Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone.

I thought a fairy tale would be appropriate - Sleeping Beauty

from Blenheim Palace.

Once upon a time, in a land far away a princess was born and the whole kingdom celebrated

A grand celebration is arranged for Princess Aurora's christening. All the fairies of the kingdom are invited and  each bestow their gifts on the princess.

The Wicked Fairy, Carabosse, was not invited to Aurora's Christening. She is very angry about being forgotten. She places a curse on Princess Aurora, that she will die before her 16th birthday after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel.

The Lilac Fairy has not yet given her gift and attempts to reverse the evil fairy's curse. This means Princess Aurora won't die but she will sleep for 100 years.

As the story progressed we went through a series of doorways, each more elaborately done up than the previous one.

The King, hoping to save his child from this misfortune, commands that all spinning wheels from across the kingdom should be collected and destroyed.

The day of Aurora's 16th birthday has arrived. Everybody across the kingdom is preparing for the celebrations. She receives a spinning wheel as a gift.

Another doorway, another chapter.

The Wicked Fairy, Carabosse, finally sees her evil spell cast on Princess Aurora. She tricks her into using the spinning wheel and pricking her finger. Aurora, along with every living person and animal in the kingdom is sent to sleep for 100 years.

True Love travels by boat from another realm in search of Aurora with the Lilac Fairy close at hand. Only their presence can awaken Sleeping Beauty and the kingdom from its slumber.

To journey by the silent moon,

The guiding light above,

To sail the oceans of your dreams,

To find the one True Love.

True Love and the Lilac fairy continue their search through the dense forest, battling the undergrowth and cutting back the brambles.

Sleeping Beauty lies in her bed as the foliage grows around her. Finally the Lilac Fairy and True Love find the Prncess. The fairy casts her spell and the magic begins to awaken the sleeping princess.

Princess Aurora and every living creature in the kingdom magically awakens.

Even the creatures living inside the toadstools awakened.

And here she was in the flesh. She came up to me and said: 'Wow! How small your camera is. They used to be huge before I went to sleep'. 'Well', I answered, 'that was 100 years ago'. I asked her if I could take her photograph and she happilly obliged.

After this happy ending, we were happy to leave the palace and go to wander around the grounds.

 

Merry Christmas

 In Coventry Cathedral,

opposite the large stained glass window

is this nativity scene. 

Basil Spence, the architect who designed this magnificent building, commissioned this crib for the Cathedral's first Christmas in 1962.

The figures are by Alma Ramsey-Hosking, who gave birth in 1940 while the Battle of Britain raged in the skies above.

Her midwife told her to keep her new baby not in the cot but 'on your hand where it is safest'. 

She used this memory when modelling Mary, the baby Jesus on her oversized hand, keeping him safe.

Christmassy London

London looked festive and bright on Monday when we visited for the day. The lights on Regent Street were not on when we were there, but they looked really interesting - the theme was mechanical clockwork and we wondered what they would look like when lit, but by the time it got dark, we had moved on.

Gift Horse, by Hans Haacke on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

An LED bow showing a ticker of the latest stock prices tied around the bronze skeleton of a horse - a symbol of the ravages of the market.

Having seen some exhibitions at the Courtauld Gallery we walked into the courtyard of Somerset House which looked very festive

dominated by the Christmas tree in the middle

the ice-skating was in full swing.

We moved on to the Embankment - across the river the city was all lit up

it all looked wonderful

as did Somerset House behind us.

The ice skating had stopped when we went back to the courtyard and while the next lot of ice skaters were queueing to get in, the rink was being smoothed out

it all looked different as the LED lights changed colour.

We retraced our steps and by then all the Christmas lights were on

The Strand looked very festive

as did Trafalgar Square.

Christmasy London

London sparkled two Saturdays ago with the bright sunshine, and the Christmas decorations and lights, walking around the city was a delight.

 

Berkeley Square Gardens in Mayfair, a little oasis of peace and calm away from all the bustle of the crowds doing their Christmas shopping.

 

 

 

 

The modernist Christmas tree made out of orange and yellow plastic tubes

 

Note: As a result of the comment that Olga left on this post, I now know that this is a sculpture by Dale Chihuly, and it's made of glass.  

 

 

 

 

Also in Berkeley Square Gardens, Paddington Bear, part of the Paddington Bear Trail.  In celebration of London's art, culture and innovation,  the release of the movie, and to raise money for the NSPCC, fifty bears are dotted around the city during December.



 

 

 

Nothing to do with Christmas: I am including these gates because I think they are gorgeous

 

Ditto.

 



 

 

 

A giant clock mechanism displayed in this shop on Bond Street. It reminded me of the Manufacturer's Hanover Trust building in New York, where the bank's vault is displayed in the window, and which you can see here .

 

 

 

Another bear on Bond Street.

 

By the time we reached Covent Garden the crowds had multiplied



 

 

 

How do they do it?

 

I still haven't figured it out.

 

Note: Another comment from a reader has solved this mystery. You can find the answer here 

 

 

 

Lots of entertainment in Covent Garden as usual

 

in a very festive atmosphere



 

 

 

a variety of decorations

 

 



 

 

 

The ubiquitous selfie

 

 

 



 

 

The enormous Christmas tree outside the market

 

 

 

 

 

and another even bigger one in Trafalgar Square.