| I had a full week of work at the Gravesham Community Hospital in Gravesend, West Kent - including the Royal wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Friday the 29th which I watched with the patients in the dining room while writing my progress notes. The atmosphere around the UK for the event was pretty amazing, very patriotic with a national public (bank) holiday for the wedding (I chose to work). There was bunting and street parties everywhere and lots of gossip around the outfits including the brides dress and the guests attire. I managed to get my car fixed and spent an afternoon after work exploring a little of Gravesend (which I found was not the centre of the universe in any way). Thea and I visited Nan and Grampa in Mortimer on the Saturday and did some great walks through the very scenic blue bell woods and rolling green fields in beautiful sunshine. On Sunday I caught the train from Wadhurst into London and met Lucy and Stu at the Charing Cross train station. We walked from there down The Strand to Northumberland Avenue and down along the river Thames to Wesminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. From there we checked out Westminster Abbey where the Royal wedding had taken place 2 days earlier and there were crowds of people lining up to see inside. We walked along the Birdcage Walk past the Guards Museum where their marching band was playing then cut through St James's Park to Buckingham Palace where there were more crowds waiting to see the Guards band march past playing some great tunes! We walked down The Mall and stopped in St James's park for a picnic lunch in the sun. We then walked to Admiralty Arch at the end of The Mall and into Trafalgar Square with Nelson's Column and The National Gallery (and a digital clock counting down the days til the 2012 London Olympics!) I farewelled Lucy and Stu at the Charing Cross station where they left for Paris and I continued on exploring London. I walked back through Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall street, leading into Parliament street and past Downing street and the Horse Guards to The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey for a closer look then back the same way to Trafalgar Square. I then walked up Pall Mall and Haymarket to Piccadilly Circus then up Regent street to Oxford street. I walked down Oxford street and the expensive shops to Marble Arch. From there I walked down Park Lane (past all the expensive hotels and Hyde Park), back accross Piccadilly street and Green Park, down St James's street and Pall Mall into Trafalgar square. Satisfied that I had successfully covered the Monopoly board and with tired legs I made my way back to the Charing Cross train station and took the train back to Wadhurst in preparation for my last day of work in Gravesend, West Kent before starting at the Wallingford Community Hospital (between Oxford and Reading).  |
| Thea's Wisteria |
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| The Gravesend mall - decorated for the Royal wedding (West Kent) |
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| The Thames river in Gravesend, not particularly stunning... |
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| The Thames river in Gravesend |
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| A nice looking pub on the water front in Gravesend |
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| Spikey asleep in the car! |
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| Codie hoping for a scratch! |
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| Walking the dogs in Mortimer |
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| Walking the dogs in Mortimer |
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| Barley crops on our walk in Mortimer |
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| Pretty fields in Mortimer |
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| Blue bell woods around Mortimer |
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| Spring lambs |
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| Walking around the blue bell woods in Mortimer |
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| Blue bell woods |
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| Amazing smelling purple and white lilac |
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| Turks lane, Mortimer |
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| Nan's wisteria |
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| More Barley crops, walking in Mortimer |
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| Walking in Mortimer |
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| Barley crops |
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| More walking in Mortimer |
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| Lucy, Stu and Big Ben - London! |
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| Westminster Abbey - The Royal wedding site |
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| Crowds of people lining up just 2 days after the Royal wedding to look inside the Abbey |
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| St James's Park, Spring flowers |
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| Looking through the lake in St James's Park to Buckingham Palace, London |
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| The Guards band playing outside the Guards Museum, London |
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| Buckingham palace, attracting the crowds 2 days after the Royal wedding |
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| The Gates to Buckingham Palace |
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| Buckingham Palace and the infamous balcony where the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge shared their 'first public kiss' 2 days earlier |
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| The fountain in the front of Buckingham Palace |
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| 'The Mall', leading to Buckingham Palace |
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| The Guards marching band playing around Buckingham Palace |
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| Looking down 'The Mall' to Buckingham Palace in the distance |
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| Picnic lunch with Lucy and Stu with Australian wine to celebrate their engagement in St. James's Park |
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| The Guards marching band playing down The Mall with police on horses surrounding them |
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| The Guards marching band |
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| Admiralty Arch between Trafalgar Square and The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace |
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| Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square looking out from the National Gallery |
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| The National Gallery |
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| Horse drawn cart on Whitehall street, leading into Parliament street (and Downing street) |
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| Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament |
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| Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament |
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| Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament |
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| Westminster Abbey up close |
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| Westminster Abbey |
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| Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye in the background |
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| The Houses of Parliament |
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| Piccadilly Circus |
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| The underground (subway) at Piccadilly Circus |
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| Piccadilly Circus |
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| Walking down Regent street |
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| Regent street |
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| Regent street on the way to Oxford street |
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| Marble Arch on the corner of Oxford street and Park Lane |
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| Interesting piece of art in the middle of the road on Park Lane |
