London: Tea Time in Wonderland

At the first ray of sunshine, people tend to rush to the lawns and beer gardens (often looks like a giant barbecue to me after a few hours). I love to stroll through a green oasis instead. Why not enjoy the rose garden in Hyde Park, planted in 1994. Isn’t it magical to caress the petals, compare the textures, smile at a bee’s drunken ballet?

End of June is the best time too – the roses are in full bloom. Splendid notes of orange, pepper, vanilla are in the air. Some are double, shy, bright purple, freckled, others blousy and seem to be opening very slowly like The Little Prince’s one.

The gardens are narrow but go on for ever. Narrow paths serpent through them, a few benches, lovely statues, an arched tunnel coverel with white blooms…

The best place to read this summer’s romantic novel!

Rose Garden
Hyde Park
London W1

Free

A great escape to the countryside is to drive down to Mottisfont Abbey – what a fab collection of roses they have there! (a few pics here)

The UK seems very proud of theur role in the two world wars. I have never seen so many memorial – London particularly has an impressive collection. You can’t miss them – most of them are decorated with wreath of poppies.

Oh, I’m not criticising the idea – far from me. But so many makes them even more transparent to the regular passer-by, just another statue on the way, red petals flying in the wind.

One, though, really caught my eye:

Unusual, isn’t it? I do not think we have one in France at all.

Absurd? Not really, when you consider the numbers of animal who died in wars from the beginning of the XXth century to the Irak war. Gosh, we’re talking about an estimated 8 millions of victims for WWI only! And not basic cattle killed in the fields by an explosion. No, poor animal carrying weapons and men. Dogs trained to find injured soldiers. 200, 000 pigeons transporting data during WWII. Mules with their vocal cords slashed not to be heard by the enemies. Of parachuted animals – dogs, horses… – only 1 out of 8 would survive. Dolphins used to find mines and keep our ships safe.

Some even you would have never imagined: glow-worms used by soldiers in the trenches to read!

60 special heroes received the equivalent of the Victoria Cross. One story will bring tears to your eyes – Mary the pigeon who flew back to her base to ring secret information, although the German hawks in Calais had ripped her neck and breast open…

Animals in war memorial
Brook gate
Park Lane
London W1

Another memorial worth seeing is the one dedicated to the women’s role during WWII…

This week-end is planned to be rain-free – throw away your umbrellas!

- Museums will be open late this week-end – check the events here!

- Happy Birthday to the Tate, 10 years old! A fab program is planned for the coming days. The occasion to see their community garden too, generally closed to the public (a few pics here)

- Stop at Fortnum and Mason, skip the delicatessen part, head for the first floor and have a look at some calorie-free but appetizing works of art…

- Chase a giant banana, it’s for a good cause… Or would you prefer a few steps of tango?

- Surely you will not resist a little shopping? The Spirit of Summer Fair will compensate for the missing sun…

- A little girl’s dream: the dollhouse festival. So cute!

- Why not a pop-quizz @ Selfridges? (And if you are hunting elephants, you’ll find one close to their official elephant shop)

- Finf out more about the Women’s library archives…

You’ll find me… savouring tapas @ Casa Brinsida, discovering the newly re-opened Florence Nightingale museum, and -so not laugh!- at the cress festival to enjoy their farmers’ market. Your turn: what are your advice for the week-end?

Fed up spending your evenings wrapping a mountain of presents in golden gift paper? Chill out!

- Mix your own soda on Thursday…

- Take your kids to the Scoop on Friday to sing Xmas…

- Or play Gay Bingo on Friday at Selfridge’s…

- Munch your way through the slow food market on Southbank or at the Real food market at Covent Garden, more gourmet.

- Have the kids create their own Xmas disguise…

- Or ride in a carriage at Kew Gardens…

- A little flight simulation, guys?

- Or would you prefer a pint and some table football?

- Have a look at the new Sherlock Holmes @ Mme Tussaud (and double the occasion with the Sherlock Holmes museum a few steps away)

- Listen to poetry and short stories in Hyde Park while eating mince pies…

- Grab a glass of mulled wine and listen to Xmas carols @ Covent Garden…

- Stop at St Pancras and see ice sculptures…

- Watch the Chinese Circus and dream…

- Add a little pop street art…

You’ll find me at the All of everything exhibition between two suitcases to be packed…

Si Burlington Arcade ne semble pas, au premier coup d’oeil, etre passee a l’heure de Noel, c’est qu’il faut considerer la gallerie dans ses details…
If Burlington Arcade may not seem festive at first sight, check again, it is all into small details…

A moins que vous ne preferiez les trucs en plume?
Unless you prefer a gift hunting approach?

Chez Ted Baker, les festivites s’annoncent cocasses…
Ted Baker much prefers a humorous xmas…

Les petits et grands enfants prefereront Winter Wonderland dans Hyde Park. De jour, simple fete foraine, un peu factice, mais ideale pour les petits. De nuit, la magie surgit, elle brille de mille feux…
There’s something for everyone, though @ Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.  By day, it does look a bit tacky, a giant fairground, ideal when you have kids. But by night, oh, how magical!

Inutile de resister, la grande roue vous tend les bras… Vous apercevrez l’autre roue de Londres, the Big Eye et Westminster. £7.45 la place, mais largement le temps de remplir vos yeux d’etoiles…
Don’t even think of resisting, how could you not go on the big wheel? You’ll even see the London Eye and Westminster from up there. Not cheap @ £7.45/person, but well enough time to fill your eyes or camera with pretty lights…

Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park
London

Jusqu’au 03 janvier 2010
Until january 03. 2010

In my daily rushed routine, where thoughts are always turned to saving time, I tend to settle for highstreet bookshops on my way. A quick look at the “must read” of the moments, flashy covers, take a few notes, order on Amazon to get a better price. So very practical but the process lacks little gems, tastes too much like the Entertainment section of the Times to be fully satisfying.

An improbable walk suddenly takes me through Holland Park, a few more streets and I am standing in front of Daunt, wooden frame, Edwardian look, one of those independant libraries that make you feel like sitting on the floor, build a castle of books around you and hide there for hours. They give you a taste back for adventure, exploration and losing complete track of time…

The London section is just amazing and I write down pages of references… My heart urges for the City, for its secret life.

In this Ali Baba cavern, I discover the Park Sories collection -  8 short stories taking place in London royal parks. Amazing isn’t it that this litterary genre tends to disappear when it probably is the most adapted to our way of life, always running, always commuting, never having much time for ourselves? This is the perfect format – can be read on the way to work, can fit easily in your handbag…

Of course, you can’t be a Londoner without have walked, strolled, jogged through our royal parks, circled the Serpentine, met at the Orangerie, sat in our of the deckchairs (and been made to pay for it), saluted St James’ pelicans, climbed up to Greenwich’s observatory, looked Richmond’s deers in the eyes…

I expected the parks to play a bigger role. I wanted historical details, caves, secrets, white pebbles I could follow next time. Quite the contrary – the park is just a background, a thread in the story. Disappointing? No -  a different feeling arises. This infuses the park, your park, the one you knew for a particular buzz and atmosphere with a different personnality somehow – a different angle to look at it. It brings and emotion, an identity to it. Anf you will want to run at te Diana Memorial, fly away at St James, make fun of tourists at Greenwich, believe in ghosts in Green Park.

At £2 the book, is there realy any hesitation to be had? Go ahead. Fall in love with the vison of kensington by a little girl from Koweit (Hanan al-Shaykh, a beauty Parlour for the swans) and the sad magical love story in St James (Clare Wigfall, Along birdcage walk).

Park stories

Available on the Royal Parks website or at Daunt Books (several branches)

L’une de mes cliches preferes sur Londres – sur les bords de Kensington Gardens et Hyde Park, 250 artistes exposent leurs oeuvres a meme les grilles. Des membres de la Royal Academy of Art, des peintres au nom bien installes, de parfaits inconnus.

Fabuleux en ete, les toiles colorees prennent tout leur relief sur le fond vert des haies.

Vous y trouverez de tout, des plages de reve, des portraits, des natures mortes, des petits chats, de l’art abstrait… Les peinture laquees, emaillees sont particulierement belles.

Et oui, les tableaux sont a vendre. Avec ou sans le cadre. Vous pourrez, la plupart du temps, payer par carte.

Pssst! Jetez un coup d’oeil de l’autre cote de la rue. La facade protegeant les travaux a ete transformee en boite a couleurs, chaque crayon portant une phrase ou un titre different…

Bayswater Road
London
W2 2UD
Le long de Kensington Gardens et Hyde Park
Along Kensignton Gardens and Hyde Park
Le dimanche / Sundays: 10.00 – 18.00
Metro / tube: Bayswater

One of my favourite walks in London – along Kensington gardens and Hyde Park, 250 artists put on a giant show on the railings. Members of the exposent Royal Academy of Art, some famous painters, yet unknown ones…

Great in summer, the colours really are at their best on the vibrant green hedges.

There’s something for every taste: exotic beaches, portraits, abstract art… even cute cats. I favour the enamel works, bright and lacquered.

And yes, everything is for sale. With or without the frame. You can most of the time pay by Maestro or credit card.

Pssst! Have a look on the other side of the street. The fence protecting the building work have been transformed into an army of pencils, each with a different title or phrase. How fun!