London Town - a moment in time

Here is one of my favourite 'London Moments'.  You emerge from the density, the traffic lights, the closure of surface and elevation and fly through the light!

Traversing the Divide, London, July 2011, Cari-Jane Hakes

Crossing the River Thames marks the transition from North London to South London (or vice versa).  If you have lived in London for any length of time you will know how important this distinction is.  Like Canada is to USA, like England is to Scotland.  It matters.

Geography aside, this actual moment of crossing the divide, when you open out suddenly into the light that the river has carved through the seemingly solid urban fabric, is one of pure magic.  You see for an instant your city laid out like jewels on a necklace.  They twinkle and refract the light and make you smile.  The river shows you briefly the monuments, the contraptions, the gymnastics of engineering ingenuity and makes you believe that London really is a city to be proud of.

Elsewhere today, I spotted an urban fox.  To be honest, he wasn't hard to miss.

Urban Fox, South Bank, London, July 2011, Cari-Jane Hakes

The fox has a beautiful melancholy pensive air about him.  He is made of straw and is perched on the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Waterloo Bridge Terrace which is part of the South Bank.  It has been created by Mike de Butts and Alex Geldenhuys of Pirate Technics and is part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain.

He was a delightful surprise as I traversed the divide with my two small traveling companions.  We were off in search of adventure and intrigue - we were not disappointed!