London Town~

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Okay, I probably wasn’t supposed to take this pic, although I have been to London a few times, I have never been to Windsor, and the private gardens are pretty freaking amazing. I didn’t trespass. I just leaned really, really, far over the wall to get this pic. Gorgeous huh? You can see why foxes choose to live in certain London parks. They are smart as foxes!
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London is of course, old, historic, beautiful. It has gravitas.
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But it is also for the birds,
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animals, gardens,
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and the people who care for them!
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Like the birdkeeper and his cottage. A refuge for the birdman and his exotic birds was first established in 1612.
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I love a town that established a place for a keeper of the birds 400 hundred years ago.
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Plus, there are all the flowers.
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Which is the way to London Town?
To see the king in his golden crown.
One foot up and one foot down.
To see the Queen in her silken gown.
(Source: Unknown Nursery Rhyme).
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Cheers to you from lovely London Town~

281 thoughts on “London Town~

    1. Laughing. I don’t even have photoshop. I use sony’s play memories home. The saturation was slightly enhanced but they were an incredible bold blue like you see in Europe. They must have been dosed with lots of nitrogen. You can buy Gems blue infused color flowers in the US that are incredibly bold. They have die introduced into their venous systems. They are beautiful. I also heard Japan has patented the first blue rose. This I want to see!

    1. Laughing, get me next to a place you’re not encouraged to photograph, and you know what I have to do. I even did it in Russia. I especially did it in Russia! Laughing more….. <3

    1. Okay, now I want to help you plan your trip. London needs you. Too bad you can’t bring your kitty-kats, but London already has a lot of them. When ya goin?????

      1. Heading out as soon as I find someone who will take care of a dozen cats and one dog for free — including administering shots and meds to kitties! Wish me luck on that one! HA! In the meantime, I’ll be traveling along with you! 😀

  1. I have loved being at Windsor Castle….the bloody Tower…and Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner (of course). I envy your being there, and your beautiful pix. I am glad I found you, since I cannot travel anymore. You are my surrogate adventurer and photographer par excellence!

    1. The first time I was in the tower, I had an epiphany that I remember to this day. It was a loooooong time ago. The place has ghosts that whisper to you. I love to whisper back! I am so glad you travel with me Cynthia. I love your company. <3

    1. London has everything doesn’t it? I actually went to a tattoo/barber shop and got an extreme haircut that is in vogue that I am now finally loving. The shop was co-owned by a man from Bulgaria and a man from Brazil. They employed a woman from Spain. I had so much fun there. You can find and do anything in London which makes it such a fun city. I bet it was nippy in March, but uncrowded which is always best.

      1. Yes for me too. I am actually home now. I prefer Europe in the colder months too, without the crowds. We once had the Uffizi entirely to ourselves in January. Cold by heavenly! Cheers to you and happy Sunday~

    1. No, I had never heard this, but I tend to believe it. The light starts changing somewhere mid-Atlantic and I have photos of it. Now that you connected the dots for me, I will probably post the photos. Fascinating & thank you. I will look into it~

  2. You should have called in! You weren’t that far from me! lol 😉 The Royal Windsor Horse Show where I like to go when I get the chance, is held in the castle grounds every year. It’s a cool place! I met up with my mum and dad on one of their rare visits, in Windsor recently. They were down for the day on a river trip as part of their holiday. But I think I know Windsor best for the night clubs! lol 😉 Can’t go there for that anymore as we don’t have a car driver but it’s cool whatever time of day you’re there….and it’s awesome at Christmas too!! 🙂

    1. Oh I would have so loved to have met you. It really is spectacular isn’t it? I imagine it is divine at Christmas. I have never been in Europe at Christimas because I am always with family, but I can imagine it. The towns around Windsor are so lovely. We didn’t hit the nightclubs (darn it) but we did have some awesome Vietnamese food. It’s definitely not the London I remember as a child, with lots of mashed peas, mutton and filet of plaice. I never want to see another mutton or plaice unless they are swimming or ambling around the countryside. Laughing….. Oh, I regret not alerting you, but then you would have felt pressured. We’re heading back to Europe in November which just came up, but not London. Next time, I will alert you! <3

      1. London is very cosmopolitan and multicultural! Come back at the end of August and visit NottingHill Carnival 🙂 You will see some wonderful Caribbean culture and the food and music is awesome! It would have been lovely to see you but I know it’s not a realistic suggestion 🙂 Nice to think about though! Doesn’t it seem very tame here after all those exotic places you visit? Even after your wonderful home at The Holler? 😉 I was hoping to fly out to Moscow and St Petersburg but it will have to wait till New year now due to inconvenient holiday dates that I can’t change now. I was lookng at trips to see the Northern lights! I’m not a sun, sea and beaches or lay around the pool all day person so it’s proving not so easy for a first time traveler finding a suitable destination which will fit in with current holiday dates!

      2. Oh you would love the experience of Russia. I hope you do go. The architecture alone makes it worth the trip. I have never hit it at the right time to see the Northern Lights, but it is something I definitely want to see too. And, yes London is multi-cultural and I love it! It is a crossroads for Europe, Africa and Asia to the west. I feel this is one of the many aspects of the city that make it so fascinating to visit. Next time I pop into to London, I will let you know. It it works to get together, I would love it!

    1. We need to meet up some day on a ship my friend. I have a feelng we will. Why don’t you look at the transatlantic for April 2016 from FLL to Barcelona on the Royal. Cheap & lots of great stops in Spain! Have you done a transatlantic? They are incredible and the ships are usually not at all full….. <3 <3

      1. Darling Cindy, that is the cruise (reverse) we are taking on Oct 3 this year, with Emerald (I wish it was Royal). We will fly (9/26) into Madrid (3 days) and then fly to Barcelona (3 days) and then take the 14 day cruise to FLL. I have to check where Royal would be before the transatlantic.

      2. Oh this sounds wonderful. Have you been to Spain? It calls you back that’s for sure! One day, we will meet on a ship, and not one passing in the opposite direction! 😉

    1. Isn’t it incredible? It houses the Department of Historic Parks & Places or something similar. So wonderful they preserve this marvelous old architecture~

  3. Wow, that opening photo is just tremendous…I want to pitch a tent right in the corner, not bother anyone and just spend the rest of my days there 🙂 Great shot ~

    1. Yes, I agree with you! These old European cities are magical. We are heading to Germany, Slovakia and Hungary in November. I want to see more and I have seen so little of Eastern Europe.

  4. Cindy, these are lovely. I would have jumped that wall to get a great garden shot! 😉 (In my fantasies, anyway …). What I most remember of London is yes, gravitas – well put – but also the flowers! The gardens! The vibrant grass in contrast to those colorful plantings. A gardener’s dream, for sure. Enjoy!

    1. Yes, I suppose almost every Brit must have some love of gardens. Everyone seems to have a lovingly cared for garden. There is so much revealed by those who tend gardens with love. Gardeners the world over rock and I love just walking by and seeing their gardens~

  5. Hi Cindy, glad you are having so much fun in London. I used to work just around the corner from St James’ Park, so would walk around it in my lunch hour, marvelling at how lucky I was to have it on my doorstep. It is a wonderful place!! Cheers to you 🙂

  6. I’d been told how grey and gloomy the weather is there but your photos show off London’s gorgeous, green side… with beautiful birds and blooms to complement the scenery! I’m putting London down on my list of must-see places. Thank you Cindy! <3 ~Lynn

    1. Oh good! You certainly will be glad you visited. I took all these photos on fairly gray days, but the parks, flowers, trees and birds just pop out at you with color and joy. You will love London Lynn, and there are so many varied things to do~

      1. I had just seen a really cool article about the bird keepers there in London and the story of the swans and such so it was so cool to see your pictures and read more on this very awesome tenure….thanks cindy

    1. That would have been beyond embarrassing. I’m just grateful that as far as I know at least no one took my picture doing it. That would have been mortifying! 😉

  7. Cindy, your photos are absolutely gorgeous and captivating! Thank you so much for sharing. You have a lovely blog. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. 🙂

  8. I recently went to Windsor, and my pictures are nowhere near as beautiful as your. Great work! You’ve captured the city’s beauty so well, I can nearly smell the flowers!

  9. Yes, it is so easy to forget how green and filled with wildlife London can be…the bird keeper’s cottage especially looks divine. I also love that you “just leaned really, really far over the wall” to get that first photo!

      1. Bee-yut-ee-ful places! I spend a summer in high school and after grad school in Britain and Scotland. The countryside is sublime. I bet you want to go back……

  10. Loved the sneak peak of Windsor gardens and of course you would be drawn to that bird keepers cottage. Looks like you had good weather too Cindy, always a bonus in England…

      1. I left Britain when I was 18 and must say I bonded more with New Zealand as I had my children there and lived there for nearly 40 years, creating many very happy memories. Now, having lived in Australia for 17 years I have no desire to go back to UK. The twice I went back I felt more like a tourist, thoroughly enjoyed my time over there, but was very pleased to get back “home”…

  11. I sure enjoyed this London adventure, Cindy. It is striking to see so much rich, green flora. All of your photos are gorgeous, but I especially like the bearded iris.

  12. Do you think they have trouble hiring a lawn service? 🙂 I lived and worked in England for a few years, 6 months of it in London. I ran with a running club (sloggers but we put one foot in front of the other). Sundays we would jog in Hyde Park. England is so green and their gardens are so beautiful.

    1. Yep, it is beautiful. I remember seeing it as a child from the plane, coming from SoCal I couldn’t believe the greeness! Everytime I return to home from the UK, I am struck by the drought conditions I live in, and that was before THE BIG DROUGHT!

  13. janeboha

    Did you mean for your photo color scheme to be a rainbow? Red, then orange, then several greens, then blues, then purples… Lovely. Like the way a record album all the songs just fit one into the next.

    1. Oh how lovely, and no I didn’t intend this, but now that your perceptive eyes found it, mine have too. I am so gratified when people see things in my photos that I was not consciously aware of Thank you so much for SEEING and telling! <3

  14. I liked the special Windsor garden, Cindy. The sweet bird keepers house looks like a fairy tale cottage and beautiful grounds. Always enjoy your photos of animals and flowers. Like a fantasy dream, hoping someday to explore my Dad’s side of the family from England and Scotland.

      1. Cindy,
        Multumesc din inima , si sper ca traducerea sa-ti permita sa percepi caldura pe care o resimte prietenia mea pentru tine.
        Interesanta, nu ? am in vedere reciprocitatea/perceptia cuantica pe care o resimtim prin opera noastra spirituala.
        In fiecare dimineata, astept vizita ta neprecupetita. 🙂
        Onu

  15. Cindy, London is very interesting, also Windsor, went there with my mom years, unfortunately I was there in winter. Thank you for the beautiful images! Hugs! Veraiconica

  16. Pingback: Sonntagsleserin Juli 2015 – Teil 1 | buchpost

    1. He is such a huge talent. That song often reminds me of the abandoned Holler orchards and gardens. We have almond trees, camellias, roses, orange trees, pride of madeira, the list goes on and on, planted by some loving gardener, probably an orchard worker who live on site. He is long gone, but 50 years or so later, his trees are still produciing. I think of him when I pick a camellia or an orange and I think of this song.

  17. Cindy – I cannot and I do mean cannot get enough of your pictures of London. I almost missed these beautiful garden pictures. I would have been so distressed. They are absolutely the best. I never felt as though I was working when in London, I always had such a swell time there. It was also where I met my dear friend ‘Mike’ who became my deputy. We still talk every Sunday for a couple hours or so. We’ve often talked about ‘when we return’ but we do that about any number of places – but London is one of our favorite cities. . .probably because of the initial memories. [There, i’ve analyzed myself]!

    1. You analyze yourself beautifully Sheri, in all seriousness, and in serious ways you do, which is remarkable about you. Very few people can do this with themselves.

  18. Cindy…..Cindy!!!! Okay, let me catch my breath. lol It’s no secret that Ginger Brooke and I have been obsessed with England, forever. This post was truly heart touching for us. I don’t think you’ll ever understand what your pictures mean to people who’ll never have the chance to see these things. You allow us into your world and to take part in all the beauty that you’re able to see through the lens of that brilliant camera of yours. Thank you my dear. This was a true delight for both of us. Sharing this now!!!! <3 xoxoxo

    1. You have no idea how much I value friends like you two, and blogging because it brings us together. I am so lucky to meet creative, talented, fun and intelligent people like you two. You enhance my life. Hugs & gratitude to you both! <3 <3

  19. Cindy, Grateful for all your Likes. I was shut down the other week for quoting Atmananda – complaint from his grumpy son – deleted ~ 450 Blogs and have started new short ones without quotes, pretty much. Longer, similar Blogs started under jstiga, jpstiga, and jpsstiga on Googles blogspot – with some graphics, entitled “Nonduality & Science”, “Sages thru the Ages” [many quotes], “Sages thru the Ages 2”. 🙂

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