A la piscine

I had fab day in Lille yesterday, a Eurostar day trip. Jenny recommended I go to a rather special Museum in the suburb of Roubaix, a Metro ride away from Lille centre. That was an experience; a two-carriage driver-less affair with strange moulded plastic seats.

The Museum is amazing - housed in a swimming pool, designed in 1932 by a local architect, Andre Baert; which was the 'finest swimming pool in France'. It stopped being used as a pool in 1985, sadly, due to health and safety reasons because the chlorine had damaged the ceiling, and in 2001 was converted into the Museum. The woollen mill next door has become the reception and an exhibition space, the main pool has sculptures and fine art and the gallery has textiles and fashion. You enter through the changing cubicles and showers, but mercifully don't have to take a foot bath first! When you are walking round, occasionally you hear the sound of splashing and children shouting to remind you of the former life of the museum.

Sunrise and Sunset at either end of the main space.

Memories of the Museum's former life



Do go and treat yourself to a couple of hours of beautiful art in fantastic surroundings, and have lunch in the restaurant, run by Meert,famous in Lille for patisserie. A great exhibition of French Fine Art: apart from the sculptures there are 19th century French portraits and landscapes, Belle Epoque pieces, Impressionists and early 20th century (including some of my favourites, Dufy and Bonnard). About 30 mins by Metro from Lille. Get there on Line 2 Metro (Red) towards C.H Dron, from Gare Lille Europe or Gare Lille Flandres. Have a look at their website: www.roubaix-lapiscine.com and see the videos of the swimming pool in action.

And on your way out, place your entrance sticker here - I remember the pedestrian crossing outside the V&A was covered in stickers like this when you paid an entrance fee to visit.

Wow! Go Team GB!

What a weekend! All plans on hold as I was glued to the television! Blink and you'd have missed Mr Bolt's flash of green and yellow!  I snapped some mascots around town on Friday, Wenlock in various disguises:

By Cleopatra's Needle





In the Embankment Gardens



In Cheapside, opposite St Mary's Bow bells

In St Paul's churchyard



By the Oscar Wilde statue at St Martin-in-the-Fields

 

In Covent Garden

In Chinatown

In Leicester Square

Enjoy the second week of the games - still lots more to come!

Hatwalk

Mayor Boris sponsored Hatwalk, where statues all over London have been given a hat by milliners like Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. Sometimes you have to look quite hard for them, and the ones at Hyde Park Corner I didn't get to see, but here are some of the others. They went up overnight and will come down after just a few days.

The Duke of Wellington at the Bank of England

Captain John Smith in St Mary's churchyard - the one with the Bow bells

The Lovers, in St Paul's churchyard

Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the Victoria Embankment Gardens

Lord Nelson on top of his Column at Trafalgar Square



General Havelock on his plinth

and General Napier on his

George IV and his trusty steed

Beau Brummel in Jermyn St.

Good fun spotting them - I walked miles looking! They will be auctioned off for charity when they have been taken down.

Cute as buttons

I went to a jewellery making class on Monday evening, at the London School of Jewellery at Hatton Garden, and under the skilled direction of the lovely Chu-Mei made these! Delighted with them! Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas!!!

All you need : buttons, memory thread or waxed cotton, jump rings and a clasp. 7 button stacks for a bracelet, slightly overlapping so it curves around your wrist.

 

15-17 button stacks, depending on button size, for a necklace, not overlapping, but adjacent. It should sit on your collarbone. Too long and it won't hang nicely.



I tried a different colour combination -what! no pink!- and was really pleased with this one.

What a great evening! Thoroughly enjoyed myself. I am going to try the bracelets with thick nylon elastic thread, and if that works, I can make them with the girls at school for Activities Week, I think some would find fixing the findings too fiddly, and Jan and I would end up doing them. I'll post what we did this year soon.

I am on the mailing list now, so will look out for more classes. Have a look at their website:

www.londonjewelleryschool.co.uk  They offer everything from one-off taster classes to 5 week evening classes to diploma level qualifications.

Afternoon Tea at the Checkmate Bar

Yesterday was Sam's birthday, and I took out her for afternoon tea today at the Checkmate Bar at the Park International Hotel, in South Kensington. Lovely chic and stylish surroundings, and sweet baby sandwiches and cakes, a scone (both Devon and Cornwall style!) plenty of Earl Grey and a glass of fizz to round it off. Delish! I was also relieved the baby didn't decide to make an appearance; hopefully not until the due date,16th, as Sam has so many plans until then!

  

Sumptuous surroundings!

Keeping up the black and white theme, look at this fabulous piece of Art Nouveau ironwork at Gloucester Road tube station.

On holiday at last!

I am enjoying the holidays with time to  myself at last!! I went to Tower Bridge to have a look at the Olympic rings on Sunday, and had a long walk around, dodging the rain showers which seemed to follow me! As it was glorious sunshine when I left home, I didn't take an umbrella, and only had my sunglasses.... Never mind. Had a great day anyway.

  Always an impressive sight, you get a better overall view from the South bank, and far fewer people.

  From the North bank

Sean forged this archer and other figures around the castle.



Ancient and Modern



The new skyline, with County Hall and The Shard.

There have been lots of meadows created around Town, and with all the rain and bright sunshine, they look amazing.



Entertainment in Potters' Field, just before the heavens opened!

London is showing itself off very well; the hordes of visitors can't fail to be impressed. The transport system seems to be holding up too - we forget the Tube is well over 100 years old, and the ancient roads in the city not designed for the sheer volume of traffic they have to deal with, let alone cars. Well done London! It's nice to spend time just wandering; usually I am underground travelling to and from school etc. I am enjoying being a tourist in my own city!