Lots of water and shiny things

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In 10 months I've crossed the Thames by foot, tube, bus, I think even car, but somehow boats haven't made the list ... until now. A photography group trip to Greenwich including a cruise to the Thames Barrier helped tick that last box, well until I find another box that is!

About 70 of us jumped on a boat to cruise up the Thames past the O2 arena to the mighty, shiny Thames Barrier. The Thames Barrier was constructed between 1974 and 1984 and is designed to slow down flood waters caused by high tides and tidal surges (bit of a problem in the North Atlantic apparently). I doubt it would stop them, but hopefully if it would give them enough time to make sure poor punters like me are out of the tube before water starts trickling down!

After our little cruise the rest of the day was spent running around Greenwich, camera in hand trying to find that 'ideal angle' or brilliant composition (as you do on a photography trip!). As much as I love my camera I frequently suffer from photo envy when I look through everyone elses shots (oh ... also food envy, but that's another blog!). The joy of these days for me is spending hours with people who understand why it is necessary to take multiple shots of the same thing and who will provide protection if you end up lying in the middle of a path or road to get the right angle.

Another joy is of course that every trip includes not only companionship with cameras, but also food! A hunt for an energy recharge led us to visit to the Maritime Museum for coffee and cake and to discover the interactive 'Sea of Voices' workshop. August 23rd was the International Day for Rememberence of the Slave Trade and it's Abolition and the Museum was running a number of activities. Tthe 'Sea of Voices' was a participative workshop exploring the significance of song in the history of slavery. What this meant was a happy, half hour of (attempting) to sing old spirituals. While our performance would never win any awards, I had so much fun and I now have a greater understanding of the way the songs were used to communicate about freedom. Fun and educational!

All for now!
Love Jane

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Photos

Greenwich Eye
Half the size of the London Eye ... kind of just a largish ferris wheel