Down South, London Town

A special day today, as I and several of my friends set off for London in a coach to perform a edited version of the Raleigh play that we performed last summer.

The organisation that provided the funding for it, the Arts and Communities Research Council, wanted to know how their money was spent. So instead of Andy and Julian the writer and director explaining what they did, they decided to show them instead. As this was the better way of doing it.

We all had to meet at the Jubilee Campus by 7.30am, to catch the coach. Usually I am not even up at this time, so it was a real shock for me. It was light, so that was something. The journey down went OK, and we were in central London by 11am.

We performed at about 1pm, and the show was very well received. We then had to dismantle the set ready for the next group. It didn't take too long.  Julian then asked us all what we wanted to do before the drinks reception at six. Some of the ladies wanted to go shopping (surprise, surprise) while the others (me included) wanted to go to the British Museum.

I had never been before, so I was quite excited at seeing all the artefacts and the building itself, which has had a new glass roof installed. I had seen a few photos on Flickr, but of course, I wanted to take some myself.

As you can see it's quite something. The old library used to be separate from the museum, but with the roof and the creation of the Great Court, it has become a brilliant, light space, complete with the obligatory shop and cafe.

Talking of cafes, I couldn't resist taking a shot of this replica van that had been kitted out as a mobile coffee shop.

Day One

Well the first day in my new job passed fairly well. I cycled in with a slightly heavy heart, as I wasn't going to my old job and to see all my friends anymore.

The day didn't start that good either, as it had been snowing during the night, and it was very, very cold. It took me ages to get to town as the wind was blowing against me all the way. There were a couple of heavy blizzards during the morning, but it had melted by the time I took this photo of the place where I am now employed.

I have to look to the future now and my new life in a different job. I am hoping that it works out well for me and I have as just an enjoyable time as I had before.

Hotel Hell

Here's Nottingham's latest hotel. And isn't awful? I have no idea why they've made the top look like a Portakabin. It's certainly not in keeping with the rest of the area, which borders the Lace Market. It's another example of bad, sloppy architecture. See Jackie's Glasgow page, for an example of what architecture could and should be like.

Raising the Standard

Here's one of the many narrow & quaint streets in the old part of Geneva. There are some interesting examples of architecture and I would have liked to have spent longer investigating, but Gail was getting cold & her feet were aching, so we stopped off at a small cafe for a drink & a bite to eat.

Don't Pull That Face At Me

Here's another one of those gargoyles that seem to feature quite a lot on some of the older buildings in the city. A shame they don't still do similar things with todays architecture.
Alas it's not my best picture, as it was quite some way up, and I only have a 4x optical zoom lens.

Light And Lace

You might not think this row of buildings was of anything particular, other than being old and slightly run down. Well the secret lies in the shape of the windows. They are specially designed to let in the most light. This was needed because lace knitting machines were being used on the top floor and the operators needed lots of light to see what they were doing and the lace was coming out right.

Tower of Learning

This very ornate tower is part of the Trent University campus. At the moment some demolition work is going on there, and I wonder if this will get knocked down. It will be a shame if it does, as I think it looks quite splendid and should be preserved.

Angels With Dirty Faces

This weatherbeaten & waterstained carving is on a building tucked away along a little side street off Mansfield Road. With the head covering she's wearing, to me she looks like either a nun or a nurse. One for the architectural historians I think.

Building Blocks

Following on from yesterdays theme day, another thing that annoys me in the city is modern architecture. It's either so bland and boring or looks ridiculous. Nottingham seems to have almost as many cranes as Dubai at the moment, with various things being built or going to be built. But what is being erected is so out of character for Nottingham, that they are going to stick out like a sore thumb. As you've seen from previous photos, Nottingham's buildings are mainly Victorian or earlier and quite decorative and have character. And to stick a basic brick & glass box next to them, is a crime.