A day by the Thames

My first mudlarking find, a bone

The fossil

Painted Hall

Christopher Wren designed building

Staircase in the Queen's Gallery

A party from his Majesties ships Resolution (Cook's)
and Discovery shooting sea-horses by John Webber 

Liberty entrance to chocolate shop

Piccadilly Circus

Chatting with Rosco on Skype

Today the plan is to spend some more time at Greenwich, we did not fit it all in last year. Greenwich is pretty close to home so I arrive with time to spare before everything opens and walk down to the Thames. OMG the tide is out, time to try out mudlarking. My first find is a bone, my next is a fossil, then some clay pipe. Totally ecstatic!

Now time to explore the Painted Hall. These magnificent naval scenes took 19 years to paint. Thornbill’s work was recently restored and years of muck from the sailors using the hall for meals was removed. The place positively shone today.

I descend the stairs into the undercroft, used in recent James Bond movie, Skyfall and go through the tunnel to the undercroft on the other side and up to the chapel. Over to the National Maritime Museum next to see Nelson’s coat he was wearing when he died (yesterday I saw the bullet that killed him). Chatted to Thomas the guide that showed us Pluto through the 16^th century telescope last year.

Time for some Captain Cook spotting. Alas Cook’s portrait is in storage. Darn, will have to try again another time. On this day in 1778 Cook was in Australia and ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef. Over in the Queens Gallery are some portraits from his second and third voyage with a fascinating one of shooting seahorses (walruses). Most of England do not share my obsession with Cook, very sad.

The next mission is to find Queen Elizabeth’s Oak where legend says she used to sit in the shade and Henry VIII and Anne Boyle used to hang out here too. So I start off through the park in the general direction. The squirrels follow me and scamper around as I go and up and down dale in search of the oak. What’s this a Time Team Romano-Celtic site. So cool. Give up on the oak and head for the top of the hill. Lo and behold here is the oak, looking a bit forlorn and surrounded by a fence.

There is still some life in my weary legs so I jump on the train to the shops. Starting on Totternham Court Road, the place is packed. Turn into Regent St and it’s a different story, police and massive riot squad vans everywhere. It turns out the police did a raid in Beak St of some of the protestors for next weeks G8 summit. Glad we will not be in London next week when that is on. On automatic pilot my legs take me to the National Gallery, its like a beacon in the dark to escape the rain and the weight of all my shopping. Some book shopping and then home.