I think London wants me to go home. All week, the weather has been absolutely dreadful. Cold, rain, hail, wind, thunder. A few brief moments of sunshine, followed by drenching downpours.
And in all of this rain, the jack hammering continues as London works to replace their Victorian water pipes. Ugh!
On Monday, our trip to Kew Gardens was a little disappointing. While we enjoyed visiting the conservatories, it was just too cold and wet to fully appreciate the outdoor displays.
Then on Tuesday, I was stuck on a bus at the north end of Charing Cross Road, near the Tottenham Court Road station. A 30 minute journey lasted about 90 minutes. Traffic was almost at a complete standstill, and the bus driver wouldn’t let me off. ”Not safe,” he said. The only solution for me was to pull out my latest knitting project and begin to knit. Knitting helped me to “Keep calm and carry on.”
The UK is known as a constitutional monarchy. Unlike the US, its constitution is unwritten. The balance of power between the monarch and Parliament has evolved over time and is governed by various agreements, laws, and rulings rather than one all encompassing document. We learned this on an informative tour of the Houses of Parliament last Saturday.
This place is dripping with history, in every nook and cranny. Officially, it is known as the Palace of Westminster, and the first palace goes back to the days of King Edward the Confessor in the mid-11th century. Although much of the palace was rebuilt following a devastating fire in 1834, visitors begin their tour in one of the oldest parts of the building – Westminster Hall – which was originally built in 1097. The hammer-beam roof was constructed in the late 1300′s under Richard II. This enormous hall served as the law courts until the 19th century, as well as holding government offices and early meetings of Parliament.
Westminster Hall
This hall is where King Charles I and St. Thomas More were tried and convicted, leading to their executions. It was used for coronation banquets until the 19th century, but since the early 20th century, the hall has been used for official lying in-state of a deceased monarch or important member of the royal family. Lots and lots of history here.
Our tour guide also provided a general history of how Parliament developed over time, from the king’s advisory council to today’s House of Commons and House of Lords. She described the rituals and symbolism associated with the annual State Opening of Parliament. This video shows a bit of the pomp and ceremony that surrounds the Queen’s speech outlining each year’s governmental agenda.
I’m planning to return to Parliament in the near future to observe some debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Michael and I also visited the Tate Britain on Saturday, which is located close to the Houses of Parliament. This art museum’s focus is British art since 1500.
Entrance to Tate Britain art museum
My favorite piece of the day:
The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse 1888
In other news, I’ve started another knitting project – a pair of socks. I’ve never knitted socks before, so we’ll see… But I love the color of the yarn – a rainbow of blues! And our amaryllis is getting ready to bloom in a burst of red! How appropriately political.
I think it has been at least 15 years since I have knit anything. I found a small yarn shop about a mile from our flat, splurged on Peruvian alpaca wool, and bought myself a bamboo circular needle, which I love. The pattern came from my mother, via my sister. It’s a vest that I’m making for me, unless it’s too small. Then a lucky petite person may get it for Christmas!
What do you think?
I love the rhythmic repetition of the stitches, the feel of the soft wool and the warm, smooth needles, the rich color with a hint of purple. So soothing and relaxing! It’s so satisfying to make something.
The Victoria and Albert Museum has a new exhibit called “The Power of Making.” The purpose of the exhibit is to “celebrate the role of making in our lives by presenting an eclectic selection of over 100 exquisitely crafted objects, ranging from a life-size crochet bear to a ceramic eye patch, a fine metal flute to dry stone walling.”
A couple of weeks ago, I visited the exhibit. It’s an interesting collection that includes traditional crafts, as well as the latest technological creations. There’s a super large Aran knitted rug on super-sized needles (by Christien Meindertsma), a very life-like crocheted bear (by Shauna Richardson), and a multi-dimensional knitted dress (by Sandra Backlund) in this unusual mix of objects. The creators of the exhibit wanted us visitors to contemplate the role of making in our own lives. Today, when we need something, we just think to go out and buy that something. We’ve lost the connection to how things are made and created. So I’m doing my part. Back to making my vest…
