Sunny and packed

What a difference four days can make! The weather today finally took a turn for the better, and Londoners were quick to claim a place in the sun.

I took this photo at the Riverside Terrace Cafe outside the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank. According to the Met Office, the hot spell won't last, but we can enjoy it while it's here.

Wet and almost deserted

Like most Londoners, I tend to avoid going into central London at weekends, but yesterday was an exception as I had tickets for a concert in Covent Garden. That's how I found myself walking along the Strand shortly before 7 PM. This is usually a bustling street, heavy with traffic and pedestrians, but the rain (and a huge traffic jam further north towards Holborn) gave this stretch an almost deserted look.

They keep promising us "ice cream weather" but I'm not sure if they mean the kind of ice cream you eat in the sunshine or next to an open fire. Ho hum.

Thames transport

I took this photo of a commuter boat approaching Greenwich Pier just before 9 PM today. You can see the Doclands in the distance, as well as the domed exit of the Greenwich foot tunnel.

The tide was out at the time, exposing the Thames foreshore, the closest thing we've got to a city beach.

Cast your vote... in church

Today is a General Election in the UK. I took a picture of the polling station on my way to vote.

Yes, you've guessed it, it's inside the church. If you enlarge the photo, you'll be able to make out the temporary sign.

Stormy clouds

This weekend is a long one in the UK (Monday is a bank holiday) and long weekends usually mean stormy weather. True to form, yesterday's semi-clear morning skies gave way to stormy clouds by early afternoon, and we've not see the sun since.

It's wet and miserable out there at the moment, but at least I got a nice photo out of it. As they say, every cloud has a silver lining...