London free love Day 5: Ping Pong at British Library

Here are a few snaps of my work buddies playing ping pong at British Library. Every summer, London fills up with free activities. Last year, there was a piano at the BL, and during my lunch break, I could get entertained for free from these amazing random musicians. 

This year it was ping pong - both fun and free to play and to be a spectator.

Headless Scottie dog on the prowl

They thought I was mad

A few weeks back, on my way home from work, this lorry drove past my bus stop with a giant headless dog on the back. I quickly took a photo with my mobile (sorry about the motion blur). I've been telling people about this dog ever since.  People looked at me as if I was mad. 'Sure you did'. 


But finally I am vindicated and my curiosity is sated. Londonist reports that one of their readers sent in a near-identical photograph (@bloomsburyblue must have been at the same bus stop!) It turns out the puppy is part of a publicity stunt to promote the board game Monopoly. Yes it's Scottie Dog. I always had to be Scottie Dog when I played Monopoly. 


When I'm rich, I'm going to buy a giant Scottie dog. And Mayfair. 


That is also another thing to do in London, albeit neither free nor easy. In fact it is dangerous and expensive, to your wallet, your health and your dignity: the Monopoly pub crawl. Do it at your peril. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

London free love Day 4: Thames Walk (via Brunel Museum)

Dough stick wrapped in rice paper

Matt's been craving yum cha - Chinese dumplings - for a few weeks. So today, we travelled to our favourite Chinese restaurant Phoenix Palace at Baker Street.

After lunch we went to the Brunel Museum, which is not part of the Free Love challenge because it's £2 entry, or £5 for the full tour. The Brunel Museum is a seriously kooky, but under-funded little museum that needs your attention. The Museum focuses on the Thames Tunnel, one of the first sub-aqueous (underwater) tunnels in the world, and the oldest tunnel in use on the London underground system. 




You can ride on the London overground (which goes underground - confused yet?) from Rotherhithe to Wapping and you pass under the Thames via Brunel's Thames Tunnel.


The tunnel was built in 1843, and was an engineering feat of its day, although a complete commercial failure. Back then, there were no big drills. Instead miners were employed to work in, what Brunel named, the shield, which looks like something from Dante's Divine Comedy.


"The shield was rectangular and had 12 digging positions across its width and three digging positions on top of each other so allowing 36 miners to work simultaneously. in front of each miner there were a series of horizontal boards. The miner would unscrew the top one to expose the earth and would then dig horizontally away from him two inches of earth. He would then replace the board screwing it tight into the void he had created. He would then unscrew the next board down and do the same. once he had got to the bottom board he would start from the top again. The second time he finished at the bottom board his whole digging position would be jacked forward using screw jacks and the process would be started again. So the Thames Tunnel was dug two inches at a time for 1,200 feet across the River Thames."


For the extra £3 there was a tour of the Shaft, which is literally a big concrete tank. It now has a floor so people can stand in it. Before then it was just a hole in the ground that went straight to the London tube system. The only reason they built a lid on the shaft was during the Blitz, in case a German bomber managed to take out the London transport.


The museum was also a good excuse to go for a wander along one of my favourite parts of the Thames - the gritty old warehouses along from Rotherhithe to Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge from the East

There's something stark and lonely about looking to the West from the East side of the river. There's less people about and life is a little slower.

So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, head down to the lonely side of Tower Bridge. 

Meeting the locals

The Visitor aka Pushkin

(Matt typing) For the past year Siobhan and I have lived at The Cottage, we've had The Visitor popping in to say 'Hello' from time to time.

Sometimes he just comes in for 5 minutes for a bit of love before heading back out, sometimes he comes in for a drink of water and sometimes he'll and curl up on the couch for a couple of hours and have a good old sleep.


At first we didn't know his name, so we've always just called him Mr Cat. 

We always assumed that he comes calling when his owner is out and he's lonely.


Siobhan came home once while an oven technician was around fixing the oven (the second time it broke) and the technician informed her that 'our cat' has been waiting at the door when he came over so he let him in for us. Needless to say, Mr C was found fast asleep on the bed!


He also recently left us a gift of a half mouse on the doorstep... Thanks Mr Cat.

This last weekend there was a street party in our street, and chatting to our neighbours it sounds like he visits anyone who'll let him in and takes his liberties sleeping on most of the couches of the houses on our street. Someone had also invited Mr Cat's owner to the party (even though she doesn't live on our street, because her cat is considered a resident). We found out that his name is Pushkin and he was rescued from the streets of Moscow while his owner was working there on assignment.


So Mr Cat is a Muscovite, and after a year of him sleeping on our bed, we are finally on a first-name basis. 


Pushkin is an unusual feline. He's certainly no beauty. He is cross-eyed, and his youthful misadventures in Russia have left him with a few battle scars. But he is the friendliest cat I've ever met. He doesn't judge anyone, and is quick to make friends. He was the first on the street to welcome us to the neighbourhood. When he looks up at you, he seems to smile as if to say 'scratch my belly'.