Blessing the Thames

A wee moment of anxiety as the clergy from the church of St Magnus the Martyr, which sits on the north side of the river, wait for the clergy from Southwark Cathedral, from the south side of the river, to appear.

The event is the annual blessing of the Thames.  The clergy from each church meet in the middle of the bridge marked by different colour pavers. The bells of each church toll, as a short service takes place blessing everyone who uses the river, for work or recreation.  Those who cross the bridge each day are also blessed, as are those whose lives the Thames has claimed.

A wooden cross is then tossed into the waters, which looked for a moment if it was going to be swallowed up by a passing Thames clipper, but to the delight of the crowd watching, it continued bobbing along the surface of the water heading out to sea.

Wormhole

Having to go back into the archives a bit because there has been so little time to shoot. (&%$ work. When you start law school in this country they teach you a bunch of old maxims we get from our field's English origins. One of them has it that the law is a jealous mistress.

Anyway, this is back at Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Many displays change from year to year but this walk-through light tube is ever popular. Photo taken from the flight deck of the Starship Enterprise, if you will give me some artistic license.

               

Birds in the moonlight

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Right around twilight the pigeons in my neighborhood gather together on the wires.
If I am walking home at that time, I cross to the other side of my street, just in case.
I wonder where they fly off to for the night's sleep.
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(Linking to Camera Critters.)
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Urban Mountaineering

The great white elephant also known as the O2 that was built for the millennium, goodness wasn't that a lifetime ago, is mostly used for large concerts and event.  However there is another activity which is way more fun, and that is mountaineering over the outside roof.  When you get to the top there is an amazing view.  I did it a few years back.  Such a long time ago now,  I must do it again.  Fancy joining me?

Heavenward

St. Louis Cathedral Basilica, kinda Holga-ized. The beacon was off that day.