The 2012 Olympics will be starting here in London in just a few weeks and I was keen to have a look at the Olympic Village in Stratford, just a few clicks away from my mum-in-law here in Walthamstow, where we’re based. So Mark and I headed out for the short trek and, on the way, stopped for a quick walk around the somewhat dodgy St. James Park. I remembered that the allotment gardens are there and wanted to have a look. Of course the allotments are locked up, so our only view was through the gate.
We came across a hidden brook near the allotments, almost completely obscured by wildflowers. It’s really a beautiful park, however, I wanted to get the hell out fairly quickly when we noticed a young man on a bike with two off-leash pit bulls. I am not normally worried about dogs and these two seemed sweet enough, but not so much their owner. In fact he seemed to be following us. We may have narrowly avoided a unpleasant situation. East London has changed a lot in the years I have been coming here.
Next we boarded the bus at Walthamstow Central Station to Stratford. It looked like it would rain and in fact it did, but not before it hailed massively. From the bus I saw people ducking for cover into doorways and bus shelters to avoid being pelted with hail stones the size of robins’ eggs.
We reached Stratford just as the hail turned into a regular London piss-down. So we headed over the foot bridge and took cover in the shiny new “Westfield Stratford City” which is the real highlight of the Olympic Village. In fact, the Westfield pretty much is the Olympic Village. It felt like we were back in New Jersey – it was so like an American mall. At the risk of sounding too cynical, it was just a lot of overpriced merchandise that no one really needs. So like America!
There was really nothing else to see – the games venues are built, of course, but not reachable at the moment. So, to be honest, our slightly frightening stroll in St. James Park was more the highlight of the day.
So, I will leave you with a few pretty photos to point out the obvious – London’s Olympic Village is a mall and it’s next to a train station.
– LindaEve in London
The evening was mostly clear skied and pleasantly chilly with storm clouds looming over the hills. The four of us headed out on a trail walk that took us up into the hills overlooking the bay. Warning signs were posted to let us know the dangers of being trapped by the incoming tide, so we chose to stay on the more elevated trails, a true delight, with bright yellow gorse and purple bluebells in full flower. The trail split off in various directions, including up a rather steep set of rustic wooden steps, leading to an even steeper green meadow. On the way back to the campsite we detoured back to the beach and a little hidden cove that was covered in broken shells and bits of driftwood.
I read books on my iPhone. Lots of books. Lots of page turns, due to the small screen and the fact that I need the type to be a bit large for my aging eyes, but what’s a few finger swipes – not a lot of effort, really. Here’s my current reading list:
Finally, in my bedside drawer hides a paper copy of, in my opinion, the best novel ever written – 
After my first rag rug experiment came out a bit misshapen, I decided to try again.
So here it is… more or less. OK, less. Hardly symmetrical. And the colors – a bit of a mish-mash. Mark thinks it looks like a rainbow threw up. At least Lima seems to like it. But Lima eats bugs and licks his own butt.
As to my reading, I found an epub copy of 
