I have just finalised plans for another short escape from London to Kent this week and I can’t wait! For a start there are Punch & Judy Celebrations taking place in Canterbury on Saturday which I’m really looking forward to! I shall obviously be taking my beloved camera with me & so I hope to update you about all the puppet related festivities shortly!
As much as I am looking forward to observing all the Punch & Judy mayhem, I am even more excited about returning to my hometown of Medway, and seeing family and friends. Thinking ahead to the events planned for this week has concurrently made me cast my mind back to a trip to Rochester Cathedral that I made back in August.
During my visit to Rochester an impressive artwork was displayed within the Cathedral, entitled ‘The People’s Monarch’ which was designed by Helen Marshall. This huge mosaic was only at the Cathedral for two weeks (8-19 Aug) & I was lucky enough to visit whilst it was there. It seemed such a shame that I had never actually blogged about this jubilee-themed artwork, or the beautiful setting of Rochester Cathedral, & so all this reminiscing has made me decide to put this right! Better late than never! 😉
More than 5,000 BBC viewers and listeners in the South East helped to create a unique artwork to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Artist Helen Marshall, aided by computer art experts pollytiles, used the images that were submitted to create a special photo mosaic portrait of the Queen.
Many people submitted family portraits, photos of their ancestors, snaps of important occasions in their lives and of times that made them laugh. Some viewers used the opportunity to share precious memories of loved ones they had lost
The final portrait is 38 square metres, the size of a double decker bus!
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? – 1 Corinthians 1:20
Information about the mosaic artwork is taken from from Helen Marshall’s website. For further details about ‘The People’s Monarch’ and other projects please visit: http://www.helenmarshall.co.uk
Here are some photographs which were taken during an indulgent & leisurely afternoon, spent with a wonderful friend. We enjoyed champagne afternoon tea followed by a stroll around the beautiful Kensington Gardens and I couldn’t resist capturing some of the sights!
Delicious food, bright sunshine & great company! A perfect day 🙂
Sweet tooth! Some of the goodies at the Corus Hotel
Time for bubbly! 🙂
One of the dresses for the Operatic shows
View of the chandelier
Kensington Gardens
The Italian Garden fountains at Kensington Gardens
The Italian Gardens
It wouldn’t be a ‘Beside the See Side’ blog update without a deckchair photo! 😉
Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog Samantha x Beside the See Side
What could be better than a birthday party? Maybe two birthday partys! How about if at one birthday party the Birthday Girl’s face is presented on fabulous masks! And then maybe at the other party the Birthday Boy’s face could appear on the birthday cake. And we could all knock back cocktails and eat massive pizzas and drink endless amounts of wine. If that could happen this is what it could look like…
It all starts so civilised!
Anna & some masked mates! Thanks to Penny Miller for supplying this pic
Ahhhhh! Wheres my pizza!
Oooo! Scary couple!
How beautiful! 😉
A nice, quiet rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’… with a Gong!
Blow out the candles and wish for cake…
…Ta-Dah!
Happy Birthday Girl
Urgh! Bill time!
2nd birthday party of the day! Happy Birthday to Enda who will be playing banjo at some of my up & coming gigs. No Enda masks at this party. Although his image did appear on his birthday cake!
Time for one last hurrah! A big party which everyone was invited to!
On Monday 10th September, 21 floats filled with 800 exceptional sports men and women journeyed through the streets of London. The Victory Parade provided us with an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our Olympians & Paralympians. Our Great British athletes have provided us with an amazing, unforgettable summer, and an estimated one million people wanted to show their appreciation by lining the route of the parade. I already miss the Olympics and Paralympics. But all good things must come to an end. Boo hoo! Thanks for the memories
The crowd begin to gather on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral
What could be better than a day on the beach in the sunshine? How about a day on the beach and a trip in a giant helium balloon! I was missing Dorset and so decided to briefly return, and this time the seaside destination was Bournemouth. Now Bournemouth may have a reputation for being a bit bland, but don’t believe the naysayers. It’s a vibrant, fun place to visit, but perhaps the best way to view it is from the air in their iconic tethered balloon.
Deckchair for a giant
Going dizzy!
Tunes from the bandstand
The Union Jack candle display
Up & Away
The park below
The balloon provides 20 mile views of Bournemouth & the English Channel
The Bournemouth Balloon reaches a height of 500ft (not ideal for those with vertigo!)
I have to admit it. It’s true. I am clearly suffering from POD (Post Olympic Depression!) The expectations and excitement surrounding the Olympics was so high, and yet it proved to be even better than we had hoped for. The vibe in London during the Olympic fortnight was really positive, and the atmosphere within the sports venues was electric. I was extremely lucky to witness some spectacular sporting events, and I’m so proud of our fantastic city and our inspiring sports men and women. I took some (ok, a lot!) of photographs during London 2012, which I hope may be of help to anyone else currently suffering from POD! Really can’t wait till the Paralympics starts! 🙂
Pride the Lion on his way to Wembley
First day of badminton at Wembley Arena
Team GB’s Susan Egelstaff winning her opening badminton match
Meeting the media
Ultimate outfit!
Super fast Table Tennis at the ExCel Centre
Winning a place in the final
Inspire a generation
Hyde Park, a rainbow, and another gold for Team GB
The Dressage at Greenwich
Style, skill and beauty
Charlotte Dujardin ensures Team GB are no.1
Support for Team GB at the Equestrian Dressage
The Games Makers
USA in the bronze medal fencing match
USA winning the bronze in an extremely close battle.
China on the way to becoming Olympic champions
The medal ceremony
Its gold!
The Olympic Park
The Aquatic Centre
Synchronised swimming
Diving into the Aquatic pool
Aiming for a place in the final
The colourful Olympic Park
The BBC
Watching the Athletics on the big screen in the Olympic Park
Ooooo! So many mascots! So much merchandise! So many shops!
With just a few days to go until the Olympic Opening Ceremony, it seems that summer is finally here and so to is Olympic fever! As someone who is definitely in the ‘yay’ rather than the ‘nay’ camp for London 2012, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see the Olympic torch on its journey through Haringey to Alexandra Palace. Personally I believe the Olympics to be a great opportunity for Britain, and I am looking forward to attending some of the sporting events and celebrations over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy these images of the Olympic torch relay as much as I enjoyed attending the event today.
I decided that it was time to briefly leave the noise and general chaos of my London life behind and seek some solace and relaxation in the Hertfordshire countryside. So with Elphie the Dog as my tour guide, I spent a peaceful Saturday afternoon exploring and photographing the sights of Quickswood.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Please pop by again soon 🙂
It’s that time of year again, so get the Pimm’s and the strawberries & cream ready as Wimbledon is in full swing! 21 years ago I first dreamed of making it to the Centre Court and now I have finally been there!! Ok, so I had planned to be playing on the court rather than watching from the stands… but it was still a great experience! 😉 I had such a good time attending the tournament last week that I thought I’d share some photos
Brollies at the ready
Aorangi Terrace aka Henman Hill/Murray Mound
Play is suspended 😦
Yes, of course I got lost!
The covers are off!
Kim Clijsters on Centre Court
Andrea Hlavackova
Kim Clijsters
Victory for Kim Clijster 6-3 6-3 against Andrea Hlavackova
Defending champion Novak Djokovic
Great atmosphere on Centre Court
Djokovic
Game, set, and match Djokovic, 6-4 6-4 6-4 against Harrison
It’s another cold, windy and rainy summer’s afternoon, and I am really missing the sunshine! So to cheer myself up a bit I have decided to blog about happier times, about a time when the sun shone and Brighton Pier beckoned. I am so nostalgic for those days (Monday afternoon to be precise!) that I thought I’d share a few photographs of a welcomed escape from London.
On the 20th May 1899, Brighton Pier was officially opened in a lavish ceremony, for which the Pier was illuminated by 3,000 light bulbs.
So many sweets, so hard to resist!
…strike a pose!
The Pier was previously known as the Palace Pier. Following a name change to Brighton Pier this sign was attached in 2000
The view from the Pier of the Brighton Wheel
The first pleasure piers were constructed during the early 19th century, and became extremely popular during the Victorian era.
Brighton Pier was Grade II listed on 20 August 1971
The carousel ride on Brighton Pier is known as Brighton Pier’s Gallopers, and contains 45 hand painted horses. Each horse has their own name.
Tragedy and Comedy
Guarding the Dome
Brighton unveiled their first Dodgem rides in 1932, just four years after the Messrs Lusse Brothers first brought Dodgem rides to Britain.
With two big drops and a loop the loop, Turbo Coaster is Brighton Pier’s popular rollercoaster
Spinning Around!
Waiting to be won
Scream if you want to go faster – and I’m not talking about the Terrorvision album 😉
Bling! There are two large amusement arcades on the Pier – The Palace of Fun and the Dome
Brighton Pier took 8 years to be built – from 1891 through to its grand opening on 20th May 1899, and cost £27,000 to construct, a staggering amount for that time.
Samantha Edgley Photography 