Good autumn-London morning!

[byslantedlight]

The sky is grey, the pavements are wet, but I walked past this park on my way to coffee this morning, and now I'm sitting watching lots of twinkling lights around the concrete grey shops, which I can absolutely forgive in November in big cities that could do with some non-grey happy. *g* Plus, pretty.

Yesterday afternoon looked pretty good too, involving, as it did, meeting heliophile_oxon for a drink and putting-the-world-to-rights at a Pros location - The Great Northern Railway Tavern, from Stopover. We sat in this corner, actually... I think the lads sat at the next bench along, but it was taken when I got there. Plus a bit rearranged anyway after... oh my, forty years and just over six months. *g*

Although to be honest I was relying on old memories from being there years ago, and I wasn't at all prepared. I took a couple of pics, but none the right way (again, people... *g*)

Still the same glass in those windows though! *g*

I was in bed so early for me last night - before 10.30pm (!!), so up at a decent time today, which was good. Slightly ironic, since I'm on holiday for a couple of days, but good for getting up early for the meeting on Sunday. Today... is about first of all finding some comfortable shoes, after a realise-my-boots-leak catastrophe minutes before I had to leave to catch my train yesterday, and swapping them for more waterproof boots that are on the other hand, not great for walking lots, which I definitely want to do today! Not actually sure what I'm going to do after that though - too much to choose from! Christmas market on Southbank at some point, I think, and perhaps back via Leicester Square for similar reasons (well, it might be November, but since I'm here...) Or - through the parks and nip into the Scarsdale, just for the sake of it? Um... I'll see where I end up and what the weather's like, I guess. And being me, what I'd really like to do is some writing... *g*

Comments

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Putting-the-world-to-rights, very important and has to be done properly! It was smashing to see you :-))) Back to the grindstone all too soon, but the world is definitely slightly righter :-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It definitely does! It was lovely to see you too - the world is a bit righter! *g* Hope the grindstone isn't too grind-y for you this time...

[freetraveller15.livejournal.com]

Oh I wish I'd been there with you two!
Hope to see you in another get-together maybe in the Spring?
P xx

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Hopefully next time! Hope you're keeping well :-))))

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Fabulous pictures and I love that pub, a real, proper pub! I can smell it from here... And the trees, the whole square looks so sweet. Thanks for these.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was sort of a real proper pub... but it's the kind now that also has a menu where you gulp a bit and say Erm... bowl of chips please..., and a very extensive craft beer list... But still. Pub. Plus London is definitely pretty in autumn!

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Coincidentally, and I quite forgot to mention it, the GNRT is quietly and matter-of-factly an LGBT-friendly pub and has been for quite some time now. Last time I was there for music (which is quite a while back!) there were a few same-sex couples dancing in the crowd, and when we were there the other day there were two gender-nonconforming young people in the loos when I was in there (one of them was noticeably nervous about my reaction, as I'm not a regular there so they might have been worried I was going to get up-in-arms and squawk about their being in the ladies, so we exchanged a brief moment of very small small-talk over the hand-basins just to establish that everything was all bog-standard-courtesies-and-gripe-about-London all round).
Seems that many or even most of the architecturally attractive proper pubs in London are a bit gastropub these days, I suppose they have to, to make the rent. Not complaining about the increased choice of beers, though!

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

What caught my eye was the glass in those frames. You rarely see that kind of workmanship these days^_^

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for being so late replying - over a month is just too, too ridiculous... And I so agree about the glass! I've been trying to work out whether it's the original (well, from the same time as the Pros ep), and I can't quite tell - it almost looks a bit more ornate. I really hope that people are still making that kind of glass for pubs still!

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

And thank you for the pics! I've never seen an English pub before.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

As above re: lateness - and you're very welcome! I hope you'll get to see one in real life soon... *g*

[cyanne]

The pictures are wonderful and I'm so glad you're having a good time. And thanks for the tip, I added the Great Northern Railway Tavern to my list for next time. It's wonderful to hear that it's LGBT friendly.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I can't believe I'm soooooo behind in my replies that this is over a month later...

Excellent plan to add the Great Northern Railway Tavern! I miss going to the Scarsdale Tavern for Pros in December, but the GNRT is also a very cool pub. *g*