LondonKings

British police have confirmed the name of the third London Bridge terrorist in an attack that ended Saturday with the trio gunned down by police at the Borough Market after killing seven people and wounding half a hundred. They are Youssef Zaghba, the son of an Italian and a Moroccan and born in Fez, recently employed in a restaurant in London.

Like his two comrades in the terrorist attack had been on the radar of the security forces. According to "IlCorriere della Sera", in March 2016 he was arrested in Bologna for attempting to travel to Syria. The Italian intelligence services then informed those of Morocco and the United Kingdom and included it in their antiterrorist files.

The other two London terrorists are 27-year-old Khuram Shazad Butt, with traces of being the ringleader of the group, and Rachid Redouane, 30, a Libyan-Moroccan resident of the Barking neighborhood in East London. Redounae had lived in Ireland, married there with a Londoner with whom he had a son, and carried Irish documentation at the time of the attack.

Butt's case has caused a major dust in the UK, because it had come to appear last year as one of the protagonists of a Channel 4 television documentary titled "The Jihadists of the Door Beside." Dressed in robes and uncovered, they displayed before the cameras a black flag like the Daesh in the London park of Rengent's Park. He was also reported to the police by a mother who accused him of attempting to proselytize Salafi with his son and by an acquaintance alarmed by his extremist ideas.

MI5 investigated it but let it run. It has even been revealed that last year she worked for a few months on the tube at Westminster station, located in the neuralgic area of ​​British power, on foot of Parliament and very close to the Foreing Office and the residence of the prime minister.
In the three jihadist attacks that the UK has suffered in just ten weeks, the same police error has been repeated: terrorists were once monitored by security forces, but then ignored them. The Government alleges that 3,000 suspects are constantly being monitored in 500 investigations, but that there are 20,000 more individuals and the task is enormous. Interior recalls that since 2013 the police and the MI5 abort 18 terrorist attacks, five since the Westminster Bridge on March 22.

Terrorism is already polarizing the campaign. The mayor of London, Labor Muslim Sadiq Khan, has criticized this morning that the police stopped controlling Butt.

If you didn’t grow up in England, there’s a chance you’ve never heard of Charles Bronson. And if you’re lucky, you’ll never actually meet the guy. He’s a well-spoken, eccentric man who, after carrying out bizarre and outlandish crimes, achieved a weird notoriety among the British public over the last few decades and has became an iconic but tragic figure. And even though he’s never killed anyone, he’s spent more time in jail than most of Britain’s mass murderers. Here are just a few facts about his life.

5. Bronson’s Art Career

 
With all those years in prison, Bronson has had plenty of time to develop a reputation as an “outsider artist.” He’s won seven Koestler awards for art and poetry and has had his work featured—illegally—on the London Underground as well as published in several newspapers and magazines (with all the proceeds donated, by him, to children’s hospices). However, it all went wrong when Bronson’s prison art teacher, Phil Danielson, took a vested interest in Bronson as a gifted student. He got pretty close to Bronson and their relationship blossomed into something like trust until one day he was overly critical of one of Bronson’s paintings. 

Bronson lost it. He tied up Danielson with a skipping rope and then fashioned a spear out of a knife and a pool cue and held Danielson hostage for 44 hours, all the while gibbering, ranting and raving, and forcing Danielson to march around the room for his amusement. Bronson will probably never be released after this incident—it garnered him a life sentence. Danielson, traumatized by the incident, will probably never work again.

4. Bronson The Spy

 
In 2001, Charles Bronson was contacted by a Muslim woman named Saira who had seen his picture in the paper and become fascinated by him. She wrote to Bronson and he wrote back, and pretty soon they got married. He was 48 and she was 31. Later that year, Bronson changed his name to Ali Charles Ahmed in honor of his new wife’s father and converted to Islam. According to Bronson’s book Loonyology, he was later visited by two people he believes were government spies. 

Two mysterious men in dark suits arrived one day and tried to recruit him to spy on other Muslim prisoners. When he asked them who they were, they said, “It’s not who we are, it’s what we are.” Bronson refused their offer by spitting in their faces, and they left after threatening that there would be repercussions. According to prison officials, the incident never happened. The marriage ended up lasting four years before the two got divorced and Ali Charles Ahmed renounced Islam and became Charles Bronson once again.

3Bronson, The Movie

In 2009, Charles Bronson’s life story was made into a movie with Tom Hardy in the role of Bronson. Tom Hardy visited Bronson in prison multiple times to get a grip on the character and described Bronson as “a very articulate, gentle, funny, and clever man.” Although Hardy was quick to condemn Bronson’s violent acts, he stressed that it was his duty as an actor to understand the character he was playing without getting judgmental about it. 

Bronson really liked Tom Hardy, and Hardy was desperate to make sure that he didn’t upset Bronson with his performance in case he ended up “rolled up in a carpet and dropped to the bottom of the Thames.” So while filming, he made sure to have a close friend of Bronson’s on hand for questions and spent a lot of time with Bronson’s family. Bronson was so into the whole idea of being immortalized in film that he actually shaved off his iconic mustache and sent it to Tom to wear in the movie.

2. The Campaign For His Release

Charles Bronson is now over 60 years old. He’s been in jail for over two-thirds of his life and is kept in isolation at all times with five guards assigned to make sure there isn’t an incident every time he moves. Despite the fact that every appeal he’s made has been denied, his case has recently been the center of a campaign for his release that’s gathered 10,000 signatures. Bronson’s supporters argue that he has spent more time in jail than most murderers (Charles Bronson’s incidents, although violent, have never resulted in a death) and that he has recently turned over a new leaf, renouncing his old, violent ways. 

His supporters are now planning a fourth appeal, and if that fails they will lobby the European Court of Human Rights. This means that if he plays his cards right, he could be released in just a few years. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen.

1. His Latest Incidents

Despite now being old enough to qualify for a pension, Charles Bronson was recently involved in an attack on a prison officer that saw him moved to another jail. Another incident so bizarre and violent that it’s been making headlines happened a few months later. In May 2014, he was watching the FA cup final between Arsenal and Hull and found himself incensed at Arsenal’s victory. He says that he saw the ghost of Ronnie Kray encouraging him to start a riot with the guards. 

So, using his own internal logic, he stripped naked and covered himself in butter so that he would be harder to restrain and attacked at least a dozen guards in full riot gear, breaking a few of his ribs in the process. With that we can assume that Charles Bronson is pretty much the same as he ever will be: fascinatingly complex and utterly, completely bonkers.

I was talking to my friend Chloe about making this blog, which is, of course, about living in London. Most of my friends are overseas (mostly in Australia as that is where I’m from) and they find it interesting. Bizarrely, my family has moved to a popular place, which didn’t quite hit me until recently. It seems to be one of those places people really want to go to, whether it be for the shopping or for a change of scenery, it’s just one of those places. Also apparently around Oxford St. and Camden and such, you’re supposed to see a lot of celebrities. Not totally sure about that, seeing as I go to those places fairly often and I’ve only ever seen Hannah Murray from the show Skins on Warren St.


London has never taken my interest, particularly. I want to be back at home in Australia if I’m totally honest. My best friends are there and most of my best memories too. But I don’t mind it here. I do have friends and they’re good, thankfully they understand how and why I get stressed and homesick. Right now, I’m looking to join a band. Two bands contacted me about joining them as I got the flu and am unable to show them any examples of my voice! One is in North West London and I can’t even remember where the other is.

My Top 5 Places In London:

1. The Pogo Cafe.

Vegan cafe in Hackney. I’m not vegan but by George they make the finest milkshakes.
I haven’t been there much lately but my friend Sophia and I used to have our own little tradition of going there every Friday.

2. The-Starbucks-Across-The-Road-From-Maida Vale-Underground Stn.

I used to live in Maida Vale when I was about 9 or 10 and I love that area. I think it’s quite pretty. Me and my friends used to go to the Starbucks across the road from the underground station after our GCSE study group on Mondays.

3. Camden High St.

This is, in my opinion, where you go if you want a corset or platforms that are higher than your head (I’m kidding). I love it there.

4. Oxford St.

I really like Oxford St. I go there whenever I have spare money. Normally I go thinking ‘I’ll go to Topshop and get new clothes!’ but end up leaving with more books and CDs from HMV and Books Etc.

5. South Woodford.

Which is where my favorite second hand stores are.
Next time I shall be writing about a specific place/event.

There are loads of things I love about living in London. The city is eclectic, a cosmopolitan metropolis stuffed to the brim with architecture and people, all jostling for their own bit of precious space in a city so vastly expansive but yet so crowded.

I’d liken my feelings about London to the way I feel about my favorite old pair of socks. Yeah, the left one has a hole in the toe, they’re both so misshapen from thousands of washes and they slip down the backs of your ankles until they finish in a bunch in that uncomfortable part of your foot. But you don’t (nay, can’t) throw them out. They stay in a ball at the bottom of your drawer for the end of a hard day at work, when you can wiggle them on.

That’s how London feels to me. For all its flaws – the uncomfortably crowded tube journeys, the people who barge you out of the way, the dirty graffiti and the urine soaked phone boxes – I still wouldn’t know what to do if I lost my dirty, stinky, unwashed London socks in the laundry.

The two cities do not compare. Visiting the UK again I'm not even interested in visiting Manchester again despite those many years I lived there, but London visits are always welcome.

I suggest the below not quite random classifications;

1. Weather
2. Culture
3. Nightlife
4. People
5. Food
6. Transport
7. Surroundings
8. Cost

1. Weather in London

London; Milder than the north all year. The leaves tend to fall off the trees at least a month later in autumn. You tend to have a few summer days a year that are virtually Spanish in terms of temperatures.

Manchester; The cliche is true, it rains a lot in Manchester. I've missed two whole summers where it was heavily overcast for six weeks right through the mid summer period. It gets depressing and over time became my main motivation for emigrating! (seriously!)

2. Culture in London

London; World class collections of art and antiquities, free to visit on your doorstep. Performing arts; theater and gigs galore. Great buildings and so many stories from the history of the place. There are few cities in the world that come even close.

Manchester; A few museums to satisfy perhaps 5 weekends in total. A few shows but really minimal. A relatively small selection for a biggish city. Some good gigs at The Arena.

3. Nightlife in London

London; It's not a city that never sleeps, but you can certainly go out every night if you wish. There are a heap of different areas offering their own social centres e.g. you can live in Islington and just go out there with plenty of choice.  Plenty of good pubs too!

Manchester; Quieter mid week, but plenty of nightlife at the weekend. The city centre is split in a weird way by commercial buildings so you have two social centres; Deansgate and canal Street. They kind of meet at one end of the centre.

4. People in London

London; Big cities cause people to have a protective facade, so you're not running into people on the street and striking up lifelong friendships that much. However so many of the people are not from London or even Britain that through work, study, activities you are going to meet people in a more relaxed setting. I have lifelong friends in London despite no longer living there.

Manchester; It's friendlier up north, on a superficial level. I was shocked by the barriers that people put up in Manchester. It isn't the same as Liverpool, Leeds or Nottingham, where I've also lived. There's a hard streak and after 11 years and a little time away I have one friend in the Manchester area.

5. Foods in London

London; You name it, you can find it. If I want decent food in the UK London is the place to find it. You want Michelin stars? No problem. Decent pub food? Also fine.

Manchester; My wife is something of a foody, and that was a problem in Manchester. You can easily find the usual British cholesterol enhancing tasteless stuff. Good restaurants are more difficult. I liked El Rincon and some of the places in Chinatown. Some pubs outside the city do great Sunday Lunches, but in general, yuck.

6. Transport in London

London; HM Gov spends 2700 GBP per head on transport in London compared to 134 GBP in Manchester, and it shows. (Transport cash 'skewed to London') I chuckled in the tube station when people were complaining they had to wait 11 minutes for the next train. My service in Manchester was every forty minutes, and sometimes they were cancelled without notice.

7. Surroundings in london

London; The city itself takes up a big swathe of the South East, and it's surrounded by places where the life has been sucked into the centre. Still though, well connected by rail so easy enough to get out and see the coast or countryside. If you like hill walking though, forget it.

Manchester; You have some great cities within easy reach. Liverpool and Leeds especially, and both worth seeing. You have countryside around you and the Lake District is an easy drive. Plenty of coastal resorts in easy reach too.

8. Cost- in London

London; The rents have been getting progressively crazier since I lived there. You're likely stuck with a flat share to afford it there now. Transport costs are cheap. Food and drinks can be obtained at decent prices. (There's a broad spectrum of incomes there and all are catered for.) That said, the more money you have the more of the stuff to enjoy you can actually do. Incomes are higher, so although you pay more the retirement savings they sock away for you are also higher. (Therefore if you intend to live there just a few years you're lining up a better retirement, plus all the benefits outlined elsewhere). Salary for comfortable living; 40-50k

Manchester; Cheaper than London however rents have also been increasing apace. Plenty of cheap food and drink. Perhaps 30% cheaper than London overall. Salary for comfortable living; 25-35k

Another thing while I was in Manchester

I've lived in Manchester and London, they both have advantages and disadvantages.

Manchester is a lot smaller. Everything is just on a smaller scale. That's not necessarily a good or bad thing. Manchester is big enough and enough of an economic center that there's not much you won't find.

• The centre is quite similar to the West End of London. It has a Piccadilly, a Selfridges, a Harvey Nichols and a Chinatown as well as the obvious cinemas bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
• The 'Northern Quarter' is quite similar to Soho.
• The rest of the inner city is more similar to Camden or Archway.
• Salford Quays is similar to London Docklands.
• Didsbury is quite similar to Islington.
• South and West of Manchester you get the Cheshire countryside which is very similar to the Home Counties, but a lot closer to the centre of the city.
• North and East of Manchester you get the Pennine Hills, which have no real equivalent near London.
• House prices and rent are both a lot lower, other prices aren't that much different. Overall it's approximately 25-30% cheaper to live in Manchester.
• There's no underground in Manchester, just a (IMO not very good) tram. But as it's much smaller, it's far more practical to have a car or bike. Travel times are way lower.
• Manchester's university campus and 'student area' is huge and all together in one area.
• Nightlife is a bit quieter during the week in Manchester, but it's buzzing at the weekend.
• There isn't the sheer variety of restaurants in Manchester that there is in London, but it's still OK.
• Central Manchester lacks the parks that London has, but it's a lot easier to get into the countryside.
• The weather overall is worse in Manchester.
• It's a bit of a cliche, but people are more friendly outside London. 

If you think it could possibly work for you, try London first.

I have no idea what your answer should be, but it won't be a hard choice for you to make.

They are totally different beasts, like comparing somewhere like Philadelphia with New York, or Paris with Lille.

Don't for one moment think these cities have much in common. Sure Didsbury is a bit like Islington, in so far as they both have people with blonde kids, left leading intelligent types and nice trousers, but they are no in any way similar. Didsbury has media sales managers on 22K a year leasing out BMW 3series with their monthly bonuses, Islington has world famous writers, diplomats daughters and famous rock-stars.

London is Best City Ever to Live

If you want to live life in the middle, to get by, to be comfortable and to do sensible things Manchester if for you, but to really live life, there is no option in the UK except London.

You will either get to London and know you simply have to be there, you will see the many massive issues with living there, the expensive, the size, the scale, the disgusting living and commuting conditions and you will love it for the amazingness that outshines all of this. London is almost like being at the center of the world, it's home to the brightest, best, hardest working, most competitive, most interesting people around. London is a spectacularly stupid place to want to live, but for many they can't imagine being anywhere else. It's an abusive but amazing relationship.

Or you just won't get it it.

In which case Manchester is far far far far more sensible. It's a totally logical place to live, but for me, it's for those that gave up on their dreams and who take a trip to London once a year to reassure themselves they prefer it up North, and they do this with success each time.

There is no such thing as a comfortable salary, people vary way more than salaries do and comfort means different things to different people.  On £25k a year in Manchester you can take your pic of any area in town, hang out in the best bars, own a car, join a nearby golf club, go to the nicest restaurants in town, and feel like a really "successful" person. Do feel the same in London you are not talking about earning 50% more, you are in a world of oligarchs and billionaires, you'd need ten times more. This doesn't mean people try to earn 10 times more but it does mean in London you change your view of what comfortable is. You accept that 50% of the city can't be lived in, that you will have to live with other people, that you won't own a car etc etc and for 30k you will have a comfortable life in a different way.

London’s biggest club, seOne, has thrown its last party. An announcement was made on 22 February that it had ceased trading with a statement from the club:

“It is with great sadness, that I must inform you that ‘seOne London’ ceased trading on Monday Afternoon, 22^nd February 2016.


After eight long, hard and exciting years, seOne London has fallen victim to the recession and hard times felt in nightclubs all over the UK. 

Another club in the capital bites the dust  – even hugely popular nightclubs are suffering from the recession, with reports that seOne struggled to fill the club any night other than Saturday.

seOne threw events as diverse as Raindance and Minus, and was one of the few venues still around where it was possible to go to a proper, dedicated drum and bass rave.

I feel an added sadness as the iconic club shuts its doors. Not only was it an excellent venue but it was one of the first places I ventured into in London, underage and passionate about music. I met my first boyfriend under the arches, I discovered Goldie and Hype and fell in love with drum and bass in general.

It’s a sad time for the clubs in the capital. With the end shutting early last year and Bagleys shutting a while before that, that’s three of my all time favorite clubs in the capital now gone. Which is why we have to support the petition to save Ministry, as its future also hangs in the balance.

London isn’t London without seOne. Thanks for the memories.

Right so in the traditional Christmas style, gather round children, I have a story or two to tell…
I’ve been very neglectful and haven’t been writing for awhile and eventually the guilt and haranguing from family members has meant that my last acts of 2015 will be to finally write up my Dunwich Dynamo and London to Paris experiences and enter 2016 with a clean conscience.

London to Paris – An Idea

I’d heard of London to Paris as an entity many times beforehand, I vaguely remember seeing that a school acquaintance had done it via Facebook as well, but it all stemmed from having to take a week of annual leave at some point before September or risk losing it. Trying to work out something useful to do in that week, Paris looked alright as it had been a long time since my last visit and fairly cheap to get to as well. The Megabus was threatening to be very cheap, albeit very very lengthy, when the thought of investigating if cycling it would be as cheap.

The ferry worked out as a nice cheap £20 and there was a very handily timed 11pm to 5am sailing as well that removed the need for an overnight stay. With the pieces coming together, the next step of putting a time challenge element on it to coax me along was thought of – Trafalgar Square to the Arc de Triomphe (some tongue in cheek symbolism is always good), 175 miles, a ferry trip and a new time zone in under 24 hours.

London to Paris – The Start

I managed to get the mishap out of the way very early on this ride, in pumping the tyres up to an ambitious 145/150psi to cater for the weight of the saddlepack and get the most out of the latex inner tubes (there’s some boring cycle science waffle here that I won’t go into unless asked), I managed to blow the tyre off the rim between leaving the flat and getting to Birmingham Moor Street station – a distance of possibly 1 mile. Weirdly, inspection on the train showed that the tube was intact despite its minor explosion and the tyre just needed putting back on. A more modest 120psi was chosen this time round.
Getting to Trafalgar Square for the designated start time of 5pm (August 17th 2015) was not a problem, quick photo of Nelson and music selection and everything was go, Arc de Triomphe by 5pm the next day or glorious failure.

London to Paris – The Ride

I made an effort to try and get out of London as quickly as possible – down Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge (plenty of time to see the sights), down by Elephant and Castle, learnt that Denmark Hill genuinely is a hill, the toll road (free to cyclists) at Dulwich Village is very nice but also has a proper hill in it, skirted past Crystal Palace, West Wickham and finally into some Surrey countryside by Biggin Hill and the M25. It was here that I misjudged a tight corner spectacularly badly, had to go onto the other side of the road and was lucky nothing was coming the other way. Suitably chastened, I stopped shortly afterwards for a picture and energy gel stop and to ask myself some searching questions about overconfidence in descending skills.
One or two slight navigational errors were quickly picked up by the Garmin’s alarmist bleeping whenever I deigned to ignore it and the cons in the choice of route became noticeable as the ride went on. Instead of plotting a path that was probably quicker, I’d gone for the direct shortest possible way which involved a fair few small country lanes also taking the direct shortest way up over the hills. Whilst going up Turner’s Hill, the front tyre felt very squishy which merited a quick tube change. I originally thought this was a slow puncture from the earlier incident but Strava claims this would have been nearly 4 hours later so I think something was ridden over. Apparently I was stopped for 13 minutes, but I claim I did the whole tube change in under 5 minutes and spent the rest eating cereal bars.


I overtook a couple who had gone past me whilst I was sorting my tube out, who I saw later on at the ferry (more on them much later) and the rest of the way into Newhaven there was nothing really to report. McDonalds provided dinner and after a short wait at the terminal I was allowed on the ferry. I’d not booked a cabin, just had a blow up pillow and the hope I’d find somewhere to sleep and maybe even a plug (success here). Ate my second dinner, a surprisingly reasonable chicken korma ready for the long day ahead in the morning.

A quick coffee and a moment to freshen up and it was time to get off the ferry. Ended up having a conversation with another cyclist as we waited to go through passport control – he asked me if I was going to Paris, which I was, and when I thought I’d get there, to which I replied ‘Mhmm, around lunchtime’, ‘Ah nice, which day?’, ‘T-today’, which returned an surprised yet impressed look. He was leading a team of 4 who were going to take 3-4 days to cover the route. We wished each other good luck and set off. Cycling through Dieppe in the dark, the Garmin took me through a supermarket car park and out the other side which did feel like it actually was a shortcut, even if a touch odd, and onto the D road that would take me to the outskirts of Paris. Even at this point Paris was given as a direction on the signs with the optimistic mileage (kilometreage?).


The plan was to ride to Gournay-en-Bray by which time things like shops might have begun to open and breakfast would be served. In the meantime I cycled around two hours in the dark, a little bit dopey, but had a friendly tailwind to help. The Avenue Verte is a cycle path created deliberately for London to Paris cyclists, but I thought I’d avoided it in my route planning (thinking it was like some of the British cycle paths) and certainly did for the first 20 miles in France, but did find myself on it which came in handy as it turns out. In one of the villages I went through on it, they had a newly built, nice public toilet facility, with a drinking water tap for topping up bottles. Absolutely perfect for me in all areas at that point. The risk to the Avenue Verte is the frequent points where it crosses roads, at half 6 in the morning I could take the risk that nothing was coming, later on in the day I can imagine it interrupting the rhythm quite a bit, other than that the surface was excellent.

Reaching Gournay, breakfast was served thanks to a Leclerc and then it was back on the road. Again the shortest, directest route issue came into play, where the main road went around a couple of villages, I went through them on odd tracks and it turned out not to be the easiest way. The road itself didn’t have many proper hills, it seemed to go straight on for ages and then have a gentle nagging drag up over a crest with no descent the other side. All of the work and none of the fun! I was beginning to flag, the effort and monotony of having been on a bike for so long was starting to grate but the spirits were rescued by the sight after climbing a hill at least 30 miles away from Paris. Way off in the distance was the hazy, but unmistakeable Eiffel Tower standing out apart on the landscape. After being within sight of Paris, I knew that I would definitely make it.

A long long straight windy road past an airport no-one English has heard before and it was time for the drop into Cergy-Pontoise, my unofficial ‘outskirts of Paris’ moment as from there it was all built up areas. A spot of lunch down by the river Oise was followed by a long grind up and away from the river, not particularly steep, just felt long and hard getting going again. The next 10 or so miles didn’t really have anything of note, other than although these were busy city routes, I didn’t feel in any danger as a confident cyclist getting through them. It looks bad on the map but it shouldn’t put anyone off. 

Reaching the bridge at Courbevoie suddenly it looked much more like the Paris you expect, the buildings changed and became grander with leafy boulevards. The cobbles of the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré were a good practice for the ones ahead on the Champs Élysées, especially factored into the route in order to tick off a cycling bucket list task of copying the last part of the Tour de France. The sheer traffic, coaches and constant traffic lights make it hard to get into a proper rhythm, but I’d like to think I was the quickest one up there that day – Strava tells me I was four minutes slower than the pros but I’d like to see them do it whilst paying attention to traffic lights.

At the top of the Champs Élysées is the Arc de Triomphe, the goal of the endeavour, the finish line and the most famous roundabout ornament in the world. The 4 or 5 lanes around it are some of the most feared for drivers, let alone cyclists but timing is everything, when I got to the junction there was a brief window of clear air and I sprinted across to the middle after a slow lap around the Arc. A good while was spent quietly taking in what I’d done, before some quick circuits of the Arc (currently 16th quickest out of 790) and off to the hotel.

Remember the couple I mentioned earlier? I cycled past them on the way to the hotel as it happened. We’d all done London to Paris in a day, but I’d arrived around 45 minutes earlier having ridden solo.

I arrived at the Arc at 2:32pm so the completed time was 21 hours and 32 minutes including the ferry and time difference.

Best things I packed:

• Blow up Pillow – amazing
• Mini Toothbrush/Toothpaste – felt great starting off the day at least a bit refreshed
• A battery pack – made sure all my lights were recharged on the ferry + my phone
• A good mini track pump – the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive
• A large saddle pack – an Ortlieb Classic in Large
• Good bib shorts! Don’t go cheap here
• Chamois cream – I don’t normally bother but for this sort of ride, do it

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What to do in London if you’re a teenager? How about shopping, cinema, adrenaline rides, games, sports and live music to get you started?


London is a city for everyone, including young adults and teenagers. Visit London to find the best bargain shops to buy new clothes; take to the sky for a thrill seeking ride; or book tickets to the next big event. Always carry your ID because you never know what discount prices and great savings you can enjoy as a teenager. And make sure you download the best London apps

Let’s start with a few classics, must-dos, and don’t-leave-London-withouts:

1) Get lost among the many floors at Topshop’s Oxford Street flagship store
2) Take a selfie at one of London best photo spots
3) Discover what the Drop Dead – Drop Ride to Doom really does to the human body at the London Dungeon
4) Relive your favourite films and TV shows at the Top 10 movie locations of London
5) Head to the West End to see the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus and hang out in Leicester Square

Been there, done that? Then venture a little further afield

6) Get a free haircut at the Toni & Guy Academy
7) Exhibit your work at the Tate Modern (using the digital drawing bar on Level 3)
8) Watch a real life court drama unfold at The Old Bailey (age 14+ only)
9) Learn how to make your own fashion and jewellery at The V&A Create! Young People’s events
10) Take to the skies with the Red Arrows in the Fly 360° interactive 3D flight simulators at the Science Museum

Get up in the air

11) Travel like a rock star on board a London Helicopter tour (as long as mum and dad are paying!)
12) Admire The View from The Shard at the top of Europe’s second tallest building
13) Go on the roof of London’s famous entertainment centre with an Up at The O2 adventure
14) Ride a cable car the London way on the Emirates Air Line (and get a discount when you show your Zip Oyster card)
15) See the city from 135 metres up on the Coca Cola London Eye, and try the multi-sensory, special effect 4D Experience afterwards.

For thrill seekers

16) Take to London’s famous river, James Bond style, in a speedboat
17) Test your nerve at the London Bridge Experience and descend into the London Tombs
18) Go hydrospeeding along an Olympic course at the Lee Valley White Water Rafting
19) Strap yourself in and hold on for dear life, it’s rollercoaster time at London’s theme parks
20) Fly down an epic zip-wire in the forest tree tops at Go Ape Trent Park

Shop the way you want

21) Play with the latest iPhones and iPads at the Apple Store Regent Street
22) Buy a prom dress that won’t break the bank at Lipsy in the Westfield London mall
23) Shop in a pop-up shipping container at East London’s Boxpark
24) Go along to the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend (under 18's must be accompanied by an adult; maximum of 2 minors per adult)
25) Come face to face with a giant wall of chocolate at M&M’s World

Shop in one place

26) See how the other half lives with a mooch around Harrods
27) Find everything under one roof at one of the biggest urban shopping centres in Europe, Westfield Stratford City
28) Explore the modern clothing stores along Carnaby Street in Soho and stop off for something to eat at Kingly Court, whilst you’re there
29) Visit London's first designer outlet shopping destination in Wembley
30) Find all your favourite brands in the grand department store, Selfridges

Shop for bargains

31) Find a hidden treasure at the open markets of Portobello, Camden, or Old Spitalfields
32) Dress for less at TK Maxx, Primark or any of London’s bargain fashion stores
33) Look out for big discounts, especially during the January sales
34) Tap into the retro vibe at one of London’s vintage clothing stores
35) Recycle and restyle whilst donating to a worthy cause in London's charity shops and thrift stores

For the sports nut

36) Tread in the footsteps of football legends at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea or Arsenal
37) If rugby is more your game, then Twickenham is the only place you’ll want to go
38) Be part of the table tennis craze at Bounce (before 6pm), or on one of the free ping pong tables around London (you’ll need your own bats and ball)
39) Take a plunge in the London pool at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
40) Take an interactive tour behind the scenes at Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

For game players

41) Find a way out of the famous garden maze at Hampton Court Palace
42) Solve your way out of a locked room at Escape Rooms
43) Design your own sustainable architecture in the Smart Buildings section at The Crystal
44) Explore hidden London as part of the free outdoor treasure hunt game, Geocaching
45) Roll your way to victory down the lanes of London’s bowling alleys

Get some wheels

46) Push the pedal to the metal at the UK's longest indoor go karting track.
47) Get an adrenalin rush on the Olympic BMX track at Lee Valley VeloPark
48) Show off your slides, grinds and kickflips at the Bay Sixty6 skateboard park
49) Rollerblade safely along London’s major street (with an adult, unless you’re 16 or over) as part of the London Skate
50) Walk along the left-hand pavement of Park Lane from Marble Arch towards Hyde Park Corner, drooling over all the luxury sports cars parked inside the exclusive sales garages along the way (take your camera!)

Big screen, small screen

51) Catch the latest action blockbuster on the biggest screen in Britain at BFI London IMAX Waterloo
52) Go behind the scenes with the BBC Shows & Tours
53) Meet your favourite characters from a galaxy far, far away with the Madame Tussauds Star Wars Experience or a night at Secret Cinema: The Empire Strikes Back
54) Step inside the Great Hall at Hogwarts as part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – the Making of Harry Potter
55) Fly into the heart of the Sun, and off to distant galaxies at The Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory

Wedding season is on and many couples are on the edge of experiencing the most beautiful day of their life.  This message is specially for those who are planning to get married this season so that they must know the secret of wedding flowers.

Flowers are the symbol of love and emotions and when it comes to wedding flowers, they are not limited to be the decorative item which make the wedding palate beautiful but they also add the fragrance of love, emotions and spread happiness in the whole ground.

The feeling of love and strong bond is created with the beautiful fragrance and with the bright and beautiful colors of the flowers and even after 20 and 50 years of marriage, when you will think of your wedding day, the first thing which will strike in your mind and heart will the fragrance and the beautiful colors of the flowers used in your wedding reception decoration.

All those who know the secret about the hidden happiness that wedding flowers bring are always careful and attentive in choosing the best so that they match with the decoration style, wedding reception theme and the bridal dress. Now when you know that Wedding flowers play a significant role in making the wedding reception more beautiful and spread lots of love and emotions in the festive atmosphere and also reminds you of the beautiful day again and again, make sure to select the perfect one for your wedding and fill your life with lovable memories.

Whilst the weather has turned Winterish today with rain and grey skies, lucky for me my daughter works in wedding and event management.

One of the perks is the leftover blooms from each wedding or event.
She halves the stems between us and we both enjoy a fresh posy or two or three.
Today, fragrant, gorgeous sweet peas and roses!
Sweet peas are my absolute favorite. I love, love, love them!

Beautiful Flowers in London?

 
 

 

 

 



What’s your favourite flower?

It’s the beginning of September which according to retailers means Christmas is almost upon us. I tend to resist the pressure until December when I realize “Oh sh*t – Christmas really IS here.”
But of course by then I should have sent out my Christmas cards.
Let’s see now, I have 20 odd cards to send out to family (obligatory, even though the sentiment is missing) 30 more to send out various friends across the world, all of whom I prefer to send an individually picked card and write a customized line or two – because apparently – a card shows you care. At 50 x £2.00 + p&p, for something that’s going to go in the bin on December 26th, you're bloody right it shows I care. My boyfriend calls it a waste of money. But no matter how online our society becomes, a round robin email just isn’t the same.

Let’s assume my family and friends do the same: 50 x 50 = 2500 cards with envelopes whistling their way around the world. That’s a lot of money, a lot of paper and a lot of carbon. The Royal Mail says it expects to handle 750 million Christmas cards this year.

The back of a fag (to you Americans out that there that means cigarette) packet calculation by ‘Best Foot Forward, a sustainability consultancy, calculated that the carbon footprint for the 750 million Christmas cards sent through the post, taking into account paper, printing and transport, is 36,261 tonnes of carbon, equivalent to the total annual energy use of over 5,300 typical British households.’

So does a card really show you care? No. It shows

A) That you are pretty damn thoughtless about the environment.
B) That you have more money than sense
C) That your Auntie Mabel should stop bleating that “a card is so personal” and sign up for an email address – she can still get an ecard.

Do us all a favour, Show us you care and this year, go green.

Christmas in London is really wonderful. Stunning christmas lights on many of the busiest streets, festive events, christmas markets with treats, gifts and delicious seasonal food - and of course lots of places to hang out with friends and family to soak up the atmosphere. This site covers all the best things to do during Christmas in London 2015.

We have organised the site into (hopefully) helpful sections, with the most popular pages including christmas markets, christmas hotels and things to do with kids at xmas. If you are looking for something a little different to do over the festive season, take a look at the cryptically titled unusual.  It's all about what to do at Christmas in London (mainly November and December).

The Heart of Christmas

Trafalgar Square is generally considered not just to be the heart of London, but the focus of the whole of London at Christmas - every year a tree is gifted by Norway to the UK.

Trafalgar Square has also become a huge focus for New Year's Eve where thousands of people celebrate at midnight. Last year was crazy, and we imagine 2015 will be exactly the same.

In recent years the area has become more pedestrianised so it's much better to walk around, and if you do find yourself there during the day, we recommend visiting the wonderful National Portrait Gallery on the North side.

Key Dates for Christmas 2015

Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2015 is on a Thursday
Christmas Day, December 25th, 2015 is on a Friday
Boxing Day, December 26th, 2015 is on a Saturday
New Year's Eve, December 31st, 2015 is on a Thursday
New Year's Day, January 1st, 2015 is on a Friday

Christmas Insights

European Crusaders brought the mince pie back to England in the 12th Century. It was filled with meat, as well as fruits and spices. Although it has kept the same name, there is no longer any meat in a British mince pie. Well not normally.

The famous Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in London is a Norwegian spruce over 20 metres high and usually 50-60 years old. Known by the Norwegian foresters as 'the Queen of the Forest', the tree is selected from the very best in the Oslo region.

The first artificial christmas trees were made from goose feathers, and then painted green. Today artificial christmas trees are available in a myriad of colours including white, silver and gold - and can be made from pretty much anything from cardboard to real gold.

London and Christmas go hand in hand. The beauty of the Christmas lights, great shopping for those amazing gifts and the fun of walking around the the world's greatest city soaking up the festive atmosphere. England is a perfect place to spend a christmas holiday - you get all the tradition and the appropriate weather..

 

Why should I live in London? 

And yes, I'd recommend living in London for a few years. Or longer.

• Location: It takes 5-7 hours to the east coast, 8-10 to India, 10-12 to west coast of the USA and furthest Africa. And two hours on the train to Paris! The "Prime Meridian"

• Food: For most long-term expats, food is often the sore point. Lack of easy access to food we like or prefer can make adjusting much harder. In London, however, all kinds of food and foodstuffs for cooking are easy to find. Eating out regularly was an expensive endeavour a few years ago, but now fresh and good food of various kinds can be had affordably. Within spitting distance, one can find food as diverse as north African, Argentinian, Indian, French, Italian, Vietnamese etc. If Michelin starred fare is more your thing, then London offers plenty of those too.

• Fashion: London Fashion Week. Bond Street. New Bond Street. And quirky stores in Mayfair, Sloane Square. And the average Londoner is often turned out in a manner that is stylish, yet not copied off a magazine. Fashion in London is at once a street art, a serious business pursuit and a thing of plain visual pleasure.

• History, Culture and Intellectual Opportunities: Resident collections in all our art galleries and museums are free to view. Hardly any music artist bypasses London for concerts to launch their new albums and we have some great venues to host them (from Earl's Court to the Royal Albert Hall). We even have a museum in a house that was used both by Handel and Hendrix, not at the same time, obviously [1]. Theatre, musicals, ballet, classical and modern dance, operas all jostle for space in one's summer calendar. Although bookstore chains are dying pretty much everywhere else, some of our best Indie stores continue to thrive - including Daunt and Foyle's. Accordingly we have author events galore, not to mention some of the most engaging well-curated book collections on display. Superb talks at the various learned societies and at the many Universities and schools around London, and at paid fora such as Intelligence Squared will keep you busy through the year. Why, a friend once conducted an experiment whereby he managed to have pizza and free beer every evening for a few months just by attending start-up events. That reminds me to mention the vibrant start-up culture in the east of London - which is a moving feast of London's history.

• Nature: Good walks in the woods [2] and some treks can be had within easy distance of London. Friends here are regular hikers and find plenty to keep them interested.

• Londoners: While having a reputation for being somewhat rude and standoffish, Londoners can boast of having amongst them some of the most talented writers, thinkers, artistes, actors, opinion formers. It is inspiring to live in an environment that constantly challenges you to engage and raise your game. No matter what your game is. And yet on any given day, you could hear more than a dozen languages being spoken on the tube or on the street. It is diverse and yet somehow has a dominant culture of its own.

• And London is tiny. And walker-friendly. One can walk - indeed one must walk - all over town to see the city in its glory without needing to get on a bus or in a taxi (although we do both often). You will come across large open green spaces (like Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Hampstead Heath) and blue plaques [3] where you least expect them. An average building in London has more history packed in it than entire counties and cities elsewhere might. I can't speak for others but for me it does put life in perspective. The river Thames is majestic at the best of times and walking along it, one can see the city in its glory.

Note on the weather: London gets less precipitation than Paris and than Sydney. British people talk about the weather because it is better than talking about something more personal. It is a cultural thing, not proof of how bad the weather is all the time (although at the time of writing, it is mid-May, it is raining and I have complained about my fingers having turned blue with cold when I went out for a walk; but by the time I finished typing the response, I have had to pull the blinds down to stop the sun getting in my eyes and it is warm outside)

Great for Football fans & Indian food lovers: Playing football and watching it were my favorite aspects of living there. And besides India, has the best Indian food

Expensive: When I was there 1 British Pound Sterling = 1.80 United States Dollar. When I found a pizza for 10 pounds I was excited.

Never boring: Always can find something to do or somewhere to go. Art shows, parks, music, football games, etc...

Gloomy: I grew up in Southern California so the lack of sunshine was something I noticed.

Frustrating: The tube provides stellar public transportation but if there were delays or during work rush times it could be daunting to get to your destination. Also, no one seems to know which side of the pavement to walk on or which side of the escalotor to stand on!

Inspiring: I love to write and the diversity, weather, parks and rich history made it a wonderful place to be inspired

Givenchy, Alexander McQueen and Valentino

Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and J. Mendel

Valentino, Lanvin and Balenciaga

Balmain, Gucci and Emilio Pucci

Roberto Cavalli, Prada and Givenchy

Emilio Pucci, Antonio Berardi and Matthew Williamson

It's impossible to finish this catwalk edit without the party vibe. Shimmering fabrics and figure hugging pieces are simply fabulous to go out and have a good time. "Can you dance to my beat?" 

Anyone who’s ever lived in London knows how expensive it can be- even the smallest places can cost a bomb. There are alternatives, however, to owning or renting property in the capital- for those short on money and not tied down, there are several options which might prove better, cheaper, and far more interesting, and give much-needed shelter for hardly any price at all. Find below all the possible ways to get free accommodation in London.

#1 House Sitting

Becoming a house sitter is ideal for many people looking to find quick property in London without the hassle or expense of buying a house or staying in hostels. With websites like Trustedhousesitters.com and Housecarers.com, anyone can register for only £3 to 5 a month, and begin to search for houses around the world. Housesitting can range from one night to a year, and is a fantastic way of staying in London without the hassle or expense of booking a hotel or hostel, completely free of charge, with only the need to keep the house tidy and safe- and any pets cared for and well-fed- standing in the way of a free and fantastic holiday in one of the greatest cities in the world.

#2 House Swap/Home Exchange

Home Exchange works exactly like it sounds- for those with homes of their own, sites such as homeexchange.com and Stay4free allow an easy way to communicate with fellow homeowners in other countries or places, swapping houses and enjoying locations that otherwise would have cost them a fortune to visit. While each site has a small fee included in the signing-up price- ranging from £5.95 a month to around £13, for the most basic services- it is clear that this is a great deal less than any other form of accommodation while staying in the capital, where even Premier Inns in the city can cost upwards of £200 pounds. Add to this the use of a kitchen, bathroom, and television, among many other features only found in an empty house, and the price is well worth it.

#3 Become a Property Guardian

While becoming a property guardian is not a completely free way to find housing in London, it is absolutely one of the cheapest ways to live and work in the city that can be found. While there are a number of property guardian companies out there, with some offering housing in empty homes from between £150 and £500, many of the cheaper and less commercially-minded websites, like Camelot and Dot Dot Dot or Ad Hoc Property Guardians, can provide properties from £35-£70 a week, even in places like London, as well as many other places across the U.K. Becoming a Property Guardian allows tenants fresh from university or only working part-time- or simply those not willing to invest vast amounts in housing- to watch a property, be it a house, flat, or even former church or school, on behalf of the owner, paying a small fee in return for keeping the place safe and tidy, and in some cases contributing back to the community via volunteer work for certain hours every month. However, it must be said that in many cases there is only a two-week notice given before being asked to move out, so flexibility is a must (well, for those who would rather not live on the streets).

#4 Free Accommodation for Work Exchange

A great- and hey, when you think about it, a pretty obvious- way of finding free places to stay in London is in exchange for work or volunteering. Luckily for those looking for free rooms, a lot of other people have thought of this first, and with a little searching a number of websites can be found that cater to this kind of exchange. Sites like Workaway, Helpx and Gumtree allow travellers and volunteers to register an account, and begin to search for homes in the U.K. or elsewhere that are seeking lodgers. Most often this will come with certain conditions- most households will expect a few hours of work a week, or help doing chores or providing meals- but even so, this averages on both sites to roughly four or five hours a day, providing plenty of time to look for jobs, see the sights of London, or just laze about in someone else’s home.

For those not comfortable living in strangers’ homes for any period of time (I wouldn’t live in mine, and I’m me) hostels are also a good place to try out this exchange in a place of greater privacy and formality- simply ask the owners if they’re looking for work, and if that can be exchanged for lodging. There’s much less chance of wandering in on someone’s grandma in the bath when in a hostel, too.

#5 Couch Surfing

Similar to the above, but without all of the hard work, couch surfing is the activity of moving from house to house, staying on couches (that’s where the name comes from, get it?) and travelling wherever you want to go. Couchsurfing.org is a great venue for this: it allows surfers to register (admittedly, for a one-time fee of £12.50 or so) and then browse for homes to stay in. Open requests can be created where surfers can write paragraphs about who they are and what they are looking for, allowing home-owners to search for them, and there are a number of events that occur in almost every city, allowing new and regular couch-surfers to meet up and discuss things, or to find out more about the phenomenon. While some homeowners may request work done in exchange for the room, many give couches for free for a temporary time- often for a week or so- making this a great website to find free accommodation in the bustling capital.

The above are fantastic ways to find accommodation in London, for however long you are looking to stay: from a week to a year, there are plenty of sites that cater specifically to those with little cash and the ability and willingness to work for their stay. It goes without saying that good references, a willingness to work hard and a good demeanour are a great head start in looking these sorts of housing for nearly nothing in a city as bustling as the capital, but for those looking hard enough, these places can be found, giving great free accommodation in London.