There was a talk about the girls at The Women's Library. The photos are of the girls- and some were as young as 12 and the photos is of the factory as it is now - housing mostly the new east enders who work in the offices around Canary Wharf and the City. In one hundred years this area has changed completely
It's only £1 for residents of Tower Hamlets so we decided to look in for the morning. This was one of my first jobs- serving teas here at age 15. It has changed enormously and is now very slick and I think more fun. Then people used to wander around rather gloomily; Now the Beefeaters give very interesting and fun tours and we know what we are looking at. I particularly liked the exhibits showing how the animals were housed at the Tower. John likes the armour - the photo is of that fitted for Henry 8th. There is a mock up animation of Henry putting on his suit- including cod piece which attracted the biggest crowds.
The church is a new one to me- in spite of knowing the area very well. It is very beautiful and like a Suffolk country church- 15th century. Not a bit gran, a lovely light coming in and toilets squashed into a corner. The church is open a great deal and struggles to make much needed repairs. It is in an unfashionable area and its congregation not rich or famous. It deserves to have a rich patron to restore the bridal path outside and enrich this rather drab part of London.
The spirit of the Flutterers descended upon the hall of Westminster Cathedral for their rather odd quiz. We would have won by miles if not for the silly picture round. We had Ross, Richard and Mark as guests from the QLL and Kiki rejoined after her spell abroad. Collette helped our team - she is a regular at the cathedral and will keep us informed of any more quizzes....um... Our captain Mark came along but I dare not post any more pictures. As is traditional the chaps decanted to the local pub - it was a shame 'The Cardinal', nearest to the Hall, was closed for refurbishments
I managed to take this photo of the ringers as they waited on the porch of Christ Church for the wedding to finish. Then the bride will come out and the church bells ring out. I asked how long they ring for- the chap on the left, who comes in from Orpington, said about thirty minutes which sound like very hard work. I love the sound which deafens the locals and has John either rushing to get up or putting his head under the blankets. The sound makes me feel happy and as is the church is looking after us and God is lurking in there somewhere and shaking the bells to tell me 'I'm here!'. 
This is our captain Mark who won a plate for making the best contribution to the league this season. He is the captain of our team 'The Flutterers' and he manages to bring this most diverse group of people together with panache and warmth. He can get mad when we make mistakes but even that makes things more fun. He is just so brilliant and I know he reads this blog. 
Other team members in the picture are Ian, Sancho and Johnny. 
We decided to go to Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Saint's Day. It was a free show of mostly west end theatre and musicals and very enjoyable. The crowds were big, but enough space to find a railing and cling on while listening to the music. The shapes and sizes of people there was amazing- people size 20+ jammed into boob tubes and shorts. The men in football shirts and english emblems on bare bodies. It is amazing how much there is in London for free- loads of families took picnics. How I wished the children were small again and we could have the time again. But it felt great to be able to come - just me and John and suit ourselves what we did. 
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