Lamby-kins!

So it appears I can talk sheep. I am the sheep whisperer. Or, they just thought I was going to feed them. Sheep are smart that way.

Also at Easter

We went to the Heritage Park in the Rhondda Valley, which is a coal mine museum. You only go about 10m underground, but it was good to see the human side of coal mining, and the effect that it had on the families, particularly the women.

These are the more modern roof supports in coal mines. They're made of steel, instead of just wood. Keep in mind that modern doesn't necessarily mean any time in the last century!

Amazing who you can find 10m underground! Shame it wasn't Noddy, eh Jules?

How it used to be done...

Welcome back to the hit parade

I didn't post photos of the snow over Easter before, as they were on Mum's camera, and I hadn't copied them at that point. I did copy them about a fortnight ago, but then wasn't home to post, so here they are!

Typically, even though it was as exciting as you-know-what to see snow in Wales, there was more here at home, and I missed it. Can't win!

It snowed!!!

I went to Wales for Easter with the family, and it snowed!!

Details and photos to come.

The rest of the day

After lunch (mmm steak and ale pie), we headed to Trafalgar Square as the girls had not been there before. I'd forgotten completely that it was International Women's Day until we got there, and there was a rally happening.

We weren't there long, as it was still drizzling, but I managed to get a photo looking through to Big Ben. I would have liked to have printed that photo last week, as I think it kind of symbolises London for me, but I couldn't. For that I'd like to thank my sponsor, Asda.

After Trafalgar Square we headed to Oxford Street. I can't tell you how much I'm over walking down that street, but anywho. We only got a little way down when friends rang me, and we arranged to meet them at a pub off Regent Street. We had some dinner there, talked a little crap, and headed home.

Tower of London - or not

We had walked across Tower Bridge in order to go into the Tower of London. The best laid plans of mice and men... When we got there, there was an enormous queue for tickets and it was spitting with rain. Small discussion about what else to do, and we headed over towards the tube station intending on finding some lunch. What I found on the way was a memorial to sailors who have died at sea. It was huge, covering both the Navy and civilian vessels. It's at Trinity Square Gardens at Tower Hill.

There was also this little side bit that was for people who have died for their faith, country or ideals, but not in war. The oldest one was for Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1381.

I love the fact that I stumble upon this kind of history without searching it out.

London Bridge is... boring

We left the Dungeon and negotiated our way, despite shoddy signage, to Thames, right between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. We took the obligatory photos of London Bridge, despite it being nothing special, and had a laugh at the expense of the guy who bought the original, shipped it brick by brick to America, and reassembled it in Arizona, before realizing that it wasn't the bridge he wanted. He had wanted to buy Tower Bridge. Raise your glass and toast intelligence, people.

We then headed past some fairly dodgy 'art', which no kidding resembled sheep poo and kangaroo poo. Bet it cost we the taxpayers a small fortune to put there. We continued past this and then walked across Tower Bridge. That was pretty cool, both literally and metaphorically. I still need to go back one day when I know it's going to be lifted, to get some photos of that, but I was quite happy with the shots I did get. It wasn't quite the same feeling of history as standing on Hadrian's Wall, but given that it's in the middle of the city, I still rate it.