Random thoughts and photos of my journey through life…
Filed under Art, Holidays, London 2014
By Yinka Shonibare
Shonibare’s scale model of Nelson’s flagship, Victory, is the world’s largest ship in a bottle. The model is rigged with sails, naval ensigns and signal flags shown as they were on the day of the Battle of Trafalgar. The only significant departure from historical reality is the design of the 37 sails, which [...]
6 Comments CherryPie on Sep 18th 2014
Filed under Heritage, Holidays, London 2014
The Altazimuth Pavilion is topped with an unusual weather vane.
It is modelled on Halley’s Comet, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. It was erected in June 1901, a few years after the building was completed but in time for the comet’s return in 1909. There is a clear link with the Observatory’s history since Halley [...]
6 Comments CherryPie on Sep 17th 2014
Filed under Holidays, London 2014
This modern structure placed alongside the old observatory buildings draws the eye. It is only on closure inspection that all is revealed…
The truncated bronze cone covering the planetarium dome. Its form and orientation reflect the local meridian and latitude.
4 Comments CherryPie on Sep 16th 2014
Observe the marvels as they happen around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the beauty moving through and be silent.
Jalil al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), Persia
10 Comments CherryPie on Sep 15th 2014
Filed under Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013, Science & Nature
14 Comments CherryPie on Sep 14th 2014
Filed under Art, Holidays, London 2014
One of the Royal Observatory buildings is decorated with terracotta tiles and sculptures. Astronomia, a figure representing Astronomy particularly caught my eye.
The terracotta tiles and decorative sculpture are the work of Doulton & Co, of Lambeth. An art nouveau-inspired figure of Astronomia on the northwest side at the bottom of the old staircase is signed `WJ Neatby 1895′. [...]
4 Comments CherryPie on Sep 13th 2014
Filed under Heritage, Holidays, London 2014, Science & Nature
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Prime Meridian of the world.
What is a meridian?
A meridian is a north-south line selected as the zero reference line for astronomical observations. By comparing thousands of observations taken from the same meridian it is possible to build up an accurate [...]
8 Comments CherryPie on Sep 12th 2014
