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Back in the Peak District again, after a ridiculous drive from the Isle Of Wight. But playing in the woods of Padley Gorge was well worth it. (My family are lurking in there somewhere.)
Breakfast at Grindleford Station.
And a bracing trip to Curbar Edge.
Hill walking. The British holiday the weather can't spoil. Aah July.
Went for a wonder around Sandown, took in the signs.
Who'd have thought? NGOs on the seafront?
We repeat. This is not a toy.
Things to do with a beach when you can't just lie on it.
1. Kites.
2. Construct an elaborate tunnel network and drive vehicles through it.
3. Jumping.
4. Abandon the pretence and head for the funfair.
We liked the Isle Of Wight, though it wasn't like the seaside. It was more like Croydon with beaches. It's not all quaint and strange like the seaside normally is. It seems to be more big suburban houses with beaches where the shopping centres would be.
Making the best of technique number 4. A steam railway. The Isle Of White steam railway is a great example. Friendly, comfortable, efficient. A great shop for trainobelia.
The dinosaurs have returned to the Island.
So we retreated to The Hideaway, a splendid cliff-top cafe.
But then, because we're British, we were poised to return to the beach the very instant the weather got better. And did castle-building fun.
The weather forecast was horrible, storms lashing the South Coast. Went for a walk around Shanklin before it happened.
Someone at the Shanklin theatre has a great collection of clip art.
The optimism of this place was inspiring. Colossal storms forecast, and they were putting out the huge promotional ice-cream cone.
Then it was time to start being British and making the most of the weather. Off to The Needles theme park and the scary chair lift.
Arthur passed his driving license. Apparently.
We liked the model village at Godshill. I'm a fan of model villages and this was a good example. Had a little wit.
Then off to the Fort Victoria model railway. All the merits and all the problems of a typical model railway, intricate, detailed, obsessive, but not really geared up to the needs of the average non-obsessive visitor.
Playing snap at Gossips cafe in Yarmouth. Right next to the tossing waves. Part three of a classic making the best of it triumvirate - model village, model railway, cake.
Got on a ferry to the Isle Of Wight. Good framing device, ferry windows.
Then to sunny Ventnor for classic beach fun. Beach hut and two deck chairs, £7.50 a day.
Stayed at the Luccombe Hall hotel in Shanklin. Not great to be honest. But it had these splendid in-room radios tuned only to Radio Solent. And a very nice outside pool.
There is simply nothing like chucking stones in the sea.
The sea is this big.
Decided to walk round the congestion zone. It's further than you'd think, about 15 miles. And
a lot of it is kind of unregarded bits of London. Biggish roads, not much happening. But there's interesting stuff in the detail.
I've always liked this block on the Euston/Marylebone Road. The flats with the garage on the ground floor. I can imagine Lord Peter Whimsey or Bertie Wooster pulling in to refuel before heading down to Blandings or somewhere.
The Dorchester Plane.
This is that strange construction at the south end of Vauxhall bridge. A huge rocket launching device pointing straight at MI6. Surely our intelligence failures aren't that dramatic that we can't spot such an obvious Smersh ploy?
I thought the Richardsons ruled South London.
Good sign on a disused bike shop.
Hairdresser windows are like museums of hairstyles. Why don't they ever get updated?
I like this. Layers and layers of information all leaving faint traces but no meaning.
I love this place. Sitting on the Kennington Lane a restaurant that thinks it's at the seaside. It's mad and it knows it is.
I think I remember the shopping centre's on its way out. I don't supposed it'll be hugely lamented by anyone, but at least it was a useful landmark, and it had an insane kind of ambition.
A great sign.
Two shopfronts down by Spitalfields Market. Shame they're just fronts now. At least, I've never seen Dino's open.
Do you think he's really called Peter?
Just urban stuff.
This is probably by someone famous.
The Castle Snack bar. Going in agoodplaceforacupofteaandathink shortly.
Ended up at the VG Snack Bar, Great Portland Street.
Visited the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square. Great place. And free. Arthur's into swords at the moment because of Peter Pan so we thought he'd like these:
He took his notepad to do some sword sketching.
They let you try on helmets.
This is a good step in the expansive cultural canon plan. None of us know nothing about greek myths, but this book is the answer, and Arthur loves it.
Can you believe it? Greece won.
Nice, simple day spent with friends in Wandsworth. Four boys all of roughly the same age having a ton of fun together. Finlay, Arthur and the twins. Get them a dog and they could be an Enid Blyton gang.
Arthur and Finlay in scary masks from the British Museum.
Urban pooh sticks on Wandsworth Common.
Looking for trains in the crack on the railway bridge.
Getting breath back with Jen and Steff.