Cally Festival

Applying the finishing touches to the giant octopus is serious work.

Happy St Patrick's Day

For the little bit of Irish in you all.

Pancake Day

Pancakes tossed by bears, policemen, strawberries, sun girls and many more.
Shrove Tuesday in Bricklane organised by alternative arts to raise money for London's air ambulance was loads of fun.

Pointing the Finger

Be careful when pointing the finger.

A lesson for me after a day of technology problems.

Another week will follow of considering changing to Mac from PC. If only it weren't so expensive a decision.

Red Hat Society

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

So begins the poem that inspires the women of a certain age who are members of the red hat society.

New Year's Day Parade

Bon vivant 2011.

Good-bye 2010

Have fun as you welcome in 2011.

Santa Party

Dozens and dozens of Santa's partying yesterday. You could find yourself awarded a Santa hug or given a pretty sticker. What did they want? Xmas apparently.

Carousel

Waiting for the children to arrive.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah in Trafalgar Square

Looking up at Xmas

Seeing Xmas from a child's view

Fun and Snow at Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park this year is bigger and better than ever.

Diwali on the Square

A celebration of Diwali at Trafalgar Square on Sunday.

Tree of Life

Write your name on a paper dove and become immortal. Well for the weekend anyway. Part of the Bloomsbury festival this installation is an interpretation of the Tree of Life by Urban Brew.

The Dancers

The exciting Bloomsbury festival on the weekend was their best yet. Contemporary dance, art, music, theatre, guided walks, food, books, discussions, microbes. Yes you could make your own microbe!
What a dilemma lots of movies in the film festival and all this going on.
It is not possible to be bored in London.

Pennies

An entry in the London design festival, this year, size + matter, by Paul Cocksedge titled Drop sits outside festival hall on the Southbank.

In the shape of a huge coin you are invited to drop your pennies on it. Make shapes and designs. At the end of the festival the pennies will all be given to Barnardo's Charity.

Fish Harvest Festival

It's harvest festival time cross the country and today one of them was the annual festival of the fish harvest, celebrated at St-Mary-at-Hill church in the city.

The porters are wearing heavy metal hats. They are are flat on top and have a large rim to catch water. Why?? Well ... in days gone by when Billingsgate market was in the city the porters wearing these metal hats would place enormous baskets of fish in ice on their heads and race them up the hill to Leadenhall market. They had absolute right of way up the cobblestone path between the markets.

So heavy was the load that this 5ft 6in chap at the top was once 6ft 3in. He told me so himself.

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

Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy punching it out at the annual convention in Covent Garden yesterday.

Tomorrow I will announce the winner of Saturday's competition. You still have a few hours to enter.

Pretty Maids

Sheltering in the rain after the maypole dance If you need fb stock moneymorning , then the team of professionals from moneymorning is here to help you.