What a Party!

Three Hundred years since St Paul's was completed it now looks as good as it did in 1711. A fifteen year restoration costing £40 million has finally finished. For the first time in that fifteen years you can now see the cathedral without cranes and scaffolding.



The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, treasurer of St Paul's, yesterday talked about the mammoth project. The state of the art tecqnics used and the beautiful work restoring the art and mosaics.

To celebrate both the completion of the work and the 3 century anniversary, St Paul's is launching the 300th Anniversary Photograph Competition.

Take your best shot of the exterior of St Paul's. You have until 16 July 2011. Upload your images to St Pauls Flickr.

The ten best images will be displayed in the cathederal crypt. The overall winner will take home a beautiful glass vase made especially for the event by Venice-based firm of Salviati & Co

Flying the Flag

The Mall looked very grand with all the flags flying for that wedding. Some are still flying around Buckingham Palace this week.


We however have a drum roll and a red hat to announce the winner of our monopoly board competition. The prize is the fabulous monopoly revolution. The winner is:

Sue from London Cemeteries.

The answer is 40 squares.

However as you all debated if they were squares, spaces, rectangles or oblongs, I accepted answers that said 4 squares or 40 squares. These all went into the red hat for selection.

Thanks to those who entered the competition. Also thanks to all of you who took the tour and followed each day as we stopped on each square (place) on the board. I had fun bringing it to you and hope you enjoyed the game.


Magnum Photos:
Photographers looking for a great opportunity to further their career register here:
Ideas Tap Photographic Award


The annual IdeasTap Photographic Award in association with Magnum Photos has now launched. This year the award is split into two categories, with the 12 shortlisted photographers receiving funding and mentoring from Magnum photographers, and the final two winners receiving the opportunity to intern with Magnum Photos.

To book a subsidised place, please apply here: http://bit.ly/jZG4mc

To apply for the IdeasTap bursary, please visit: http://bit.ly/fRLdkp

Monopoly - Chance

We have now reached the last chance square on the board. Our game has a special card that you have just picked up.

A chance to win Monopoly Revolution.

MONOPOLY for a new generation! MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition has sound effects and fun song clips from the past five decades, a round game board and an electronic unit that acts as an electronic banker. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of MONOPOLY,this contemporary version features updated “here and now” pricing so when you pass GO you receive a whopping £2 million! All Chance and Community Chest cards are now held in the electronic unit and each has a song or sound effect to really bring the game experience to life!

Ok to be in with a chance to win all you have to do is answer the following question:

Q: How many squares are there on the monopoly board?

Leave your answer in the comments of this blog or email me:
aglimpseoflondon@gmail.com.

You have until the end of the game is played. ie until we reach Mayfair. At the end of the day, of the Mayfair post, all correct entries will go into the red hat (previous competitors will be familiar with the red hat). The winner will be announced the following day.

Good Luck!

Smart Phone in My Hands

I have a few days fun playing around with the new Samsung WaveII smart phone. To launch the phone, Samsung are running the Now Project. I already have pictures on their page. You get to do cool things with your pictures by adding filters as you upload them.

The project is now open to everyone. Take pictures and upload them, 50 winners will get their photos displayed at the London Design Museum and the top 20 will get one of the Wave II phones.

More info on this you tube.

Hats Galore

The Pearlie's originated in 1875 (or thereabouts) and where costersmongers, (the name given to fruit and vegetable vendors). They decorated their suits with a row of pearl buttons, said to have arrived on a ship from Japan. As time has gone by the costumes have become more elaborate each with a story to tell.
A costume today can have as many as 30,000 buttons sewn on to and weigh 30kg.

At the moment it is the harvest festival time with several festivals if you want to catch a glimpse of the glamour. Next festival is at St Paul's on 10 October.

Now for another hat. The red hat where prize winners are selected for competitions on aglimpseoflondon.

The winner of Luke's album

and then some
is Angie.

Thanks everyone who entered. If you're in London tonight remember you can catch Luke at the legendary Catweazle club's performance space at the North London Tavern

No Bull

Ok so this is a picture of a cow. Whoopee. Yes but this is zone one in London. Ah ha a little unusual wouldn't you say. I started taking pictures of said cow and chatting to it. Yes also a little odd but it's a cow in London, zone one.
I'm taking pictures when a security guard came out and told me this is not allowed. A group of young men nearby came to my aid and said: Its a cow in the centre of London of course you are going to take pictures and by the way where's the law that says she can't take a picture of a cow. The guard left.
So here is a picture of a cow.

Now a DRUM ROLL for the winner of the pizzaexpress winner:

Congratulations Brianna a voucher is on its way to you.

The correct answer is 119 pizzaexpress restaurants in London.

Hands on Pizza's

Last week a group of us were invited to PizzaExpress to be taught by the maestro himself, leading chef Antonio Romani, how to make pizza.

On the whole we didn't do too bad, although perhaps some of us might not look to a career as a pizza chef.
Our creations were based on the new spring menu. Very tasty they were too!

Fancy trying some yummy pizza yourself?

To go in the draw for a £10 voucher at any PizzaExpress restaurant simply answer the following question:
How many PizzaExpress restaurants are there in London:

1. 98
2. 82
3. 119
4. 105

Leave your answer in the comments or send an email to: aglimpseoflondon@gmail.com

The winner will be announced on Thursday. Good luck.

Eclectic

As eclectic as ever Nigel Kennedy's new album has it all. Recorded in Wales, guest appearance by Boy George and Polish musicians. To be released on 10 May.

If you want to catch him live pencil in the bank holiday weekend 29-31 May. Jazz to classic Kennedy's Polish musicians and music is not to be missed.

Here on a glimpseoflondon you can win a copy of his new album Shhh.

To go into the draw all you have to do is answer the following question:

What country is Nigel Kennedy bringing to the Southbank Centre May bank holiday weekend?

You can leave your answer in a comment on this post or email to:

aglimpseoflondon@gmail.com. together with your contact details.

You have until midnight Thursday 29th (UK time) to enter. The winner will be announced on Friday's post.

Good Luck!