Seven Ugly Ducklings and Their Mute Swan Parents

While taking my Mother on a stroll around Hyde Park this morning we came across this rather large family of Mute Swans.  Here's Mom, Dad and seven very cute little 'ugly ducklings' on The Serpentine near the Lido.

Mute Swan Family in Hyde Park

Castles For My Mother

Kensington Palace Across the Round Pond

My Mother is coming to visit in a couple of weeks time and I've been trying to plan an itinerary.  It hasn't been easy, because she hadn't been providing much guidance on what she wants to do apart from see "where the Queen lives".  She is not a traveller.  She's seen a lot of the US, but she hasn't done a lot of overseas travel apart from New Zealand and Australia and a cruise or two in the Caribbean.  Although, if you ask her, she also counts her trip to Hawaii as an 'overseas' trip.

Don't get me wrong.  She's not one of those birther nut jobs who, against all evidence to the contrary, believe that President Obama was not born in the US, because he was born in Hawaii.  My Mother knows Hawaii is a US state.  But, you have to fly over the Pacific Ocean to get there.  So, it's overseas.  Isn't it?

Anyway, this trip will be her first trip over the Atlantic and finally this weekend I got a hint of what she wants to do.  She said she wanted to see the changing of the guard and visit a castle.  She's been consulting friends at her water aerobics class.  It wasn't much, but also knowing she likes gardens and the Buckingham Palace thing, it gave me a bit more to start with.  So, yesterday, I started looking at the options.

Rob suggested Hampton Court Palace which offers some wonderful gardens and a palace.  Kensington Palace and it's gardens was one I thought of.  And, since Will & Kate live there, she'll want to see Kensington.  By castle, though, I knew she wasn't thinking of palaces.  She was thinking huge stone walls, arrow loops, towers, drawbridges and moats.   So, I thought Tower of London and maybe something further a field like Arundel Castle - home of the Norfolks.  And, of course, there is Windsor.

Hey! Where'd My Jelly Babies Go?

Mauro Perucchetti Jelly Baby Family Sculpture 

We went for a stroll this weekend - it hasn't rained in London for two days now. YAY!

Rob suggested we stop into Fortnum & Mason one of London's fabulous department stores.  It is wonderful to visit, but you need to be a bank owner to purchase anything.

Then it was on to New Bond Street.  As we ambled along the street looking in gallery windows, a flash of colour caught my eye.  I'd spied a miniature version of the Mauro Perucchetti sculpture I came across near Marble Arch a few weeks ago.  I had quickly fallen in love with those colourful giant Jelly Babies.  I love colourful glass and while these obviously aren't glass they looked the part.

The guard at the gallery door noticed my interest and motioned us in.  He may have seen a potential sale, but then that is probably why he was the guard rather than the manager.  Since we don't own a bank, I didn't think we would be taking my colourful little friends home.  Sure enough, one glance at the price and we were back on the street.

We moved on to Oxford Street and stopped into Selfridges another one of those fab London department stores.

Then, we carried along Oxford Street and when we reached the intersection at Marble Arch I started to cross.  From behind I heard, "Where are you going?"  Ah, yes, I forgot, I was in the lead.  I said since we ended up there I wanted to show him the Jelly Baby Family sculpture.

Jelly Babies & "Still Water" Horse Head Behind Buses

"Don't you want to have a look at the Dorchester," was his reply.

"No, not really," I said, thinking, "Why?"

"I want to show you the larger version of that sculpture we saw.  It's great!"

We continued across the road to the Marble Arch.  We walked toward the huge bronze horse head sculpture, which I also quite like.  Something wasn't quite right.  Over the top of the buses I could see a sculpture I didn't remember.  It looked Asian in design.  I could have sworn that was where the Jelly Babies were.  We carried on past the buses.  There was the fountain with a man in waders walking around cleaning it, just like the last time I was there.  But, no Jelly Babies.

What is that?  A guy with freaky hair on a horse with even freakier hair.  OMG, my Jelly Babies had been replaced by Genghis Khan!

Dashi Namdakov's Genghis Khan at Marble Arch London

I remembered the controversy weeks ago, when Khan was unveiled, but I hadn't realised that he had replaced my Jelly Babies.  Some had complained that Genghis Khan shouldn't have a statue because he was a murderer, ethnic cleanser and led a regime of genocide.

I dismissed it at the time as PC gone mad. Time and place, people.  I mean, let's face it, if the same standards were applied to some of the Kings, Queens, Generals and Clergy of the same era (and later) with statues around London, it would take years to banish them all.

That said and now that I know Mr Khan preformed a more recent act of ethnic cleansing by driving my Jelly Baby Family from their home, I'm inclined to agree that maybe he does need to go.

Some Monkeys Can't Read

Here's what the sign says as you enter the Flower Walk in Hyde Park.

And here's what many naughty monkeys do:

London Spring

Day Six in London was a beautiful day.  The rain from yesterday cleared and while it's clouding over again right now, the morning was brilliant.  Rob had to start work today.  I continued to explore.

I spent a few hours strolling around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.  Spectacular!

Gardens with Kensington Palace behind

Hyde Park

The Flower Walk in Hyde Park