London – ladyleemanila

The City’s Splendour

October 23, 2016October 23, 2016Posted in Sunday Photo Fiction, WhirligigTagged city, London, poem, poetry prompt, whirligig, writing challenge, writing prompt15 Comments

THIS WEEK’S WORDS come from “The Wild Swans at Coole” by William Butler Yeats: woodland, twilight, count, wheeling, lighter, lover, passion, wander, drift, edge, pool, find

as the lovers wander through the woodland, they drift
they were wheeling and walking in passion, a gift
trying to get out of the woods before twilight
find themselves at the edge of the woods, such delight

walking around the city as they count their steps
avoiding the guards marching so they sidestep
with horses and guards march by the palace, great sight
they have reached the edge of the woods, what a delight

the city so charming, they fell in love with it
lots of interesting places, they have to admit
at night, all the lights are on and everything’s bright
they have reached the edge of the woods, what a delight

cruising along the River Thames is also fun
one way to reach Greenwich and that’s what they have done
passing by the Tower Bridge and the Parliament
don’t forget the Shard almost directly in front

several of the city’s skyscrapers are there
they won’t miss Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square
people walking and chatting, city so vibrant
museums to see, places to eat on the front

holding hands in Hyde Park and the weather’s so good
watching people hither and thither as they stood
eating ice-cream from the place they love to frequent
they have to queue as children are happy in front

bright colourful flowers float in Canary Wharf
some art was there with characters that can be morphed
they were entertained, creation was so brilliant
they have reached the edge of the woods, what a delight

the lovers enjoy holiday in the city
they go home content after their shopping spree
people walking and chatting, city so vibrant
they have to queue as children are happy in front*

* The La’ritmo, created by Laura Lamarca, consists of 8 4-line stanzas. Each line MUST contain 12 syllables.

Rhyme scheme is as follows: aabb ccbB ddbB eeff ggfF hhfF iibB jjfF

The repetition of 4th line in each stanza can either be an exact repetitive line, or a variation with the exact same end-rhyme word.

The form was created by me, Laura Lamarca, but was officially named by Chandni Hingorani. “La” is Laura Lamarca’s signature and “ritmo” in Italian, simply means “rhythm”.

For: Sunday Photo Fiction – October 23rd 2016, Whirligig 82 by Magical Mystical Teacher

Which Way in London

September 16, 2016Posted in Cee's Which Way Photo ChallengeTagged Cee's which way photo challenge, London, photo challenge, photos4 Comments

For: Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – September 14, 2016

Haibun Monday: The Sky IS the Limit

August 23, 2016August 24, 2016Posted in dVerse Meeting the Bar, Haibun Thinking, Haiku HubTagged haibun, haibun thinking, London, sky23 Comments

The day after the son’s wedding, we visited London. The sky was hazy and sombre grey and the clouds soothed it with charcoal whirls. The London Eye provided a sturdy background in slow motion. The movement of the clouds was barely distinctive and the birds wheeled in slow lazy arcs. Above the busy city, the honking of cars and the strolling people, the sober grey sky cloaked the world. Such a malevolent sky with clouds an impermeable carpet of translucent greyish blue, cold, vast.

Cold and grey today
Just the right time to visit
Glad it didn’t rain

For: Haibun Monday by hayesspencer

26 Weeks Letter Challenge: “T”

July 31, 2016July 22, 2016Posted in 26 Weeks Letter ChallengeTagged India, London, photo challenge, photos, tortoises, trains, travel theme, treesLeave a comment

tuktuk

tea

Taj Mahal

telephone booth

Tuesday’s Rubies

June 20, 2016June 21, 2016Posted in Ruby Tuesday too, Tuesdays of TexturesTagged dessert, doors, London, photo challenge, photos, ruby, ruby tuesday, ruby tuesday too, trains, Tuesdays of Textures, WalesLeave a comment

For: a village sign… and Tuesdays of Texture | Week 26 of 2016

London Doors

June 16, 2016Posted in Thursday DoorsTagged doors, London, photo challenge, photos, Thursday, UK8 Comments

For: Thursday Doors – June 16th, 2016 by Norm 2.0

Seasons – London Calling

June 9, 2016June 12, 2016Posted in #weeklysmile, Echoes Of My Neighbourhood, Photo Challenge, Seasons, Skywatch Friday, Ten Things of Thankful, thankful Thursday, Three Things ThursdayTagged friends, general blogging, Him Indoors, holiday, London, neighbours, photo challenge, photos, season, sister, sky, skywatch, smile, street, ten things of thankful, thankful Thursday, thanks, three things thursday, travel theme, traveller, UK42 Comments

Hello everyone! I went to London with Him Indoors, my sister and her husband. There we met our friends from Munich. We stayed near Trafalgar Square so we could walk everywhere. And boy, we walked! We walked to the Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden. We met our friends in Soho to have our Chinese meal.

We walked through Green Park to reach Buckingham Palace. There was a cavalry parade.

We took our time looking at some painting at the National Gallery Museum.

We went to Imperial War Museum and saw the story of those whose lives have been shaped by war from the First World War to the present day.

We took a barge from Embankment to Greenwich. We saw the Tower of London, the Shard, Parliament, Millennium Bridge and other places of interest.

Tower Bridge

We went to the National Maritime Museum – the world’s largest maritime museum with 10 free galleries and a vast collection that spans artworks, maps and charts, memorabilia and thousands of other objects. The uniform of General Nelson with a bullethole was there.