English Funsights

  

England is an interesting place with many interesting and humorous things to see. We loved all the street names especially those that were a little unusual. Pubs usually had signs outside to catch your interest. It's not often that you get invited to a 'slaughter festival'. Roundabouts would be more popular in Canada if we put an inviting pub in the middle of it (parking might be an issue). This is not where the Knights of the Roundtable met. Stopping in for a 'tipple' sounds interesting. Why? We couldn't figure out who would want to cross this bridge. You don't see many of these signs in Manitoba. Spelling is soooo important. Somebody has strong feelings about speeders.

London had funny sights as well. When we arrived in East Finchley, we didn't expect to be greeted with flowers and a new car. There are many funny T-shirts out there with an element of truth (the second one anyway).  You can buy anything at the Buckingham gift shop including your own Corgi. You never know when you'll run into a celebrity here (Judi Dench was at her movie premiere in Leicester Square). This nose was thought to be Duke Wellington's for years since there are a million Wellington things in the city but an artist confessed recently to posting these all over the city as a protest against all of the security cameras (keep your nose out of my business). At least Matthew was warned about petting the horse. Wearing your patriotism can go a little far. It's not often you are told not to feed pigeons and not ride on lions.

And now for two sad sights. London has security everywhere for good reasons. Downing Street isn't the only place where it is so obvious. All the squares and parks and tourist sights have heavily armed patrols. I was even stopped once outside a Metro and questioned about my camera. Bag checks are common and you get very used to pulling out your wallet and phone, etc. We found ourselves not even seeing the security patrols anymore as they have become a regular part of the scenery. And finally, the saddest part of our time in London for me was not being able to get tickets for the Pink Floyd exhibition. Maybe I'll catch it when it comes through Winnipeg in ten years.