Hashing in Early September 2024...

Opee hared on September 3 in Canary Wharf starting at the Munich Cricket Club in honor of Oktoberfest. 

The first part of the trail crossed this bridge into Poplar.

Once we got to Canary Wharf, which is owned by a private corporation and has lots of security guards, Opee left a series of clues for us to figure out where to go next. 

The weather was great, the trail was interesting and everyone had a great time. Back at the pub, we had a lively circle. Sadly a hasher that didn’t even do trail got into an argument with a waitress long after we had left and now the hash is banned from going back. 

=

That Saturday the London H3 trail started near Kew Bridge so we got there a little early to make a detour to check out the Banksy that Ashlynn and I had seen three weeks earlier. It was still protected...

…while some other artists had added their personal touch. 

It was a nice trail celebrating the hare’s 40th anniversary of hashing. 

There was great turnout to celebrate Knickers (the offer of free food at the end might also have helped). 

 

Into the Isle of Dogs...

Eventually I was back along the river where I spotted the O2...

...an old ad for whale oil...

…and this plaque at the departure spot of three ships that arrived in Virginia in 1607, thirteen years before the Mayflower sailed.

There’s a lot of apartment buildings on the Isle of Dogs, in all different shapes and colors.

That evening, Jimmy and I went to Wilton’s Music Hall in Shadwell. 

It originally operated as as a music hall from 1850 to 1880. After a varied history, it was renovated and reopened as a music hall in 2012. The shabby chic theater with its wooden floors and peeling paint was really charming. 

We had front row seats for Frank’s Closet, which was a fun show.

 

Walking Across the Docklands...

I decided to take the long walk home, sticking on the Thames Path even as it veered away from the river...

…such as it turned towards the Royal Docks, passing this giant abandoned flour mill... 

…these huge old cranes...

…London’s City Hall...

…and the Cloud Cable Car.

I was glad that I detoured to explore Trinity Buoy Wharf, where I saw London’s only lighthouse. Built in 1864, it was never used to navigate the river but instead to test lights and train lightkeepers.  

As recent as 1998, Trinity Buoy Wharf was an empty derelict site. Now it is home to a variety of creative companies surrounded by artworks by Andrew Baldwin made out of recycled industrial bits. 

Yes, that is a real car on top of a café. 

 

Thames Barrier...

Unlike the Netherlands, which does an annual test of its major flood barriers, the Thames Barrier is closed monthly. On September 9, 2024, I ventured out to see the barrier from a different viewpoint than when we had first visited it in 2019. I took the DLR to Pontoon Dock Station and walked through Thames Barrier Park, which is on the north shore of the river. 

Presumably this sign is a remnant of COVID. 

There were several others hanging around to see if the test would actually happen.

If you look closely, you can see how what looks like a wooden wheel changes positions between photos...

…and the doors along the edges are obviously closed.

As much as I hope this barrier is never actually needed, it’s good to know that the system works.
 

Sightseeing with Sally + John...

In early September, I met up with Sally and John, who were in the process of repatriating to England. They bought a house not far from where Sally grew up in Poole, but were spending one week in London as John had final tasks to finish at his company’s headquarters before retiring. They invited me along as they visited some iconic London sites. We started with a visit to the Natural History Museum...

Fern, the Diplodocus, and the surrounding Jurassic Garden were recent additions outside of the museum.

The purpose-built museum opened in 1881, but this full-sized animatronic T-Rex is clearly built more recently...

…along with this feathered Deinonychus, known as Terrible Claw. 

Hope, a juvenile blue whale, hangs from the ceiling in the main hall.

I found the architecture often more interesting than the skeletons. 

That afternoon we went to the viewing platform at Horizon 22.

The following day we visited The National Gallery. I had just finished watching the series My Lady Jane, so The Execution of Lady Jane Grey from 1833 caught my eye. She had been Queen of England for only nine days in 1553 before she was replaced by Mary, who later had her beheaded for treason. The alternative history series ended with her escaping (sorry for the spoiler).

And Two Crabs by Vincent van Gogh from 1889 caught my eye with its vibrant colors.