London Interrupted Part One

Living, working and studying in London can feel rather relentless. On my way to work the bus can hardly get down some roads because of all the building work going on. So I decided to call my new series of London adventures, London Interrupted, when I catch my breath and savour contemplative moments in London, some secret and others more well known.

Our day started in King's Cross Station, at Platform 9 3/4. We first visited this small Harry Potter attraction in 2012 when it was a lot less busy. It has become quite touristy now and there was a large queue of people waiting to have their picture taken in front of the platform sign with the disappearing trolley below it, the trolley is a lot more impressive than when my daughter was photographed holding onto it. There is now also a Harry Potter gift shop next door which was also very busy. I love Harry Potter myself, having read all the books and watched all the films, my favourites are book number three and film number six.

We moved on from Kings Cross to St Pancras, which is a far more attractive station, with wonderful red and yellow brick archways and a tall clock tower. Inside is the great metallic statue of a kissing couple, but my favourite is the wistful statue of John Betjemen which is accompanied by several circular poems you can walk over. Kings Cross and St Pancras have a special place in my heart because they mark the beginnings of holidays with my family. From King's Cross we took the train to Edinburgh and from St Pancras we boarded Eurostar for Paris.

Next door to St Pancras Station is the British Library. I work in a library all week so don't relish spending too much of my day off in one. However the British Library is exceptional. It still looks new, we used to talk about its construction a lot when I was in library school. The fore court is full of greenery, symmetry and brick work vistas. Inside it is cool and welcoming. There is a dark, permanent exhibition of library treasures to one side; illuminated manuscripts, first editions, bejewelled binding, famous illustrations and classical texts. I have been to the reading rooms before when I consulted old editions of Aubrey Beardsley and Edgar Allan Poe, in my pre-Amy days. These days I mostly go in to enjoy a cup of coffee in the library cafe. My favourite spot is just in front of the glass covered shelves, where sit row upon row of gorgeous, leather bound volumes.

The main reason mum and I were in the King's Cross area was to visit the Camley Street Natural Park. It is situated at the back of St Pancras station next door to Regent's canal. It was talked about in my Secret London book and we were blessed that the March day we chose to visit it was beautiful and spring-like. I think it is a very precious place especially in this massively developed area. There were parties of small school children here, who really seemed to be getting a great deal out of the experience. The place is a haven for London wildlife, which needs all the help it can get. I was most impressed with the stag beetle refuge. Mum and I had a wonderful, all-be-it brief, wander around; a highlight was the kind foreign gentlemen who took lovely pictures of mum and I sitting on a wooden bench.

After our morning in King's Cross, mum and I decided to spend the afternoon in South Kensington, home of the museums and the Royal Albert Hall.

Part of my latest writing project involves a character at college, so I was keen to spend some time in a London college with a busy campus and canteen. A brief google search pointed me in the direction of Imperial College on Exhibition Road. Imperial is a science and technology college and they also had a lot of building work going on, so it took a little while to find the pleasanter places where students congregate. Eventually we found the green square in the middle of the site and the lively student hangout of the library and the canteen. The canteen was large and retro with wide circular tables, 80s style furniture and brown tiled pillars. The food was good and simple, but not really aimed at visitors like mum and me. The canteen was being emptied at 2.15 and it wasn't until we were looking for the ladies that we realised that the library cafe was the place we should have been; a proper cafe, contemporary, friendlier and more permanently open. We managed to leave Imperial by the proper visitor's entrance and decided to have a little look at Hyde Park before heading back to the V&A.

Hyde Part is huge and you could spend the best part of a day there, visiting Kensington Gardens, with the statue of Peter Pan, the Princess Diana memorial fountain, the Serpentine and Kensington Palace. The last time we spent a lot of time there was probably 2011 when we visited Winter Wonderland in January. Then, Hyde park didn't seem wholly alive and the wonderland was glittering and lively, but also a bit overpowering and artificial. Spring brings a different perspective, today there were blue bells.

The Natural History and Science museums are wonderful, but these days I prefer the arts and crafts in the Victoria and Albert museum across the road. There are lovely displays of stone work, iron work, tapestries, sculptures. There are classic paintings including ones by the pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne Jones and the windswept watery impressions of JMW Turner. There is jewellery, fashion and a theatrical exhibition I find rather creepy. Also are collections from Japan and the middle ages and a lot of old pots.

 Mum and I were looking for a cafe where we could talk about her trip to Barcelona and my daughter's trip to Pompeii. The cafe at the V&A is stunning. A circular room with ornate tiling from floor to ceiling, massive stain glass windows and great globe glittering chandeliers. There is a piano in the centre of the room and this afternoon we were even treated to brilliant piano playing as we drank our lattes.

I have a good feeling about the London Interrupted project and am busy thinking of more places to visit and reflect on, including doing more work on My Favourite London Walk.

Challenge Island

I have written two stories inspired by the concept of computer games; Challenge Island and Duchess Doom. Challenge Island is a much longer story than Duchess Doom, it is something I felt compelled to write. The story is about a flightless fairy from Sanctuary called Demura who wakes up one morning in a place called Terror Town. As the story unfolds and Demura learns how to navigate through her new world, she finds friends, loses friends, finds people to help and people to help her, she discovers much about herself and her own resilience. These are the different levels Demura must travel through before she can return home.

On the ice

When I was at a book supplier's day a few years ago, as part of my library work, I was introduced to the concept of 'thinking like a dandelion', regarding approaches to the internet and social media. With this in mind I have tried to 'spread myself' about a bit both in the virtual and the real world. Part of this approach has meant some of my videos are on YouTube and Vimeo. I wanted to share my 'On the Ice' video from Vimeo, but YouTube won out again. You can find my Vimeo videos here.

Crafts for the Spring and Summer

I spent some time over the past week working on my crafts for a fair and a coffee morning coming up in April and June, one in South Ruislip and the other at Eastcote URC, which is in support of the London Churches' Refugee Fund. My Star Heart Dolls got a bit of a makeover, I think the last three I worked on look quite chic.

 

I also worked on more lavender scenters; sleeping angels, matrouskas, virtuous hearts and flowers. 

My crochet poppies now include orange, pink and purple flowers, as well as the usual red.

I have also been sorting through my greetings cards. Below is a selection of cards inspired by love, which I hope to work more on in the future.

Endnote: I have been planning on giving up social media for lent. I have scheduled posts in advance, so my blog can still get updated. I have recently got on better with my SmartPhone, and have uploaded more pictures onto Instagram, but I think I'll be OK without it. Avoiding FaceBook will probably be more of a challenge. I was originally thinking of giving up Liquorice Allsorts.

London Walks: City and Riverside

After my series of blog posts on Secret London I have been developing a new London project, London Interrupted, which I hope to begin soon. In the meantime I am thinking about London excursions I have enjoyed which can contribute to my new London project. I recently retrod one of my favourite London walks, with my mother and daughter, which I developed ten years ago. It is a circular route starting and ending at Liverpool Street Station.

There was a lot of building work going on (as usual) and the crossrail construction site continues at the once green and leafy Finsbury Circus, which slightly marred our way to the Barbican. The entrance to the Barbican is hard to find at the best of times but a new maze of scaffolding caused extra difficulties.

I must say that despite the access problems it's definitely worth persevering to visit the Barbican, I still think it's a complex of great, architectural beauty, a lot of concrete, but also, green, glassy, airy, watery, with a positive, futuristic, hopeful feel; a lovely celebration of culture and the arts. We enjoyed elevenses in the waterside cafe, before moving on.

The walk continued around the exteriors of St. Bart's and Smithfield's market, to St. Paul's and Paternosta Square, an impressive open space with cafes and metro shops.

The walk across the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern was busy, but I find it always a pleasure, walking over the elegant, smooth, metallic structure. We walked past more of my favourite London landmarks, the Globe, the Clink and the Golden Hinde before arriving at Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market.

Southwark Cathedral is one of my favourite churches in London. The Cathedral itself is beautifully kept, peaceful and with a golden glow about it, it also has a lovely gift shop and cafe. I have enjoyed many a tea and cake in the cathedral cafe. The cafe is filled with pale, varnished wood and a gleaming, copper lit, metal self service counter; it shines and often glitters as the sun comes through its large windows at a very flattering angle. It is also made more attractive by the flower paintings displayed on the walls. The flower paintings also feature on some of the gifts in the shop as well as more Christian specific items.

We wandered around Borough Market, which has a wonderful array of food and drink on offer, different cheeses, breads, spices, juices, vegetables, flowers. It is situated under London bridge and the underneath structure of the bridge forms an impressive roof. The market has grown and become more gentrified over the years, it is now quite easy to get lost among the diverse wares on offer. One of my favourite sections is the impressive selection of edible fungi. There is also a good supply of street food and drink which you can enjoy there and then.

We visited Hay's Galleria and crossed Tower Bridge before coming to the St Katherine's Docks.

 

Many an extravagant yacht is moored at St Katherine's docks. The boats, narrow bridges and walkways are surrounded by sophisticated apartment blocks and artistic boutiques as well as a smattering of cafes and coffee shops. You are also offered elegant views of the Thames, through wide water ways. By the time we reached the docks the sun was nearly setting and the Thames and London had acquired a kind of fading beauty. Today we forsook the cafes and coffee shops and headed for the pub. We stopped for drinks in the Dickens's Inn situated in the middle of St Katherine's Docks. The pub covers several levels and is very dark and woody, but also comfortable and there are many of Dickens's beery quotes stencilled onto the wooden beams.

The last leg of the walk was past the back of the Tower of London, through Tower Gardens up past Fenchurch Street Station and down Fenchurch Street itself, to Leadenhall market. 

Leadenhall Market is quite a sight for sore eyes, amongst all the high-tech, tall, metal and glass corporate buildings that surround it. It is ornate, in red and gold brick, Victorian with an intricate glassy roof. You might recognise it from Harry Potter, it has a distinctive Diagon Alley aura. There are old shops here, old pubs and a Waterstones nearby. There was building work going on when we visited, hopefully they will enhance the place and not ruin it. We enjoyed dinner in Pizza Express before making our way back to Liverpool Street Station via the Gherkin which overshadowed a pretty old church.

I'm really pleased we did this walk again. I first developed it, about ten years ago; it helped me to recover from my broken heart.

Wedding Poems

The Beautiful Way was read out by me on my Wedding Day in May 1997. Looking back I would say married life has been more like the previous three verses than it has been a beautiful way. My mum likes this poem and my parents' marriage was more 'The Beautiful Way' than mine ever was. The below picture and poem were done by Amy and me for my parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary which they celebrated in June 2012. It now feels like they got this celebration in just in the nick of time, as my dad died the following year, in January 2013.

L's Still Life Poetry

I have added my Still Life Poetry trilogy to Wattpad, I hope you enjoy it, you can find it here.

Teenage Troubles
This is a collection of five poems concerning various problems I encountered as a teenager from wayward youths and body issues, to depressive thoughts and identity crises.

 An Anatomy of Love
These seven poems represent decades of my thoughts and feelings about love and relationships, from teenage longing and faltering first steps, to love at last, possibilities and fears and finally break-ups and moving on.

All Grown Up

This is a collection of five poems about growing up, facing difficulties and accepting uncertainty.

L's Flash Fiction on Wattpad

One of my main resolutions this year is to write more. I have already added two more pieces of flash fiction to my Wattpad channel, After the rain and the Nothing Box, which means I now have eight pieces of flash fiction on there. Below is more information about my flash fiction with links to my reading list and my short written pieces.

L's Flash Fiction

My flash fiction works are all above 250 words and below 1000 words long. They centre around one character, one situation, one moment in time. I hope you find them interesting and stimulating.

After the rain (259 words)
Daydreaming on a rainy Sunday afternoon leads Jane on a wild flight of fancy.

The Watering Hole (371 words)
Candy is having a quiet drink with her boyfriend Syd in The Black Dog when she has a revelation about the future of rock'n'roll.

Debut (395 words)
Christine feels as if she's in a play; she is anyway.

Cheesecake (445 words)
Bridie is full of expectation for the benefits of a short break in 'Wesley's Health Centre', if only she can resist her own inner temptations.

The Bubble Man (453 words)
Julia is convinced that something out of this world is going on in her local park.

Magic (476 words)
While travelling home from work, one rainy afternoon, desolate Georgia finds that sometimes hope comes in small and surprising packages.

The Nothing Box (660 words)

Charlotte was an unusual girl, but I didn't realise how unusual until I visited her house and discovered the magic hidden inside a mysterious glass box.

Emily in the photobooth (912 words)

Emily just needs a passport photo for a trip to NYC but the photobooth takes her on a far more unexpected journey.

I have added all my artwork for my stories and poems to my DeviantArt gallery which you can find here.

Wise Women's Words on WattPad

I am putting my short story, Wise Women's Words, on Wattpad, serialised in ten parts, starting with part one: Remember Me. Below are summaries of the whole story and also summaries of each part, which I will be posting in the coming days and weeks. I hope readers will enjoy the story.

 

Wise Women’s Words- story summaries by LJ Finnigan

Wise Women’s Words

After a mysterious attack on her way home from work, Sara turns to the Wise Women's Words group for solace. Can they help her to move on with her life?

Remember me

A disturbing incident happens on Sara’s way home from work. Her boyfriend, Steve, has trouble understanding her but maybe Sara will find solace in the Wise Women’s Words reading group.

Mr Jones

Sara joins the Wise Women’s Words reading group. Their discussion about Mr Jones by Edith Wharton encourages Sara to dwell further on her after-work ordeal.

The Bloody Chamber

Steve is growing increasingly frustrated with Sara’s continuing obsession with the after-work incident and her growing involvement with the Wise Women’s Words book club, who are now studying The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter.

The Last Séance

The Wise Women’s Words reading group travel to Torquay for an Agatha Christie weekend, where they discuss her spooky short story, ‘The Last Séance’. It is refreshing and rejuvenating, but back home, life with Steve is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

The Blue Lenses

The members of the Wise Women’s Words reading group take on a more sinister significance when they study The Blue Lenses by Daphne Du Maurier.

Man Size in Marble

Sara turns down a WWW Christmas trip to Romney Marsh to study Man Size in Marble and other ghost stories by E. Nesbit. Instead she enjoys a cosy, familiar Christmas with Steve, as they attempt to strengthen their crumbling relationship.

Death and Co

Despite their best efforts, the inevitable end of Sara and Steve’s relationship is brought into the forefront when the Wise Women’s Words reading group study Death and Co by Sylvia Plath.

Daughters of the Late Colonel

A new life with WWW member Diana gets off to a comfortable start when the group study Daughters of the late Colonel by Katherine Mansfield.

 The Old Nurse’s Story

The painful memory of Steve lingers and Sara feels she cannot face another Saturday night book club meeting, studying The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Remember Me

The Wise Women’s Words reading group are wondering whether to study the Bronte’s or Christina Rossetti. Sara contemplates joining them or facing a familiar ghost of her own making.