Occupy Everywhere

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November...
The Guardian has photos of the Occupy Movement Protests"The Church cannot answer peaceful protest with violence"
St. Paul was a tent maker, and the child Jesus could have been born in a camp like these...

Video: Lady Antonia Fraser in her writing room

Enchanting.
http://www.antoniafraser.com/

Photographs of London from Fotocommunity

We think this is definitely worth a visit: Photographers at Photocommunity share hundreds of great images of lovely London here.

Happy New Year!

Chelsea - Army Veterans Include Female Pensioners

Female army veterans become first women Chelsea pensioners
Royal Hospital, Chelsea, takes new step after 300 years

'One of the army's oldest institutions took the arrival of two pioneers from what some – but not old soldiers – might think of as the monstrous regiment of women in its stride today, as two female veterans became the first women Chelsea pensioners.

It has taken the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, founded by Charles II in 1682 for "the succour and relief of veterans broken by age and war", more than 300 years to accept women army veterans; though Dorothy Hughes and Winifred Phillips, both in their 80s, looked very far from broken as they posed in their new uniforms.

"I think it's wonderful," confided Phillips. "I like men. I am alone. And I wanted to be looked after in my old age."

By their side, the male pensioners on parade to welcome their new comrades were equally enthusiastic. Ralph Dickinson, in the Parachute Regiment for 22 years and at the Royal Hospital for nine, said: "I don't see there's a problem. Women can come anywhere now, even working men's clubs, can't they? They've served just like us. Of course, you're going to get some who grumble, but they're the sort who always do."'
Article and Video at Link

Sun King: David Harber Sundials

Image from Armillary
It’s impossible to think of Chelsea in May without also bringing to mind the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. One regular exhibitor there is David Harber, maker of bespoke sundials, water features and sculptures. This year, like all the others (for three years he has won the RHS Sundries Trophy) he is putting the finishing touches to a selection of innovative products. Star of the show (so new it isn’t named) will be a bronze sphere with stainless steel and gold-leafed petals. ‘We set up the stand as a garden and put a lot of effort into it,’ says Harber. Those in the know credit Harber as having single-handedly breathed new life into the ancient craft of sundial making. His work graces private gardens, corporate headquarters, national institutions and royal palaces worldwide.

The Resident profiles the wondrous sundial creations of David Harber

David Harber's website is here

Summer Evening in Sloane Square

The sun was shining, and we sat on the sill of the big open front window swinging our legs, sipping champagne, spotting the 'human statue' climb down from her plinth and slip round the corner for a sneaky cigarette, and watching the latest batch of Sloane Rangers swing by. They are much prettier these days - their hair long and golden, their skirts much shorter, and their sense of style completely different from the pie-frill collars, frumpy long navy skirts, flat buckled shoes and padded velvet hair-bands of Princess Diana's youth. We could have been in Rome, with the fountain playing in the Square and the trees bursting into leaf.
From America's Huffington Post

Video: The Real Sherlock Holmes

Joseph Bell, an Edinbugh physician and pioneer in forensics, was the model for the fictional Sherlock Holmes; an article about him is here. Video is 45 minutes long.

Moby Busks at Sloane Square Tube Stop

This charming portrait of Moby seems to have been made centuries ago.

Not long ago, music god MOBY tried busking in the tube at Sloane Square. How did he do? Read about it here.

The White Horse Pub - Sloaney Pony - Reviewed

A review of one of England's most famous - and arguably best - pubs.
Read it here

The Sloane Strangers

Once upon a time, anyone in London who considered themselves well-to-do lived in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – preferably SW3, or SW10 at a push. The King’s Road was the place to hang out and the locals wore a kind of uniform: coloured cords and a blazer for the men, twinset and pearls for the ladies.

Over the past few years, however, other areas have risen up the cool charts. Chelsea, with its pretty little townhouses and staid mansion blocks, has been left behind as wealthy buyers – Arabs, Russians and Kazakhs, in particular – have headed to Mayfair and Belgravia. Yes, there are famous faces living in Chelsea, but they tend to be less bling – think Jemima Khan, Ben Goldsmith and Heidi Klum and Seal.

Could that be about to change? The heartland of the Sloane is receiving a makeover, thanks to a series of new developments that will bring lateral living to the royal borough.

Read the article here