Happy Sunday Morning

I wasn't going to take any photographs this morning as I have snapped this subject matter so many times before, but I enjoyed walking around Sheffield so much this morning that I had to share it with you.  

We started with breakfast in the city, and then decided to have a wander around.  

Here you can see the Cholera monument on the hill.  The 402 victims of this terrible outbreak of 1832 were buried and commemorated.  One of the Kettle Drums of the ill fated "Museum of Popular Music"  (now Sheffield Hallam University Student Union) sits on the right hand side, and between the buildings sits the fantastic independent Showroom Cinema and cafe.

 We had been to see the "Picturing Sheffield" exhibition at the Millenium Galleries before, but we were in a rush then, so today we took our time and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the art, both very old and extremely modern, depicting scenes from our wonderful city.  If you are local, don't miss this!  It is free to look around.

 I've still not found out who this Egyptian is who presides over the Central Library.  I love him though.

 I know that this is Mercury who stands atop the Lyceum theatre.

 The Lyceum (on the right) sits slap bang next to the world famous Crucible theatre.  In the distance you can see the controversial Park Hill Flats - "Streets in the sky" that were built in the 1960's to replace the "slum" housing around the city.  Built in the "Brutalist" style, English Heritage managed to get the flats Grade II listed and they are currently being refurbished (slowly!).

 The Town Hall looked grand in the winter sunshine.

 And the Winter Gardens provided shelter from the biting wind.  Sheffield is often known as Britain's greenest city, but all it's bigger parks are on the outskirts of the city, in the suburbs.  There are lots of green spaces to be found in the centre itself, but they are not parks as such.
 Of course you know about our fantastic Cheese Grater car park.  The artist Pete Mckee said that if this was in Barcelona, it would be a huge deal.  I think he is right!

 We have been criticised in the past for not "looking" like a city - no high rises etc.  So they built one!  St Paul's tower is fairly high, and creates a wind tunnel effect around it as high rises tend to, so hopefully they will leave it at just the one! I bet the views from the top are spectacular as I know you can see out to the Peak District from here, but I wouldn't like to live here.

 I really love the poem written on the side of the Uni building which welcomes visitors as they arrive at Sheffield Midland railway station.

 We really are a cultured bunch!

 And the fabulous painting of Harry Brearley - inventor of stainless steel - painted on one of the very old buildings near the railway station.

 The Midland railway station (at the bottom of this photo) was the last of the 5 stations that were built in the city.  Unlike many cities, our station is Edwardian and not Victorian.  (We do have a Victorian one, but it isn't used anymore - it is interesting to look around though).  I love the station and it currently has a piano plonked in the entrance.  We have used the station lots over the last few weeks and it has been wonderful to hear people passing through playing it.

We had a great morning playing tourist in our own city.  We don't have a tourist office that sings it's praises, so you'll have to make do with me! x

Roche Abbey

Our first walk of the new year with our walking group was a very wet affair.  We met at Roche Abbey in Rotherham - a suprisingly extraordinary peaceful oasis on the outskirts of this little town.  We had a great turnout for the walk, but the weather was foul - "silling it down" as we say in these parts!

 The walking was very muddy and slippy under foot.  A couple of our group ended up covered in the stuff as they slipped in it.

 I only got my camera out to photograph the beautiful abbey as I thought I would ruin it in the rain.

 Having said all that, I really enjoyed the walk and would have been bored at home just looking out at the rain.  I felt invigorated afterwards, and slept really well that night too.

 It was a circular walk, and once back at the abbey, the sun came out and the sky changed to clear blue!!  Typical.

 I'm looking forward to seeing where else we get with the group this year.

You know I love being outdoors.

London Day 2

On our second full day in London, we decided to take things a bit easier and not race around as much.  Neither of the kids had been to Greenwich, so it was an obvious choice as it was so close by.  We took the DLR but had to change at Canary Wharf - so we took the opportunity for a little walk around.  Although it was a working day, it was very quiet as it was between Christmas and New Year.  Both kids were taken by how modern and new the whole area was, so we popped into the Docklands museum so that they could grasp a bit of the history of the area and why and how the area had changed.

 If you leave the DLR through 1 Canada Square (which has an awesome foyer!) You can pick up a booklet which details the art work that is dotted around the Wharf.

 After our short visit, we hopped back on the railway across the river to Greenwich.

 We like how all the highlights of this historic area are within very close proximity to each other.  Perfect when you have aching feet!

 The painted hall is always worth a visit.

 A walk up the very steep hill to the Observetory found us the Mredien Line for Greenwich mean time.

 And of course the best views.

 This Paddington Bear was designed by Peter Capaldi - the new Doctor Who.

 We nipped in to Queen Anne's house

 They have a good exhibition by War artist's that I knew hubby and the young man would like.

 And we popped into the Maritime museum where we did not much more than enjoy a lovely cup of tea and a nice sit down...

 ...  and a quick look around the Nelson exhibition where the young man was fascinated by the hole in his jacket caused by the fragment of cannon ball that caused his death.

 As we stepped out of the museum, we were treated to the most fantastic sun set.

 We had another great day.  Plenty to see and do and not quite as much walking!