On the streets

Hi there, on this very peaceful Sunday morning. Well, Friday night I went out with the team of Street Pastors and we had a really good night. It was the best night I've had by far with this team. We had great conversations with many people. My sister was asking if we were planning to go out every week. On reflection I think we do need more of a regular presence in Brixton. So many people there really just want someone to talk to; some of the stories people shared with us were really touching and very sad. There needs to be a continuous presence there of some kind.

Am still trying to figure out how to work my camera so pardon me if the shots aren't that clear.

London At Night

Shots of iconic London landmarks taken yesterday:


Tower Bridge


The London Mayor's Building


The Gherkin


London Bridge

Vauxhall at night

Went out for a bite to eat and to test out my camera again last night. The zoom lens is incredible; it can make out images clearly from quite a distance. Very James Bond!


Ok, so it looks like slop, but it was actually quite a nice meal!! It was egg fried rice and ribs in curry sauce at Noodle Noodle in Victoria.


Swanky Riverside apartments right on Vauxhall Bridge. Very expensive!!




The other side of the River


Showing the shops and eateries under the plush apartments using the zoom lens. I'm several hundred feet away taking this shot using the zoom lens. Impressive!

The London Eye at night

Pricey Apartments

These apartments in Marylebone Road go for a few million pounds each!!

Playing with my new toy!

Hey guys! Two days after I wrote saying that I hadn't received my camera, it arrived!! Typical! I seriously thought of sending it back on principle as it had not arrived when Amazon had promised it would and I was therefore entitled to a full refund. But I reasoned that I would need a camera at some point anyway and there was no point in cutting off my nose to spite my face.

I was surprised at how tiny the camera was; it for sure will fit into all of my handbags!

So, I took it out today for a test drive. I went to my favourite park, Regent's Park, and took some snaps. Not bad, though I say so myself!



A map showing how huge this park is! It isn't as big as Hyde Park, but it is still one of the biggest in London.

Broken Britain

I don't know if the news has reached your respective corners of the world yet, but for the last few days England has been shocked at the news that a boy, Alfie Patten, has become a father at the age of 13; copy and past the link into your browser to read the whole article and watch the video.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ece


I'm wondering if this chap really is 13 because I personally would say he looks no older than 10 years old. Whatever his age, I feel sorry for him because it is so evident that the enormity of this situation is completely lost on him. His parents are milking it for every penny that they can get, having already netted several thousand pounds since the story broke late last week. Alfie is being tossed to and fro in the media hurricane and no one is looking out for his welfare. This story has been debated in Parliament where speakers are saying it illustrates clearly how broken our society is. To add to this crazy situation, Alfie has to take a DNA test to prove his paternity because two other boys, aged 14 and 16, are claiming they are the father of this baby. One suspects this is purely for financial gain as this is one of the biggest, and therefore one of the most lucrative, stories in England at the moment.

I agree that our society is broken, but it has been broken for decades. With each year that passes there is another crack in the dam of English society that threatens to burst and destroy everything in its path. The world and therefore our immediate societies are changing at breakneck speed leaving in its wake problems and challenges that this nation is ill equipped to deal with.

I'm 36 years old and all I know for sure is what I have witnessed during these years. I trace the decay to when the government took power from the teachers and parents and put it in the hands of the young. The youth of this land get away with all kinds of antisocial behaviour on a daily basis because the poor decisions made in Parliament over the years have made them virtually untouchable. Parents can't correct their children their way, teachers can only give a token reprimand to pupils otherwise they could be charged with abuse. Their hands are tied and the law will not back them to do what is necessary to bring order back into homes and schools. The result has been gangs of feral youth and young adults roaming the streets and causing untold misery to thousands. The law favours the criminal heavily; it would appear that only a foolish person would choose to live within the law. Few people take responsibility for their actions because the law in the main does not hold them accountable for the deliberate decisions that they have made to break it.

England has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the whole of Europe. Why? One of the reasons, and I stress it isn't the ONLY reason, is because for decades pregnant teenagers were immediately given council flats and a whole range of benefits to help them in their new lives as young mums. It is only in the last couple of years that the government has started to clamp down on those who are getting themselves pregnant purely to get their foot on the housing ladder, but I think it is a case of too little too late. I remember when I was unhappy at home and decided to go and apply for a council flat. I was asked a number of questions: was I pregnant or did I have children, was I on drugs, was I in an abusive relationship, etc. When I replied in the negative to these questions and all the others I was asked, I was told I wasn't a priority and would be on the housing waiting list for many years. If I had been pregnant or a law breaker I would have gone to the top of the list.

I could go on and on; the Jamie Bulger case, all the horrifying stories of children being killed at the hands of their parents, binge drinking, crime spiralling out of control, people fleeing the country in terror, etc. But all it would do is make you want to jump off a cliff!! What is needed to restore order and peace in this land is for a few men and women in places of authority with backbone to stand up and say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done AND NOT SEEK TO PLEASE PEOPLE JUST TO BE POPULAR. It will be a lot harder to do it at this stage in our country's history but it CAN be done. This country has a glorious heritage, but the only reason it has one like this is because of the calibre of men and women who were in positions of power who stood for what was right in the face of overwhelming opposition, and sometimes even death. Fortunately, it isn't as drastic as that anymore and with that in mind we must believe for politicians who are of the stock of their political ancestors to step up to the plate and make the much needed changes. England isn't finished with yet, but NOW is the time for those who can turn this country around to do so.

25 Random things about me!

1. I love to eat but I hate to cook!
2. I'm the only one in my family who has fillings.
3. I love travelling.
4. I attract a worrying number of insane people!
5. In London I'm often mistaken for someone called Sandra Henderson.
6. In America I'm mistaken for a famous basketballer called Lisa Leslie!
7. My plan is to move to the US in the not too distant future, unless God has other plans!
8. My paternal grandfather was conscripted to fight for England in the 1st World War.
9. I LOVE crime shows, i.e. CSI Vegas and New York, True Crimes, Crime Scene USA, Forensic Detectives etc.
10. Growing up I wanted to be a post man so that I could read everyone's letters.
11. I also wanted to be a bus conductor because I thought that all the money people gave them was theirs to keep!
12. I used to like eating brick dust and chalk.
13. I often don't get the punch line in jokes until months after the fact!
14. I had my one and only fist fight when I was about 9 or 10. I won!!
15. My sisters used to say that I was like Idi Amin, and I would take that as a compliment!
16. I started smoking at 11 to try and fit in with the cool kids, stopped when I was in my twenties.
17. I wanted to be an archaeologist after watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
18. Wanted to be a croupier after watching a few James Bond movies, but my maths is rubbish!
19. I flew for the first time when I was 19, which was a miracle because I had a fear of heights, water and being in enclosed spaces!! I had been praying hard in the days leading up to the flight because I didn't want to freak out! It worked!
20. I took the Eurostar by mistake and DID freak out! Long embarrassing story!!!
21. Even though I was born and raised in London, America is the only place I have ever felt at home and that is where the bulk of my friends are. I find people here a bit wierd in comparison.
22. January 1st is my favourite day of the whole year.
23. I played baskeball for England when I was 14.
24. I'm a nature baby and LOVE the outdoors. Except for when it is raining, snowing and freezing cold. I guess I'm basically saying I love the sun!
25. Red is my all time favourite colour.