Blood Swept Lands and Seas of red .......

Morning folks,

Pinch and a punch for the 1st of the month ...... Happy October!  Only 84 days to go until Christmas! Better get planning!

How's your week going?  I'm still getting over the weekend away ...... unpacking, washing, ironing, you think I would be used to it by now!  I've only one more trip away planned for this year though ..... 2 weeks tomorrow hopefully.  I say hopefully because I heard yesterday that Blackpool Airport is closing unless they can find a buyer before October 7th (oh no!) If they can't, then it all closes down on the 16th (I fly out on the 15th .... to Blackpool, and I'm booked to come home on the 18th!) 
Fingers crossed someone comes to the rescue ..... or I'll be cancelling the trip!  It's a handy little airport for me.  If it closes well, I won't be flying across to the UK as often (sigh!)

Speaking of the UK ....... the last trip was fab!  A nice weekend away ...... just hubby and me! Well, apart from Saturday evening when we met up with one of the Poker Stars crew ...... there's no getting away from them!!!

We didn't really have any plans apart from the meal on Saturday night, which was booked at Gaucho's in Piccadilly (OMG!!!  The steak was huge!!)  And I wanted to see the Poppies at the Tower of London.

We stayed in a lovely little 'boutique' hotel in Bloomsbury called The Clarendon.  Great little spot for getting around the city .... close to tube stations, although we walked most places.  The weather was gorgeous so we made the most of it.

Saturday, we had lunch in a place called Yalla Yalla ..... a Lebanese place that hubby had been to before.  We did try to get in on Friday evening but it was too busy .... popular little eating place.

After lunch we took a stroll to the Natural History Museum ....... hubby wanted to see the blue whale and the dinosaurs (bless him!)

I must say, they were impressive ..... this thing is huge!!!

There is a sign that says 'please don't throw things onto the exhibits, as it may cause damage' but people still insist on throwing coins onto the tail of the blue whale (I did say it was it was huge!!)

We wandered around the dinosaurs too .....

I had to take a picture of this old guy ..... the 'Albertosaurus' (looks nothing like my brother ... honest!! ..... his name's Albert in case you hadn't guessed!)
And of course. we had to queue to see the main man .... the TRex

While we were wandering round the museum, I was most surprised to find a little piece of home tucked away in a cabinet ......

A rock ..... all the way from the Isle of Man

Sunday .... we took things a little easier.  After a late start and brunch we walked along the Thames and took one of the river boats down to St Katherine's Dock, near Tower Bridge

Past Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The HMS Belfast, now a museum ship permanently moored on the river Thames but was once the largest, and most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy

Under the beautiful bridge itself (we actually saw the New Year in and watched the New Year's Eve Fireworks stood on there 1995/96 ....... WOW!!  that was a few years ago!!)

Past Traitor's Gate at the Tower of London ........

Then it was on to see the poppies .... my main reason for the trip

I don't think I was ready for just how striking, or emotional, this would be ......... 

Obviously they've not all be planted yet but it's just breathtaking to see just how many are there, this was just at the side of the entrance to the Tower ...... once you get round the corner ...well what can I say .....

It was all just overwhelming ....... to think each one represents a British or Commonwealth life lost in WW1

And even though there were so many people around, it was quiet, everyone showing respect,  It was so emotional I just can't explain it.

The volunteers were working so hard assembling and planting each bloom with care

If you get the chance, go and see them for yourself, it's a once in a lifetime experience .... I'm so glad I did.

We stayed there until the evening.  Each night at dusk there's a roll of honour read, followed by the playing of  The Last Post ......

The poppies will continue to be planted until Armistice Day.  Each one is available to buy, you can find the details here.  You will receive one of the actual poppies from the moat (and they are beautiful) ..... each one a limited edition ... one of 888,246.  I've ordered mine!

Well that was our weekend away .... we saw Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square.  Piccadilly, Leicester Square, St Paul's Cathedral.  We even walked along the river in the evening (how romantic!)

Now it's back to normal again. 

Before I go though I'd like to share the inspiration for the remarkable  Poppy project ..... a WW1 poem by an unknown soldier .....

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

The blood swept lands and seas of red,

Where angels dare to tread.
As God cried a tear of pain as the angels fell,
Again and again.
As the tears of mine fell to the ground
To sleep with the flowers of red
As any be dead
My children see and work through fields of my
Own with corn and wheat,
Blessed by love so far from pain of my resting
Fields so far from my love.
It be time to put my hand up and end this pain
Of living hell. to see the people around me
Fall someone angel as the mist falls around
And the rain so thick with black thunder I hear
Over the clouds, to sleep forever and kiss
The flower of my people gone before time
To sleep and cry no more
I put my hand up and see the land of red,
This is my time to go over,
I may not come back
So sleep, kiss the boys for me

Linda

xx