Skip to main content

A River Runs Through It.


Today, I've been playing tourist in London by visiting the Tower Bridge Exhibition and taking a cruise on the Thames. 

View from a bridge.
The trip was a gift from my mum (who goes through my blog with a fine-tooth comb, so will be delighted to be mentioned on it; HI MUM) that was given to me and my wife last Christmas, but we've only just got around to redeeming it. I don't think we could have timed it any more perfectly for the time of year, as the day was beautifully sunny, plus we reaped the benefits of a suitably festive view of London as the evening drew in. 

Looking up into one of the towers of Tower Bridge.
If you've not visited the Bridge Exhibition before, I'd recommend it, as it's great value, and affords you a great view of the city. My wife had been before, though this was prior to the addition of the glass walkway at the top tier of the bridge, which gives you a fantastic perspective of the river below - particularly if you time your visit to coincide with when the bridge is lifted to let a boat pass underneath (which we did). 

My wife and me, levitating over Tower Bridge.
After crossing the Bridge, our next stop was the Engine Rooms, where you can see original mechanics that powered its opening (by steam, no less). At first, I thought we'd never be able to leave:


...though while I was there, I could help but indulge in my only vice. 


Following all our Engine Room excitement, we went to a restaurant by the riverside, from which we had a great view of the bridge, the Tower of London and much of the city skyline. From there, we crossed the river again to Tower Pier, where we caught a boat to Westminster. This was the first time I'd been on the Thames for a good twenty-five years, when I went to HMS Belfast and the Thames Barrier with my dad and my friend Chris. Back then, Docklands was essentially wasteland, and Canary Wharf had only just been built. Now, we’re living in the future (though thankfully centre-partings aren't as prevalent; see below for an old one). 

 
Over the moon over the bridge.


Popular posts from this blog

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera...

Comedy That's Worth a Letch.

Today, I nipped to Letchworth to meet with illustrator (and one-time - two-time - comedy poet) Mushybees, to discuss an event Mostly Comedy will act as surrogate parents to as part of Letchworth’s Arts Takeover in a couple of weeks. Months ago he got into contact to see if we’d be up for co-organising a comedy stage as part of Letchworth’s weekend of arts-based attractions in July; something I’d provisionally said yes to, before things got hectic in the lead-up to Edinburgh and we didn’t take it any further. Despite not getting down to the nitty-gritty straight away, we managed to pull a line-up together in a back-and-forth of emails yesterday, leading to me getting Glyn’s blessing and us deciding we’d officially go ahead with it (whatever ‘officially’ means in this context). In reality, it’s not complicated: from 12pm until 6pm-ish on the 22 nd July, Glyn, Mushybees and I will host four Edinburgh previews from four acts (including me), before Nor...

Stevenage: A (Tiny) River Runs Through it.

If ever a river was mis-sold, it’s the Roaring Meg in Stevenage. I just walked past it on my way to the retail park that has taken its name. They’re similarly uninspiring. The river is less of a roar and more of a dribble; cystitis sufferers produce greater flow. The retail park is soulless. What was once a thriving enterprise is nearly devoid of atmosphere, save an underlying essence of emptiness and despair. With a Toys R Us. When it was first built I was excited. Back then, the thought of a bowling alley, an ice rink, a Harvester and a Blockbuster Video within a small surface area was enticing. I celebrated many birthdays on site. There was an indoor cricket pitch there for a while where I once had a joint party with a friend. Why someone with an almost pathological fear of sport would agree to such a venture is beyond me, but I did it. Now, there’s very little at the Roaring Meg of note. The river would be a metaphor for the shopping ce...