Immigrant snaps in The City

Ten minutes of Monday is left. I am back from an evening in The City of London. Why did I go there? To attend a debate on Immigration hosted by The Evening Standard at The Great Hall, Guildhall in Gresham Street. The hall was packed with audience. People asked many questions and would have asked more had there been more time. However, just as I expected, the really serious subjects were not even mentioned. Enough about that. I need to download the evidence of my evening prowl in search of The City sights.

I emerged from the subterranean at Bank. Fortunately, the rain (and quite a heavy one, by the look of it) had just dropped. Immediately I took a picture of The Royal Exchange building, the bus heading towards the the equestrian monument.   The Duke of Wellington on horseback was sculpted from enemy's battle cannons. To the left is the front facade of The Bank of England. It houses a museum where you can hold a 15-kg bar of gold. Regretfully, you cannot hold on to it.

More of the Bank of England details and surroundings follow:

 The statue of Sir John Soane who designed the Bank of England in 1793:

Little of Sir John Soane's design has remained after the building was rebuilt between the world wars.

After a small coffee and a few more pictures I finally got nearer to the destination: The Guildhall:

This visit to the Guildhall Art Gallery acquainted me with an amazing artist: Sir Mathew Smith:

When I arrived at the Great Hall, it was still half empty. Coming early gave my little camera a chance to explore the place for you, Dear Readers. However, soon all the seats were taken! The event started with a few minutes' delay which to me was a clear sign of the immigrants' negative impact on the English culture...  (Not that it bothers me. Quite contrary...)

The last picture of the day is at the top of this post. I took it descending into the tube that safely took me home.

Good night!

Sunday by the sea

Sunday posting I missed. It's forty minutes into Monday and I only returned home from the seaside weekend. Time for bed!

Good night!
....
Here is a good portion of Sunday snaps!

Dear driver stopped the car and got off the car to take this picture of the Folkestone harbour seen from the top of The Road of Remembrance where the famous promenade called The Leas begins:

 Driving out of Folkestone towards Dover I spotted this 'golden blue' fence:

We stopped at the Battle of Britain Memorial where there is still work in progress to build a new visitor centre:

We stopped to read a traditional map (as we occasionally do). Thus I could take a picture with Dover Castle atop the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance:

We saw quite a few horses grazing  in the fields, or maybe just enjoying the fresh air. I missed the one dressed in a criss cross 'coat'. Obviously, that was the fashion conscious one. Why? Apparently, criss cross or checked are the patterns of Spring/Summer 2014. I saw something about it in the free papers while commuting! What a shame! I've never bothered to make the effort and attend any of The London Fashion Week events...

Driving through Dover my dear chauffeur found an alternative route without any trouble. Obviously, we always do our best to avoid routine.

The pigs and other figurines in the window were worth a snap, weren't they?

Windswept countryside between Dover and Ramsgate was dotted with occasional sheep:

I suppose the sheep may have developed some kind of special features in their feet structure to avoid sinking into the marshes....

Solar panels:

Entering Margate:

Driving along the sea in Margate:

 Turner Contemporary, Margate was the first destination in Margate:

The Tourist Information Centre, like the Margate Museum and Tudor House, were shut dead, despite the opening hours written on the door saying otherwise.

 The sea...

The sea must have gone to France that Sunday afternoon...

 At Turner Contemporary I  really enjoyed many of the pictures by an American artist, Helen Frankenthaler:

Apparently, the modern exhibition space of Turner Contemporary was built on the spot where the famous English landscape painter, William Mallory Turner would seat to produce his amazing canvases:

 Sunday is when families can bring children to the gallery and enjoy involvement in some creative musing:

 Looking at works by some local artists nicely complemented my visit to the gallery:

...
And at this point Google crashed and I lost a big chunk of text and pictures from my Sunday exploration of Margate Old Town. Well, I'll leave it for another time then...

A rose not a daff

Saint David's Day has evolved into a sunny midday this year. Do you have a daffodil or a leek to wear in your lapel?

But for me, personally, the first of March is primarily my brother's birthday and I would like to celebrate it here with a picture of a very special, longest lasting rose. I received it at the end of January during the official Iraqi cultural event and it has been decorating my room since that day!

Happy Birthday My Brother! May your life be as good as the life of this rose: beautiful, no thorns and lasting long!