An incidental post for a picture.
As I'm here, thought those of you who aren't here might like an iconic London-by-night pcture.
Left-Right, The London Eye, or whatever it's called now, Palace of Westminster (The Houses of Parliament), the clock tower (Big Ben), and the Thames.
Note the lack of people we were looking for.
128 comments:
Aww, this makes me all nostalgic for London.
It did look nice, I must admit.
I felt a bit like a tourist though, taking a picture of it.
Just pretend to be all official coppery. Or an art student, if you carry around one of those light measurer things.
Very pretty. :)
Very nice. Did you phone do that?
Sorry you haven't found them yet, but thank you for the lovely picture! There is something inevitably touristy about taking pictures of famous places, even if they're your places.
Since I just got back from the show myself, a very specific question: ever go to The Rocky Horror Show? Dress up at all if you did? I left mad with envy at our Frank-N-Furter's ability to dance in 4 inch spiky heels....
Lovely photo L.
Things like the Eye only serve to remind me how astoundingly long it's been since I was last in London. I really just need to go back. Let it re-imprint itself on me. I feel like I miss it, but I wonder sometimes if I'd even recognize it.
I got to visit London for about a week four and a half years ago. You have an interesting city. Very lovely in places, certainly. ^_^ I didn't get to go to nearly as many of the museums as I'd've liked.
I had a 14 hour layover at Heathrow this last summer on my way to Cape Town. Never had been to England before. So I left the airport and wandered around London by myself for 9 hours -- took the underground from the airport into the city. Felt the most touristy I've ever been in my life out of all the places I've visited, but apparently I blended in well enough, because I had two locals (well, I wouldn't know if they were actually London-local, but they had British accents) ask if I knew how to get somewhere or directions to a station. I felt rather proud that I knew the answers!
~CylenDelMar
Ohh, my heart hurts. I lived in London for five years and I miss it so much.
And for the record, when I had my flat broken into, it was a very busy day for that area's police and forensics (several robberies and a stabbing within four hours and eight blocks) and they were still sweet enough to answer all my stupid questions and be reassuring while taking my report and swarming about fingerprinting my flat. So good luck.
And the forensic scientists they sent to my house were two women who were seriously good-looking enough to be on CSI o_O So Met coppers are like a good cup of tea: sweet and hot? ;)
Sorry, we got busy - brought someone in for questioning.
Danger, yes, phone did it.
CylenDelMar - they wouldn't have been Londoners - notorious for never talking to anyone, and wouldn't be caught dead asking for directions! But lots of people do get lost.
Thanks for nice comments. Glad you liked the pic.
Very soon I ca n go home and hopefully sleep.
Hope you're on your way home, soon. And that Sherlock let's you sleep enough. Is this your last nightshift?
Home, now in way to ned.
Two more nights to go, DW...
Great photo. Living out here in the sticks, I do seem to be in the minority, but I love London.
Two or three years ago we went to London for New Year, stood on the Embankment right opposite the Eye (for hours - you had to get there early, but we were right at the front of the crowd) and watched the fireworks. Fabulous.
Hope you get a decent morning's sleep, Lestrade. If you're working Sunday night, assuming Monday would be a recovery day, are you straight back in on Tuesday morning?
What a lovely photo. I've been fortunate enough to visit London twice in the past two years: once for a month-long research trip, and the other a day trip before I flew home. I've fallen in love with the city, and I'd like to move there one day.
Greg, I hope you've gotten in a good couple of hours of rest and are out with John and Sherlock now, enjoying each other's company.
~A from NW
Sometimes I love London, sometimes I hate it, although that may in part depend on whom I'm there with.
I'm a Londoner by birth and am rather proud of the fact that my birth certificate says I was born in the City of Westminster.
Westminster, eh? There's posh!
Have had a few hours sleep - fully intend to have more this afternoon.
Nameless - I have Tuesday off too. Although I have to go to the dentist, so it's not all good!
Think we're going out for lunch shortly, which will be lovely. And Sherlock is explaining why he should be allowed his own private fireworks display...
Charing Cross Hospital to be exact.
I took my mother back to look round the area a couple of years ago - my parents moved when I was small and she was telling me how much it had all changed. She also told me some interesting tales of encounters with the ladies of the night!
Good luck with the dentist.
Thanks. It's only a check up, and my teeth are fairly decent. As are the teeth that aren't mine, but live in my mouth. So hopefully just a clean and polish and I'll be free for another 6months.
I think I missed why it's more than two nights this time? Last time you were adamant that it's nearly always two.
Glad to hear they give you a proper rest day; given the hours you work, I was worried that you'd be expected to be back in work the next day. Maybe John'll take you out for a treat if you're good at the dentist?
Private fireworks? We had some sparklers last year. Never realised how much gritty ash they give off, was all over the kitchen... But you guys are in central London, there must be quite a few big fireworks displays near you?
I'll bite. Why are there teeth that aren't yours in your mouth?
My brother and his neighbors up at his house in the mountains shoot fireworks off every 4th of July. It's gotten to be quite the competition among them, which is very entertaining for everyone else. But it's safe enough because they can do them off off a dock where nobody is and they're shooting over water. I certainly wouldn't suggest it living in a city.
Sherlock you're welcome to visit some summer. Combine it with your trip to visit everyone in NYC, it's only about 4 hours north of there. Though if you were trying to drive it on the holiday it would probably take all day.
I'll bite Very droll, DW.
I had a few knocked out, so I've got a couple of implants. Bionic teeth. I don't think you can really tell.
Danger - yeah, 'nearly always'. I'm just greasing the wheels to ensure I get certain times off - and off as in not even 'on call' over Christmas, and in the coming weeks, that's all.
I thought it might be something like that. Thank you.
Not a problem.
Anyway, means I'll get to spend all of Monday and Tuesday with you too. Win/win?
Now all I can think of is "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology..." If I spend the rest of the day with the "Six Million Dollar Man" theme song stuck in my head, I'm blaming you. :P
Does Mycroft get to come home over the holidays?
It felt a bit like that.
Mycroft comes home for a weekend soon, and then he has almost a month off over Christmas.
As long as you don't fall asleep on the ride home, yes.
So...did we ever pick an official sort of anniversary date?
No, don't think so.
Maybe we should celebrate the day I met you and the boys and Mrs Hudson with everyone, and then pick another date for you and I? Maybe our first proper date back here in London? Or...something?
The first one is the 19th, but I don't know the second one. Do you? I'm sort of sorry I didn't write about any of those first dates now, but at the time it seemed like a really unwise move.
Maybe that's wht you can write about, either one of you, if you get stuck for topics in November - your first real date, or the first time you saw each other after the events in Dartmoor where you met.
I don't know it either, but we could probably work it out.
And yeah, you can always write about it now, in retrospect. Although it would'v been fun to know what you thought of me at the time.
I might have to go and get another hour or so f sleep.
I think more sleep would be a really good idea, yeah.
Mmm. shame I can't persuade you to come with me. But we'd awake to some sort of Sherlock-created apocalypse, I imagine
And you wouldn't get any actual sleep because he'd start the apocalypse in our room.
Although it would'v been fun to know what you thought of me at the time.
I thought you were amazing. Still do.
even when I virtually stood you up on the second date because of work?
Hmm.
So what're you going to do with Sherlock to keep him quietly amused? Or is Snoopy going to get a long walk?
You didn't stand me up, you called. You always call.
Well, Federer's playing in a few minutes... He might sit still for a bit of that.
Ah, I see, packing your old man off to bed so you can watch Federericorn, yeah yeah :)
right. going. make sure I'm wake up in time for work?
Ha! Ah, you see right through me...
I will, don't worry.
(And Nishikori beat Djokovic, bageled him in the last set in fact. I am very, very pleased.)
I have no idea what that last comment means, John, except that it reads like euphemism... [insert obligatory "Lestrade is rubbing off on you" reference here :-p]
And seconding Mazarin's suggestion :-)
Well not right now, he's asleep...
To bagel someone means you win the set without letting them win even one game, so the score is 6 - 0. The zero is the bagel, you see. (If it's 6 - 1 it's a breadstick.)
Ah, sports. Ah, sports fans and their indecipherable code. I feel like an anthropologist sometimes, in my family, picking out the three tribes of sports viewers.
TRIBE 1: X won/lost. Now about that other thing...
TRIBE 2: X won/lost by Y [point system]. How do you think they'll do next time?
TRIBE 3: X [incecipherable code] in their match/game/whatever against Z. Here's why...
I think of "bageling" as such a New York turn of phrase that reading your comment made me smile twice over - once for the content and once for the phrase.
By the way, that's something else you must do when you come to New York - bagels! Onion with veggie cream cheese, or pumpernickel with scallion cream cheese and a slice of tomato. Mmmmm. Now I'm hungry.
By the way, I'm off to a Guy Fawkes party tonight! Well, actually, that's what they're calling it, but they're framing it as a sort of class struggle thing (I don't think they know the full history) and so are making/ordering in the most lower-class foods they can think of (macaroni and cheese from a box with the fluorescent orange powder, rather than fresh noodles with real cheese, etc.). Should be interesting, to say the least.
Ah, right, that sort of makes sense. Well, more sense than "nutmeg" does in football, at least :-)
Innie - That does sound... "interesting" :-p Have fun :-)
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason, and cheese...
I'll be happy to eat as many bagels as possible while in New York, and you've given me a poll idea.
Wait, Montreal? I'd have expected Philly or maybe Miami, but there must be a story for Montreal, right?
Though my friend still swears that the Chinese food we had in Florence was the best she'd ever had, so who knows?
The only plot right now is to let off fireworks to prevent a tired di sleeping
John, what's the difference between bagels in New York and Montreal? I've never been to either. Or is it a specific style of bagel that I haven't heard of?
*confused*
I'm impressed by Nishikori! But I have seen some impressive things in the last year from him that make me think he's starting to make a move upwards in the rankings.
L - you're up in time to eat before you go at least?
Innie and Nameless - I've never had New York bagels, but I've been to Montreal and people there will tell you they're the best in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal-style_bagel
Not really hungry, and should go now really.
Hope Sherlock manages to un-glue his face from the window at some point tonight.
I'll take him out to get a close view in a bit. Possibly on a leash.
Felt like riding through a warzone getting here, so many explosions.
not that I've ever been in a warzone.
Apart from Tower Hamlets or Brixton on a bad night
Much more colourful though.
wasn't watching - trying to avoid drivers and peds who were watching, and happily ignoring other traffic. Some of my language was pretty colourful.
Hey, if you two wanted, and you could get down here for just before 8, I might be able to sort out a bit of a treat for Sherlock. And for you...
Really? We wouldn't be in the way? That'd be wonderful. :)
(Incidentally, Federer won. This is a very good night so far.)
You wouldn't be in the way if you ask me. And as I'm senior officer on tonight...
worst thing that could happen is I'd have to kick you out and head out somewhere. But hopefully even criminals will enjoy the fireworks for a few hours?
It's good to be the boss...
Excellent! We'll bring you dinner, or breakfast, or whatever meal it is for you.
it is sometimes.
Thanks. Depends what you bring me as to what meal I name it.
At least we won't get any reports of gunshots tonight...
Can we see fireworks from your building??? Because then we can watch them LIKE A BOSS!!!
There is a chance that I might have 'found' the keys to the roof, from where you'll be able to see quite a few different firework displays, yes.
We will indeed watch them like Bosses.
that is..as long as you wrap up warm, and PROMISE John and I that you will be on your best behaviour whilst we're up there.
You too, John.
THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT EVER, I'M GOING TO STAY UP FOREVER UNTIL THERE'S NO MORE FIREWORKS.
Get a wriggle on then. John, phone me when you're near.
Sherlock - you'll go to bed when John says you have to, okay? This is a treat - and one you can say thank you for by being good for the rest of the evening.
We will wrap up, and we both promise to behave. ;)
You're awesome, Lestrade.
Sherlock has been silent for what would normally be a worryingly long time, his little mittens gripping the railing, and fireworks reflecting in his very wide eyes.
I think John's trying his best to wear my coat with me still in it.
You're the one who told me to wrap up warm. Just following instructions.
I think John's trying his best to wear my coat with me still in it.
And you are objecting strenuously right?
it's not actually technically my coat. So it only seems fair to share, I suppose.
Sherlock is suggesting he come up with a new gunpowder plot, in order that we might get another bonfire night some other time of the year.
It makes a certain Sherlocky-type sense, I suppose.
Pretty warm though, and enormous. And the closest I've ever been to seeing you in uniform.
Ha. I should've borrowed a cap too.
It's very warm with you plastered against me, yes. Very nice indeed.
Not technically your coat? What, you have to rent your clothing?
Where'd you get it? Are there extras hanging around or did you just order someone out of it?
'You there! Give me that coat, I need it to cuddle my boyfriend on the roof!'
There aren't 'extras' - but this one has been hanging around a while. I imagine someone has misplaced it.
I'm actually surprised no one else is up here. I feel almost guilty at being the only slacker.
I like my version better.
No guilt allowed, not tonight.
Only almost, don't worry.
Glad I wasn't a squaddie under your command in the army then. You sound mean. Probably have ordered me to take all my clothes off within 5 mins of us meeting or something. heh.
...and...I've now had an extended 'lunch' break before I've properly started my shift...so ought to get back to it and send you two off into the night. Sadly. And I'll see you in...ten hours.
Glad I wasn't a squaddie under your command in the army then.
So am I, if only because I couldn't have ordered you out of your clothes!
All right, if you must. Have a good night.
Montreal bagels are amazing. Amazing. And I've had New York ones too. Montreal bagels are the only kind I've ever wanted to eat plain as they were, fresh from the oven at the bakers. Om nom nommm. ;)
Lestrade, that is the sweetest surprise, for both Sherlock and John. <3 Hope it made your night feel a bit shorter, too.
Give over, Doc, I bet you got lots of embarrassed young lads to drop their trousers...
Can just imagine you in your white coat, frowning and making notes.
Ha. That was not at all the image I had in mind. And it's possible you spend too much time imagining me in a lab coat.
X - agreed, they are amazing.
Possible. But you have no proof.
Thanks for the food and coffee. You're amazing and wonderful and I don't deserve you but I'm bloody glad I've got you.
No, you deserve a lot more. But I'm glad you've got me too.
Ha, do not. Anyway, couldn't get better than you, idiot :)
I can't see Lestrade objecting to John telling him to drop trou.
Except on a cold night on the roof of NSY
I don't usually object to much John tells me to do. I don't want to be sent to the naughty step.
Except on a cold night on the roof of NSY
I wouldn't try it with Sherlock there anyway.
Any step you're on is by definition a naughty step.
Quite.
Although he would just think you were being stupid for not concentrating on fireworks.
I can promise you I will attempt to provide fireworks for you on Monday, when he's at school though...heh.
That 'quite' was for the comment above!
I do not cause steps to become naughty!
Heh. On the roof of NSY?
Sadly not on the roof, no. Somewhere distinctly more comfortable and less...exposed.
Probably for the best.
It was pretty amazing though. Best Bonfire night yet, thank you.
I'm glad we could work something out. Did Sherlock walk into many lamp posts on the way home, as he stared into the sky and didn't take any notice of where he was going?
And next weekend it's the Lord Mayor's show. More fireworks, Sherlock...this time off barges in the Thames.
He would've if he hadn't been on my shoulders most of the way, I'm sure. He was still so excited when we got home that I let him sit up for a while before bed, and he crashed out on the sofa practically mid-sentence.
Hah, well, maybe he'll give you a bit of a lie in in the morning too.
I suppose Dartmoor didn't quite provide the firework spectaculars that the rooftops of London does.
You all right? Miss you.
And I just posted my blog for today. It's all in bold. I have no idea why.
Yeah, more or less. Just thinking about this time last year.
Lot of changes, huh? For all of us. But you and the boys especially.
Call me if you want.
I suppose it never really occurred to me that all the noise of the fireworks might not be much fun when you have actually lived in a warzone. Hope you're okay? Hope this year is better than last.
Sorry, if I'd thought about it I could've worked a different run of nights. I should have aske you
It's all right. Leaves me a little jumpy maybe, but nothing serious. It's still my favourite holiday and I'm glad we got to spend a bit of it together.
I'm glad you had Sherlock's unending enthusiasm to distract you then.
I really hate being away from you all night.
And now I've got old episodes of Would I Lie to You on youtube.
Me too. It's not that much longer now though. A night and a half.
You in bed? Most of the fireworks seem to have stopped...I think we're going to go and harass some gangs. I will wear my stab vest and be careful, I promise.
Yeah, in bed. All right. Then I promise I'll try to get some sleep. Good luck.
cheers.
And ring my mobile if you want, anytime. If it goes to ansewrphone it's probably because I'm in an interview, okay?
I will, if the sleeping doesn't work out. Thanks.
he crashed out on the sofa practically mid-sentence.
You must have the best sofa in all London, Doc. Catches cute DIs and adorable children.
Sherlock has been silent for what would normally be a worryingly long time, his little mittens gripping the railing, and fireworks reflecting in his very wide eyes.
This made my heart melt.
I've seen any number of choreographed and thoroughly orchestrated fireworks displays, but the one I remember as being the most magical was from when I was a child. My family used to go to Far Rockaway (a beach community) for the summers, and an amusement park on the island used to have fireworks Wednesday nights. Once, when I was about Sherlock's age, they got me out of bed and took me out to the boardwalk to watch.
I can tell you right now, Sherlock will remember tonight for the rest of his life.
I hope he enjoyed it enough to remember.
I just wish Mycroft could have been with us too. Although I'm sure he had fun at school fireworks display.
Sounds like he definitely did. :)
And yeah, I bet Mycroft wishes it too. I hope he did have a fun evening anyway...
Yeah. At least he'll be with us for ages at Christmas.
I must go and talk to some bouncers. Do excuse me.
:)
The fun never ends.
You should be about done with your shift now, Lestrade? How'd it go with the bouncers?
Bouncers were helpful, people we found thanks to them weren't. You win some, lose some.
Sorry, wrote that hours ago and fell asleep with my phone in my hand before posting! Am knackered. Hoping for another few hours kip before lunch
Go. Back. To. Sleep.
No worries, Lestrade. Hope you get more sleep today, and if not, get all the sleep, rest, etc. you need Monday and Tuesday.
am asleep, RR zzzzzz see?
lol
You're like the five-year-old pretending to be asleep so they can keep reading comic books under the cover with their flashlight. Just be careful John doesn't bust you....
asleep til bus/cabbie/angry driver honks their horn outside, or some bloody copper/ambulance etc. turns on their siren.
no getting up til lunch, dont worry.
you lot will doubtless tell on me to Danger
We won't need to. Bet he comes in and confiscates your phone any minute now!
Hopefully your silence means you're asleep. Or at least dozing with your favorite doctor...
I was. He didn't confiscate my phone. London decided to give me a bit more peace.
Sadly no dozing with the doc - Sherlock is more than a full time job!
Wonderful. <3 Do you have plans for the rest of the day before work?
Whatever works--glad you got a little more shut-eye!
I don't have any particular plans. Sherlock may have plans for me...
He is rather affronted that I need to sleep at all, when he's awake. Happily John is very very good at distracting him.
Well, on the plus side, it's nice that he wants your time and attention! (Both "he's", actually. :))
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