A Flying London Visit...

Yesterday we did a flying visit through London. We don't often get down there, but every once in a while we leave our green surrounds and explore this concrete jungle. We only had a few hours, we decided to go and visit St Paul's Cathedral. DH and I had visited St. Paul's about 16 years ago - BC (Before Children) - and were keen to take our daughters to have a look. The whispering gallery proved to be a big hit as well as Nelsons Crypt, which is where Lord Nelson and a few of his ship captains are buried.

The observation deck which is about halfway up - roughly 300 steps up - {my calves are killing me today} allowed us to get some fanatic birds-eye views of the city...

The girls noted that this very bridge was used in the filming of one of the Harry Potter movies...

The girls and I got all excited about this...

We want to come back to London for a few days in the summer and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is on the 'To Do' list.

We all marvelled at how teeny-tiny everyone below was :o)...

But what made this and any trip to the City so special was coming home to our quiet, green countryside. Last night the sunset seemed particularly beautiful and peaceful...

As I sat in the conservatory sipping a great cuppa tea, I pondered on our day... There is no doubt that the city is an exciting place to visit. It is vibrant, exciting, diverse. London is very metropolitan and it is fun to see all the many visitors from the Continent, indeed, all over the world, bustle about this vibrant city. But... for me it is not a place I could live. I love wide open spaces, the green, the peace. I love the small market town in which we live. I love how the wildlife is what bustles around me here. I love the slow pace at which I live, the simple pleasures that catch my attention. I love that people say 'hello' and smile when I pass them on a walk. Some we have seen over and over again on our walks. We have become 'acquainted' and stop and chat about this and that for a while. It's friendly. Miss J-L commented by the end of our London trip how no-one smiled or even made eye contact. Yes - it's the country life for me, and somehow today - I appreciate it so much more :o)

Have a lovely day all...