A Quieter Day

Today it was supposed to rain.  We had a few sprinkles around 12:30pm, otherwise we were rain free though still a bit muggy.

We took a walk around the Bloomsbury Square area.  I found a nice selection of interesting row houses and doorways.

With my usual sense of mis-direction, we ended up in a Bengali neighborhood.  I liked this women's clothing shop.

Back on track again we passed by several nice pubs... 

...and the University of London.

Gordon Park is close to the university.  It looked like a couple of professors were holding classes out on the lawn.

And what's a London park without a rosebed or two?

I think this is the park feature that amuses me the most - a Garden Kiosk.

Our eventual goal - the Bloomsbury Farmers' Market.

I'd characterize it as more of a food market than a Farmers' Market.  

We split a sausage roll from the Giggly Pig (top row-2nd from right). Two small sausages with grilled sweet onions and HP sauce. 

Lunch finished, we strolled over to the British Museum to book our tickets for the Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibit.

Children's books are one of the many things I collection.  Thus it was thrilling to see a blue plaque honoring the illustrator Randolph Caldecott.  Beginning in 1937 the Caldecott Medal has been awarded to the "preceding year's 'most distinguished American picture book for children'".  Most people are familiar with award winner Maurcie Sendak's book "Where the Wild Things Are". If you are not familiar with the award or the books you can read more about them here. 

Blue plaques abound in the area surrounding the British Museum. 

History trivia geek that I am, I've been taking pictures of pillar mailboxes.   Why on earth you might ask.  well each mailbox bares the cypher of the regent at the time the mailbox was placed on the street.  I'm pleased with my little collection.

Top row: GR with franked mail slot - George Rex (1910-1926 or 1936-1952) , EIIR with franked mail slot - Queen Elizabeth II, VR - Queen Victoria, GR - George Rex, EVIIR - King Edward the VII (Queen Victoria's son - Edwardian Era named after him).

 

Bottom Row: EIIR, EVIIR, EIIR with franked mail, VR, EIIR.

 

(Franked mail - in the 18th through the early 20th centuries nobles could 'frank' their own mail with their "privilege" signatures in the place of a stamp.  Now there are franking machines that ink-stamp envelopes and parcels with a code that corresponds with an account with Royal mail.)