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Beauty in Unexpected Places

Monday. Madam Tussauds

Today we borrowed the car and took ourselves to Manningtree Station and then on the train to Liverpool Street Station -> Baker Street and Madam Tussauds.  How nice to be back here again after more than 10 years.  The queue looked exactly the same, 'though, and brought back memories of two hot and tired young boys, N. in the push-chair and eating sandwiches while we shuffled forwards inch by inch.  This time it didn't seem as long before we were deciding to include a 'Spirit of London' tour as well as the planetarium and waxworks.  It was all fantastic, and great to be able to walk up to and all around the figures, although we had to compete with hoards of other people to pose with our favourites. 

 

A lot of fun!  It was quite disconcerting at times to turn around and find Sean Connery or Robin Williams looking at you  directly in the eye.  

 

It really feels as if you are in a movie that momentarily has the 'pause' button on,  and that any minute someone will press 'play' and all the famous people will begin to turn around and perhaps start a conversation with you. 

The chamber of horrors was a hoot!  I was so nervous I giggled all the way through.  Real actors are combined with the figures and walk up to you, standing very close in the confines of the narrow corridors, saying such things as "Ooooh, hello poppet!" in a creepy voice while wearing dirty bandages or leprous-looking pustular makeup.  It was wonderfully scary, but I was still glad to get out!

Feeling stressed?

Listen to this,

As you look at this...

(With fond memories of the lovely walk on the Levels, Pippa.)

Yatton Park, Tauranga

Last Sunday morning at dawn I was down at the park watching the sun come up over the Hairini bridge.

Here's looking south from the park promontory towards the Welcome Bay hills over the golden oioi (Maori for 'to shake gently') wetlands (about 1.2 m - 4 feet - tall) and the Waimapu River:  

Sixteen of this beautiful park's trees are the largest of their kind in the North Island of New Zealand.

There's the history of the park here.  

And there's information about the lovely orange jointed rush oioi (Apodasmia (formally Leptocarpus) similis) here.

Eye Candy Day 10