Happy Blue Monday...London weekend break

Morning! (Oops it's not anymore)

I'm a little late today, but what can you expect when you've had a hectic weekend away in London. 

I must admit taking a break from all the renovations, mess and army of workmen coming in and out of the house was a brilliant and much appreciated idea. It must have been mine!

We only had a limited time for a short break, but never the less, we sure packed in a lot of things...so much so that I was limping at the end of the weekend (contrary to my hubby's constant comments about inappropriate shoes, my shoes were fine ) 

In order to get around the city we used the underground rail system. It is the oldest and one of the busiest underground railway networks in the world!

I didn't really realise what was in store...travelling to Covent Gardens on a Saturday night was madness as far as I'm concerned! 

I don't like crowds and people in my personal space, but let's just say I didn't have much choice. I've never been pushed and poked so much in all of my life. I'm sure at one stage my feet lifted off the ground, as I was swept along with the tide. 

I'm sure my physical examination wasn't as up close and personal.

 I thought it was just me...but I did hear a young girl frantically telling her boyfriend that she didn't like it...NOT ONE BIT! She looked like a bunny caught in the headlights! 

It was quite reassuring that I wasn't the only one feeling like I was a piece of meat off packed off to market! 

I could have taken a photo to show you the madness, but there again I had no idea where my arms where, never mind my camera! 

If you prefer the era of the steam trains then you might like to take a peek at one of my earlier post ~ click here 

I like this photo because I think it gives the impression of London, it's exactly what was happening...everything whooshing past at incredible speed and you just have to hang on and go with the flow. 

(I know...don't I sound an old fuddy duddy?)

Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos over the weekend...namely because I forgot to take my camera out with me! Not only an old fuddy duddy...a forgetful one too 

I felt like I'd lost a limb and there was no way I could return to the Hotel to collect it because we had dinner and a show to see.

However, I did manage to capture these cool Bowler Hat light shades in the Hotel lobby.

(The first bowler hat was originaly created for Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester in 1849. It was designed by London hatmakers Thomas and William Bowlers for hatters Lock & Co of St. James's. The brief was to create a piece of headgear that could be worn by gamekeepers when they were out riding to protect their heads from low-hanging branches. It is thought that before accepting the hat Coke arrived at the shop in London and stamped on the crown twice to check its robustness. He paid 12 shillings for it. The Bowler went on to be associated with businessmen in the City of London. During the 1950's and 60s men wore the Bowler as part of the City uniform but the practice died out during the seventies...

...info courtesy of Laura Roberts, The Telegraph)

 I think they're really cool...what do you think?

If you ask anyone to name a London icon along with the Bowler Hat there's a good chance that they will say......the London Red Bus! 

Da...dah!

I quite like the fact that this red bus now has my blog advertised on its side (hehe) 

This particular bus is a vintage model and used for weddings. 

And so on to Convent Gardens. 

Now this was a treat. 

What a fantastic place and as you can see incredibly popular. 

Street acts, fantastic restaurants, beautiful architecture and so much more.  

There's definitely a buzz about the area too. 

We actually had difficulty finding a restaurant that didn't have at least an hours waiting time for a table. This was a little stressful because we had tickets for a show.

I needed to eat otherwise my stomach may have out rumbled and roared Mufasa 

(we were going to see The Lion King hence the reference) 

But finally we did manage to eat and arrived at the theatre by the skin of our teeth...running up the stairs and virtually crowd surfing to our seat as the opening bars of the show resonated and reverberated throughout the theatre. 

From those opening bars we were spellbound. 

The costumes, music, choreography and incredible voices cast their spell. 

Here's a brief clip and each time I hear it...I get goose bumps! 

What an amazing spectacle and that voice!!!!

I think if you are able to see this show then you should because you will not be disappointed. 

It would be a fantastic Christmas treat for the children because it keeps very true to the Disney film. UK booking and various venue details here

(By the way, just to clarify I'm not receiving any form of payment for this promotion...this is just my view)

I'm not sure when it happened but I'm beginning to think that I'm now an old country bumpkin. The frenetic pace of the big city was a little much at times and I must admit I gave a sigh as we left. London is fantastic to visit and stay for a brief time but for me personally, I like to get back to open spaces with room to breath!   

I know that there is a fair amount of red in my post today, but there's also flashes of blue. 

I'm hoping that Sally who hosts Blue Monday will forgive me and allow me to link up today. 

If you look at the video clip you will see Rafiki has fantastic blue makeup 

I'll wish you all a Happy Blue Monday.

Don't forget to pop across to see more of the Blue Monday posts at Smiling Sally's blog.