Dear Mrs.Bird - Book review

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very well written tale about how people carry on with their lives during war.
This story is based in London when the Germans are bombing the city all over the place leaving behind scenes of absolute destruction. In this scenario you will find the residents resilient to all the destruction around and do fall in and out of love, have parties and run to and fro to work in whatever means of transport available without giving a second thought to 'what next'.
It deals wih the role of an agony aunt during the war.
The author has maintained the stiff upper lip humour right through the book which doesn't bore or depress you with the rigours and tragedies of war alone.
Loved the description of the prevailing architecture.
'It was a dear little Georgian house, surrounded by weeping willows and with such symmetrical windows it looked as if a child had told an architect exactly how a house should be designed.'
The horrors of war are brought forth brilliantly in this sentence - 'A man was slumped over a table as if he was drunk. I didn't see his face, but I saw that his hands were gone.'
The author very succintly explains why life seems casual - 'If Hitler had his way, no one would ever care about anyone, or anything other than him and his appalling ideas. Well my dear, You must know that that is fascism and Hitler is a fool. The day we stop caring or showing we are human is the day we mght just as well give in.'
The characterisation is on the spot and like everything else in the book the author maintains a level headed approach to all situations without going overboard.
For a debut novel it is excellent and a must read if you like British humour and writing.

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Christmas in London

Christmas in London is a treat for the senses – sight, sound and taste buds – all are stimulated during this week of hedonism.

Had read about it, seen pictures of the festival and now finally experienced it!

The city of London is literally lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. 

Mulled wine and Beer

There is a fun festival at the Hyde Park grounds called the Winter Wonderland, a festival for the children and adults too. It has some amazing rides, a skating rink and the usual shooting stalls and ring the gift stalls

The pubs and restaurants have Christmas decorations too and on the way to these on the streets you are bound to see Santas in a hurry to go somewhere or the homeless spreading some Christmas cheer.

The streets and buildings along the street seem to compete with each other to outshine each other!

Then you have the glow taxis or the glowing cycle rickshaws playing lively music to attract customers for a ride around the tourist haunts.

On Christmas day all public transport comes to a halt and you have to make do with taxis or private cars to travel around.

Overall it is fun times for all!

Streetart, Graffiti and murals.

Whenever you visit London do remember to visit Shoreditch and Bricklane for the amazing Streetart, Graffiti and Murals there. This area now has become a great tourist attraction and Bricklane has plenty of Asian cuisine restaurants too! So food for the mind and body is guaranteed!

In the nineties this area was not a place for ‘art’ and was frequently in the news for wrong reasons. It saw the rise of warring gangs which led to graffiti whereby each gang marked their territory by spraying the walls with their signatures. Graffiti was and even now is illegal though the rule is overlooked in this part of London.Gradually it evolved into political statements and gave rise to a now prominent artist ‘Banksy’ whose work is unfortunately no longer there. But there are famous artists from all over Europe leaving their mark on the walls there. This has also led to a lot of purists complaining that Street art is now more of a platform for artists who want to become famous. Have compiled a short video of the Streetart, Graffiti and murals that I shot there.

Do remember that these might not be there when you visit as the art keeps changing and evolving.

You can either take the many walking tours that take you there or if you wish to do it at your own pace you can check this out. We took the Strawberryfree walking tours and were not disappointed. Either which way do visit it for a fun day in London!

A visit to Camden Market, London

A visit to Camden Market in London is a must! It is fun! You can shop for all types of handicrafts, beauty accessories and while shopping if you feel hungry there is a wide variety of food to choose from. 

We even spotted the town crier!

If thirsty go drink that glass of mulled wine!

Or maybe pick up some books to read on that rainy day!

This is one market that is a place for a day out with the family! Fun for all!

If you are interested in the history of Camden market, click here

A walk through Covent Garden in London

Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site.

It was our first visit to a ‘market’ in London.

Laid out in 1630, it was the first modern square in London, and was originally a flat, open space or piazza with low railings. A casual market started on the south side, and by 1830 the present market hall was built.

The space is popular with street performers, who audition with the site's owners for an allocated slot

By the end of the 1960s, traffic congestion was causing problems for the market, which required increasingly large trucks for deliveries and distribution. The following year the market relocated to its new site, New Covent Garden Market, about 5 km south-west at Nine Elms. The central building re-opened as a shopping centre in 1980, with cafes, pubs, small shops and a craft market called the Apple Market.

Another market, the Jubilee Market, is held in the Jubilee Hall on the south side of the square.

Contrary to its name The Apple Market does not sell apples. It has stalls selling all sorts of handcrafted 

goods. A place where one is bound to pick up something!

The London Transport Museum is in a Victorian iron and glass building on the east side of the market square. It was designed as a dedicated flower market by William Rogers of William Cubitt and Company in 1871, and was first occupied by the museum in 1980.

The current Theatre Royal on Drury Lane is the most recent of four incarnations, the first of which opened in 1663, making it the oldest continuously used theatre in London. Since November 2008 the theatre has been owned by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and generally stages popular musical theatre.

Overall it is a fun place to spend a day at. If you get tired walking around you can rest in any one of the

food courts there, have a drink and gorge on paella or pie to reenergize!

A must visit market in London!

All history gleaned from Wikipedia.

London Museums - A treat!

London is an amazing city. It is as unpredictable as it is predictable. The weather is uncannily whimsical and capable of shelving all you had planned for the day. And if you are lucky, well the Gods sure are happy with you. The public transportation is a delight! Be it the underground, overground railways or the buses that ply with a well oiled efficiency, you will never be left askance. All that it takes is a basic knowledge of English and map reading and even if one does not possess these skills there are assistance counters at the railway stations and railway employees placed strategically at the railway stations who will willingly guide you along.

The first three days of our stay in London were marked by gloomy overcast skies that believed in sprinkling showers at every few minutes to ensure that we explored all the beautifully maintained museums of London. And believe me, museums were last on our list when we visited London, yet after the compulsory visits we are inclined to advice all visitors to London to make it a point to visit at least one if not all!

The first museum we visited was the Natural History Museum. The Museum’s iconic Diplodocus 

skeleton greets us as we enter. The Diplodocus, a plant eating dinosaur, that exixted about 150 million years ago, was one of the longest land animals that ever existed and measures more than 26 metres from tip to tail. This exhibit is a national treasure and is a resident of the museum for over a hundred years! Millionaire Carnegie arranged for a cast to be made and presented it to the Museum in 1905.

Another interesting exhibit that caught my attention was the Arsinoitherium. It lived in Africa about 35 million years ago browsing in the tropical rain forests.

Was awed by this Missouri monster, called so because it was found in Missouri in 1840 by Albert Koch. This was brought to London and bought by British Museum in 1842.

This Museum is open daily from 10.00 - 17.50 and closed between 24 - 26 December. Entry is Free.

Then we passed the fabulous Victoria and Albert Museum on our way to the Science Museum.

The Science Museum is the most visited science and technology museum in Europe. There are over 

15,000 objects on display, including world-famous objects such as the Apollo 10 command capsule and 

the oldest steam locomotive.

The Science Museum is open between 10.00-18.00 daily and entry is free.

The next morning we visited the British Museum. Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable 

collection spans over two million years of human history. The Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian 

mummies are visited by up to 6 million visitors per year. Spent almost a day there and yet managed to

see just a small part of the museum. It is indeed amazing. It is open daily between 10.00-17.30 and until 20.30 on Fridays. Entry is free.

My last Museum visit and a must go on your list too would be the Tate Modern. It has an amazing 

collection of art dating from Picasso to the very contemporary artists. The entry is free for the permanent collection and is open from 10.00–18.00, Sunday – Thursday and 10.00–22.00, Friday – Saturday.

So guys, remember if it rains when you are in London, do not despair. Visit the amazing Museums and you will not regret it!

For more information on the London Museums click here.