Junk shop

This is the roof of a junk shop near where I live. I went past it on the bus yesterday afternoon and had to get off and take a photo of the new arrangement. The camel, the mannequins and James Dean have been around for some time, but the oversized Nivea deodorant and the lady in hot pants are brand new.

I love this shop although I've never gone in, having never needed a camel or a mannequin (or an oversized deodorant bottle for that matter).

Tower Bridge by night

The most beautiful and iconic London bridge, as seen from the South Bank on beautiful May evening. I haven't used any filters or adjusted the colours at all - this photo is just as my camera captured it.

Non-Londoners should note that this is *not* London Bridge, it's Tower Bridge, thus called because it stands next to the Tower of London. London Bridge is the next bridge along the Thames, and it's nowhere near as grand (but looks quite pretty when illuminated).

Shell seekers

Looking for shells among the rocks is something to do when the water's too cold for swimming.

London Eye

The London Eye, at a height of 135 metres (443 ft), is the biggest ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK, visited by over 3 million people in one year. At the time it was erected it was the tallest ferris wheel in the world, until it was surpassed by the Star of Nanchang in China (160 m) in May 2006, and then the Singapore Flyer (165 m) on 11 February 2008.

The wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned egg-shaped passenger capsules, attached to its external circumference, each capsule representing one of the London Boroughs. Each capsule holds 25 people, who are free to walk around. It rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. The wheel does not stop to take on passengers: the rotation rate is so slow that they can walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level.

Taken from Wikipedia, fountain of all knowledge on the internet.

Following the sun

Deckchairs in shaded areas are abandoned in favour of sunnier spots.

First sign of summer

Soft serve ice-cream in a cone with a Cadbury's flake bar. A sure sign that summer is round the corner.

The Albert on Victoria Street

This is the Albert, a pub on Victoria Street in London. It was built in 1864 and named after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. By some miracle it escaped whatever intervention transformed the surrounding area into the Land of Monster Government Buildings, and stands proudly as a reminder of what London once looked like.

Spring has sprung

Spring - the promise of renewal and new life.

Oslo Opera House

The Oslo Opera House was designed by Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta to resemble an iceberg jutting out into Oslo's fjord. It opened its doors to the public in April 2008, about a month before this picture was taken. It consists of a total area of 38,500 m² and includes 1,100 rooms. The main auditorium has 1,350 seats and the second stage 400 seats. The total expenditure was planned at 4.4 billion NOK, but the project finished ahead of schedule and 300 million NOK under budget.

It's almost time

This is Lordi performing Hard Rock Hallelujah on stage in Athens after being announced as the winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.

Who will it be this year?

Signal box

Getting ready

Mayday parade

A group of Border Morris dancers posing for photographs at the Rochester Sweeps Festival procession. Photo by Loops.

Morris dancing

Kids dancing at the Rochester Sweeps Festival. Photo by Loops.

May flowers

Spring weather has been very mild this year and the gardens are full of colour. Welcome the new month!