Bits and Pieces From All About

My sister is helping to 'mind the fort' back home.

Last night she sent several photos which I thought I'd share.

She has planted out her dahlia garden, and has tossed a few extra tubers in pots so they can be enjoyed at the house.

And look at this ruffly poppy - it's a self-seeder from last year.

This photo shows Parvati basking in the morning sunshine, but also shows what a totally fantastic job my sister is doing minding all my many fuchsias - they are exploding in color.

And here's Padma and Tom-Cat and the fuchsias.  Flora and fauna alike appear to appreciate the sunshine. 

You'd think this spot in our front flowerbed was a nest of catnip.

Inside it is a jungle of moss and verbascum, but Solomon and...

...and Padma are taken with it like no other place.

On the bird front, my sister reports we have too many quail families to accurately count.

One of the last things I did before leaving in May was to move some verbascum near my suet and peanut feeders.  The hope was that the members of the woodpecker family would use the plant as perches as they awaited their turn at the feeders.  Based on this photo of a pair of Flickers, I'd have to say my nature gardening was a success.

Speaking of birds, if you have a moment, take a look at my sister's blog post of the 4th of July.  She attempted to rescue a baby swallow...only to have to do it over and over and over again! 

Meanwhile back in London...

As I've mentioned before this is the 150th anniversery of the Underground.

We continue to run into neat displays of commemoration.

I don't think any other public transportation system can top the Underground for quality of posters.  Isn't this one super - tennis balls in the colors of the many Underground service lines. The Museum of Transportation has hundreds of posters for sale.

Today turned into a running errands / shopping day.  We began by going to a Post Office.  I wanted to buy some commemorative sets of stamps, and if you can believe it, this large branch did not have any.  My Mom had better luck and did find a new travel journal as she's filled up her current one. 

As we headed up Brook street the two buildings across the way caught my eye as each has one of the famous Blue Plaques, and both honor musicians.  Jimi Hendricks lived in the one on the left, while George Fredrick Handel resided in the building on the right.

Our next stop was Halcyon Days.  They manufacture lovely enamel boxes.  Back in the 18th century the boxes were used as snuff boxes and held loose tobacco which was 'pinched' into a nostril (ugh!).  Even back then tourists were looking for souvenirs.  One of the antique boxes above says 'a token from Margate'.

So I'm a tourist and I need an enamel box...a pillarbox!

And this one will be worthy of my stay in Scotland.

We finished up the day by checking out the shops in the extremely posh Burlington Arcade and...

...the Piccadilly Arcade. 

We then went to Covent Garden and bought scrumptious cookies at Ben's (the Mrs. Field's of London).  Our last stop was King's Cross to purchase train tickets for tomorrow. We got back to the apartment around 3pm.  I even had time to take a nap! 

 This evening we took a stroll along the Thames River.   

According to someone who lives close by, this Heron regularly fishes off the wharf.

Where are we headed next? Stay tuned!