westminster abbey

Melissa Yeomans

Westminster and National Maritime Museum

Westminster was amazing. Of course your not allowed to take photos in most of it.

The National Maritime museum did have some great stuff on Nelson and some very old artifacts but other than that it was pretty ordinary. Yes Emmett you can say ‘I told you so’. However I still did not think that the British National Maritime Museum would be that ordinary.. There was heaps of stuff on the military history and a bit of artwork but no boats other than a a couple of little things and a 49er! Yes I am serious!

Here are a couple of shots:





Today I got to see English Weather I think. Rain, Pouring Rain, Rain Etc etc. My shoes are a little blue thanks to my jeans. I guess they have never had to deal with that in Sydney! My feet were pretty wet by the end of the day but I was not going to stop sight seeing just because of funny feeling feet! So far I have been fine with the Temperature and what I have brought is well and truly more than enough to keep me warm.

Tomorrow I am hoping on getting to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Hampton Court. Well that is the plan anyway…

Melissa Yeomans

Field of Remembrance

Some things deserve their own post. This is certainly one of them. Some information from the Westminster Abbey website:

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh opened the Royal British Legion Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
The sea of scarlet poppies on Remembrance Crosses is laid out by the Poppy Factory in over 230 plots for regimental and other associations.

Prayers were said by the Dean, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, and Canon Robert Wright, Rector of St Margaret’s. Mrs Sara Jones, president of the Royal British Legion Poppy Factory and widow of the Falklands VC hero Colonel H Jones, invited The Duke of Edinburgh to lay a Cross of Remembrance. The Last Post was sounded from the parapet of St Margaret’s by trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. Afterwards the Duke toured the plots and signed the visitors’ book in St Margaret’s Church.

 

The Remembrance crosses are provided so that ex-servicemen and women, as well as members of the public, can plant a cross in memory of their fallen comrades and loved ones with the Field remaining standing as a touching symbol throughout the period of Remembrance.

Every year poppies are worn, wreaths are laid and the nation turns its attention towards remembrance. At the Poppy Factory this means the culmination of a year’s effort, producing over 30 million poppies, 500,000 poppies of other types, five million Remembrance Petals and up to 100,000 Wreaths. The workforce responsible for this is made up of predominately disabled people, who are either ex-Service or dependants of ex- Service people. In addition to the regular workers at the factory, there are some home-workers, assembling poppies in their own homes. Most are house bound by either chronic sickness or disability. There are others too in residential homes or disabled groups who also help make the poppies.
The photos are taken by me today whilst wandering around having a good look. Whilst at Westminster I also got to see Michael Drayton on the wall which was awesome.