilly Circus with a silhouette of the famous Eros statue in one of them.  A couple were taken at the Warner Bros Studio Tour, The Making of Harry Potter, which I totally recommend to any Harry Potter fans out there… it was awesome!  Some taken locally and of course you’ve gotta have candles!

 So without much further ado… Let There Be Light!  

Click on any image to enlarge or for slideshow

The Eros statue, silhouetted against the bright advertising lights in London’s Piccadilly Circus and the Iconic London Underground sign in the foreground!

Advertising lights in Piccadilly Circus, London

Bustling Regent Street, London

Taken at the Warner Bros Studio Tour, The Making of Harry Potter… this is from the Yule Ball!

I’m always burning candles… I love the calming, cosy glow of those flickering flames!

Lighting the way to the London Underground!

Fireworks on the sea front!

These lovely lights were in the shop at the Warner Bros Studio for the Making of Harry Potter

A firework shot that went wrong… but I kinda like it!

Taken on my way out of Hamley’s, a famous toy shop in London… ahh sweet childhood memories but never too old to play!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

Swans are so elegant and beautiful… I chose this picture for this weeks photo challenge because of the graceful curves of the Swans head, neck and body… the curve of the lake and also because of the curved wingspan and tail feathers of the pigeon flying over it!

I think this is ‘Mr’ Swan, he seemed to be enjoying posing for the camera! If you look in the background you can see ‘Mrs’ Swan approaching with the Cygnets!

The Serpentine… Hyde Park, London

Just a few photos taken at The Serpentine in Hyde Park a few weeks ago…

The Serpentine & a moody sky!

The Serpentine, from another angle!

Mine…mine…

…mine!

Come back… I didn’t mean it!

It’s in here somewhere…

… here fishy fishy…

It got away…!

A wet neck & water up my nose for nothing!!!

I’m still following you… you’re stuck with me for life you know!

Through the railings!

Sights, sounds & smells of Brick Lane

Brick Lane on a Sunday morning… so much going on, so much to see and so many good things cooking…!

Beetle, Brick Lane Style!

Boar! This is outside a tattoo shop on a side street off of Brick Lane.

Hot salt beef with pickles & mustard from Beigel Bake… scrummy!

The cheerful sales staff at Beigel Bake!

The guys behind the beigels…I wonder how many they bake in a day…?

Judging by the long queues on Sundays’ I’d say they bake quite a few!

Brick Lane Coffee

Dirty Chai coffee, it’s so good on a chilly Sunday!

Brick Lane Coffee quirks!

Brick Lane Coffee quirks!

Street entertainment

Street entertainment

Fancy a shop on Brick Lane?

Bustling side street market

This is a Mexican place called ‘Loco Mojito.’ Thought the cartoon was funny!

My daughter (gradabout) and I, sampled this delicious red velvet cake at ‘Kahalia’, it was so soft & light & the frosting was divine!

These were some of the other options available at ‘Kahalia’… we were tempted to try the salted caramel but didn’t want to spoil it’s gorgeous wholeness!

Game of Carrom anyone? Play for free, great fun!

One guy playing chess against three different people at once!

Some amazing tasting cheeses…

Chinese, Yum Yum!

Buy three small pork dumplings for £3… so tasty!

Italiano? Pasta, Calzone, Ravioli, Gnocchi… delicious!

Mexican? It all looks so good…

… decisions, decisions… Spanish?

Steaming pots of loveliness…

Indian? So colourful & they all smell so so good…

…How can you possibly choose…?!

These purple tights belonged to a guy with a full face of white & red make up on… never a dull moment…

… Love Brick Lane!

Urban Street Art

No captions for these as I think they speak for themselves! Some are just for fun whereas other’s have deeper meanings, whether political or emotional but all have one thing in common… they are pretty awesome!