The Shard Tops Out!

At long last, the time has come for some amazing news relating the Shard. Today the Shard has officially topped out which means that the building has ever so nearly been completed externally (but is not at full height). An interesting fact that I have learnt today is that there is a reason as to why the Shard may have a rather dull, Matt appearance to it. The reason for this is that it is covered in a layer of protective plastic that now has to be removed ready for the windows to be cleaned which will be a painstaking process.This means that the Shard will actually have a more reflective, shiny appearance compared to the lesser one that we have now become accustomed to. I personally like the Shard’s look already so this is amazing news on top of the completion as I think the structure will look extremely super sexy being reflective. The building’s exterior is due to be completely finished, washed and looking sexy by June, ready for the Olympics. The interior will not be complete officially until mid next year. As you can imagine, there is a huge amount of work to be completed inside and what is great is that the inside will again slowly transform what we see on the outside. Once the building is complete however, the building fascination is far from over as there are two other breathtakingly amazing towers that are also rising at a rapid pace. Both on the northern side of the river, we have 20 Fenchurch street, the building that leans over itself and finally the ultra quick growing Leadenhall building that will nearly reach full height at the end of this year. If you have not already familiarised yourself with these buildings then never worry as they will become ever so popular as they start reaching for the sky.

So here is it.... here is is going to stay. Signing out, Thatmfeeling 

31st March 2012: Photo Of The Day

This is the photo of the day because as I look back on the amazing week that I have had, I have managed to capture it through this camera. The sun, the parks, the fountains and the architecture. I have such a fantastic week to look bac on and I really hope that there are many more for this year also. 

Signing out, Thatmfeeling 

Pouring Petrol Indoors with the Hob on

It has been on every cover of the newspapers, all over the news channels and I just can’t seem to get away from it. A woman has managed to get 40% burns because she was pouring petrol from one container to another using a jug. It gets worse. She was pouring it in her kitchen with the hob on! Now whilst I feel very sorry for this woman, because I would not wish anyone to go through what she is going through, I do have to stop and question what on earth she thought she was doing!? I can not believe that someone would firstly have petrol in their own home. Petrol is extremely smelly and if you have it exposed in your home then apart from it being extremely dangerous, it is going to fill up your house with gross smelling fumes. Also you just would never have the hob/oven on when you were doing it. The thing that comes into mind when you are at a petrol station is not to have any flames, no smoking and nothing that causes sparks. We know this because petrol can ignite and blow up. Why on Earth this lady thought that in your own home there is an exception to do this. On top of this what really frustrates me is that the government have asked people to fill up jerry cans and fill up their tanks just incase. That is fine and to me is a very reasonable thing to do but then people go stupid and panic buy far too much and you hear stories of men filling up washing up liquid bottles, women filling up jam jars and I just have to wonder to myself has this country gone insane.  I loved a comment that someone has written on a news website saying “if the government asked you to swing from wet towels on power lines would you do it?” The worrying thing is that I am sure that there are some people out there that would! People need to start thinking for themselves and use the government as a prompt for ideas rather than strictly following silly suggestions in silly ways. We should all use this as a lesson to ourselves. 

I hope this lady recovers well and that she NEVER messes around with petrol again, Signing out, Thatmfeeling 

Battersea Power Station: All Beauty, No Beast

Yesterday I managed to go somewhere that I have been wanting to go for a long time. It was beautiful and sunny so I decided that the day had come for me to go and explore Battersea. Whilst I have wanted to see the park for a while, the real reason for my visit was for one particular building and I think you can guess exactly which one it is. You hear on a yearly basis about the Battersea power station redevelopment plans and nothing ever seems to come from it. Either the companies involved seem to go bust or the project just gets so expensive that no one can cope with it. What fascinates me with the power station is exactly that of what I find fascinating with the West Pier in Brighton. It has a sense of love about it yet it is starting to decay and fall down. What would usually be classed as an ugly building just doe not even come into the picture with this power station. For some reason I find it so beautiful. I think to myself that it is an old dilapidated brown brick factory with four decaying chimneys on top but I just can not see its ugliness. This is another building that I really feel sorry for. It stands there year after year just screaming for help, looking sad for everyone to see yet no one can do anything about it. Many people want to as you can see for the support for this structure but I can understand what people mean when they say it is just simply too big. I mean if this place was converted into anything it would be massive beyond belief. Just walking down one side of the building was like walking down about for our five blocks in New York. Street after street pass and the building just continues. To imagine how many apartments and shops could fit in it would be crazy. I really hope that in my lifetime I see this building restored into something greater than it was originally. I do not want to wake up one day and hear that one of the chimneys has fallen down or that they just have to knock the whole thing down, it would break so many peoples hearts. Now that the building has finally gone onto the open market for no less than a small 500million pounds! I will be interested to see who or what will be willing to take on such a catastrophic project. I would like to see the project completed in three stages. (I am no architect or building planner of this scale so I have no idea even if it would be possible) I think that firstly the exterior should be restored and repaired with the chimneys painted a new gleaming white colour. After this I think that work should start on extending the London Underground to Battersea. It is not like people will not use the tube there as there are still so many people that live around that area. Finally I think that they should then start to build around the station to fill up the area and get the space lived in with works on converting (or adding as there is not much station left) flats and shops to the actual station nearer the end of the project. As we all sit here though I am sure we all know that we have no control over the project whatsoever unless one of us has a spare 500million to throw around. Go and enjoy this beautiful landmark and let your curiosity take control because sadly, one day it may not be there for us to admire anymore. 

signing out, Thatmfeeling

Team GB Olympic Kit: Good or Bad?

The Great British olympic games kit, or is it? This is the question that seems to be on many peoples tongues at the moment. With a rather impressive reveal of the kit on the 22nd, some people have instantly responded with negative criticism. Most of the criticism has been that the kit is predominantly blue which is not the main colour of our flag. Other negative criticism is that it does not display our flag clear enough. One comment that I must mention however was from a general member of the public that stated “The Union Jack is so iconic, the beauty is that you can mess around with the colours and you can always tell what flag it is” I have to say that I completely agree. On closer inspection myself I have to say that I am rather disappointed that the kit is mainly blue, however I also need to say that the team do look great in it which I am not sure they would do as much in a red kit. I am proud of our country and like many other people, if asked what colour represents the United Kingdom, the top answer would be red. It does seem rather odd to leave the colour out but that may be the whole entire point. In an advert about the new games kit, there is a union jack logo in the background that is made up of only blue colours. This logo looks amazing and very catchy which also makes me like the it more. My only worry about using so much blue is it seems to look like the Scottish flag. This is the London games. London is an English city. If it was the Scottish games being held in Glasgow then I could understand but why should be be representing a country that wants a separate olympic team (I understand that many Scottish people want to stay part of the United Kingdom but there have been so many stories of Scotland wanting to be separated in so many ways that it is just getting annoying) Something so simple as adding red incorporates both England and Wales into the kit and everyone would be happy (well most people!) 

I will stand by my original answer and I have to admit that I like the it. If it was up to me then I would have added more red however I think it represents us in a modern and positive way. The  people wearing the kit look amazing (and rather sexy too!) so as it was said, if they look good, they feel good and if they feel good they play good. Team GB has a kit now everyone just get behind it and cheer our team on! 

not long unti the Olympics now! signing out, Thatmfeeling 

Canary Wharf: The Visit

There had been somewhere in London that I have wanted to go for a while but it was one of those places that I just hadn’t got around to visiting in such a long time. Canary Wharf is a guilty pleasure to me. I have no need to go there yet I just love visiting because I find the place so beautiful. When I visit Canary Wharf it is like I have been taken out of the London that I have been living in for all these years and taken into a new, perfect, architectural paradise where everything sparkles, is equally spaces and just planned to be exactly how it is suppose to be. I know that many people will not agree with that statement but it is just the way I feel about the place. What is also great is that it changes depending on the time of the week and the time of day that you go. If you go during the week then it is full of shirts and ties, the money and there is a very professional feel about the place. If you go during the weekend then you will see that it is full of tourists and that the place is much more relaxed. For my birthday week I decided to go on a Sunday. Last time I visited Canary Wharf, it was known that if you visited over the weekend then it would be dead and completely silent. Oh how things have changed and it was nice to see that this area is now being used seven days a week. There were tourists everywhere, the shops were open, restaurants buzzing and it just had such a different feel compared to the times that I have been during the week. Architecture in Canary wharf as you will already know by know is mainly glass towers. What I love is that this is a contrast to the towers in the main city. Whilst I love buildings like the Shard and Leadenhall, it is lovely to go to a place where all the buildings work together to create a space because none of them are fighting for attention. Apart from One Canada, Citigroup and HSBS, I think it is almost impossible to think of a tower that really stands out of the crowd (and even Citigroup barely manages to do that) By the towers all being similar and merging together it creates a place rather than split buildings and this is what really gets my creative juices flowing. The day that I visited the area was the day that many tourists were going on the London egg hunt. I decided that I would join in with my friend and have a look around for these eggs. There are some great designs out there and these are very picture worthy. There are also some horrible ones and some of these should be pushed to one side. It was freezing and we must have picked the coldest and wettest day to go. Taking photos did not last as long as I would have hoped but when your hands are falling off there really is nothing you can do. I could not even press the shutter button to take the photos so after a few hours me and my friend decided to call it a day. I did on my way home, manage to make one more stop off and that was to the O2 arena. I had not been here for years so I wanted to see how everything was progressing as buildings and areas seem to shoot up all the time around this place. I was surprised to find some new buildings, restaurants and shops that had opened up, one of the buildings being rather photogenic so as you can see by some of my photos, it is in there! (the one with the tiles!) Sadly it had gotten to the point where I needed to leave because it was the most unfriendliest day and my body was shutting down due to all the rain and wind. I really loved the visit and I can not wait to visit again when the sun is shining. If it is a place that you have never been then I would recommend that you go. Its very different to normal London and even if you do not like it, its an experience and a taster of a very different side of London. 

20th March 2012: Picture Of The Day

I had to use this photo to represent today as I am blogging about my visit to Canary Wharf. What I love about this photo is that it was completely unplanned I am moving in it yet it has manage to capture the best part of it. It was so windy, wet and gross yet the photo looks amazing. I also love the photo because I am in it! haha! It just reminds me of Singin' In The Rain and I really want to see it in the theatre!

The New Kings Cross Station

Well today was the unofficial opening of the new Kings Cross station. Officially opening to the public tomorrow, the new departures concourse can hold and will see many more people ass through it. As you can tell by the pictures, the new glass canopy is stunning. When visiting the canopy was lit purple but you can tell that this can be changed easily as they were still working on the lights when I was there. The canopy frame work visually leads you straight to the main entrance which is the restored victorian ticket hall and has a contrasting feeling to the new concourse. With a new selection of restaurants and shops now available around the outsides of the station, there is now even more reason to go and visit the station. On it’s first day there were so many people standing and taking photos. I felt like I was part of the crowd doing it which is the complete opposite feeling that I usually get when I am taking pictures in public with a bustling crowd around me. This is the completing phase before the olympics start with the entrance being at the new concourse and the exit being where the old green canopy still remains. After the Olympics the final phase will be completed when the ugly green canopy is removed to make way for a public area full of benches and trees and the original victorian facade of the building will be restored to its former glory. This will be the first time “in living memory” that people will be able to see the original facade of the building, which I have to add is more beautiful that you think it is! As I could tell by everyone there, I am not the only person that has been taken away by this magnificent station. Go and have a look at it yourself, you will be impressed. 

have fun exploring! Signing out, Thatmfeeling 

My Instagram Addiction

As most of you are well aware, I am struggling with an addiction at the moment. My addiction is Instagram and I am rapidly spreading it on to all of my friends around me. What I love about Instagram is that it is not just a “here is a vintage photo that I have taken of a dog” even though I am sure that there are many people that use it in this way, there can be more depth to it. I use it in such a way that it acts as a sort of picture diary where as you look through it you can see the places I have been or the types of things that I have been doing that day. I have to admit that when I started to use it at first the photos are rather random but if you look more closely they are actually objects that I have had some interaction with that day. This app is also brilliant because everyone uses it in different ways. There is a guy that I follow and he has the most breathtaking photos of architecture that I have ever seen. The amount of inspiration I get from this guy really pushes me to go out and take my own photos. I think that there will be topics to suit almost anyone (unless they despise photography!) For all of you people out there that have not tried it then I really recommend having a go. Most people that I have convinced to use it originally thought that it was a bit pointless but its all about having fun and going out there. You all must remember, do not diss it until you have tried it. I thought that I would also share with you some of my most favorite Instagram photos that I have taken. You can find more of these on my Tumblr: http://thatmfeeling.tumblr.com/ as this is where my Instagram automatically uploads them to. Have fun Instagramming peeps!

Signing out, Thatmfeeling 

The Thermae Baths

It was the day after Parliament and I was already on a high when I had to get my things together, make sure my full body tan was gleaming and my swim shorts were packed because I was on my way to Bath. There is one thing that you have to do whilst in Bath and that is go to the Thermae spa! I had never been before as last time I visited I was by myself and it is one of those places that I really did not know what to expect. Me and my friend had traveled up specifically to go to the spa and we were both really excited! Once we arrived we made it straight to the spa and it was great because there were no queues (as we discovered there would be when we left) We changed and made our way up to the roof straight away to see the landmark swimming pool. It was amazing! It was such a beautiful day yet was still cold so as we walked towards the pool you are thinking “I hope this pool is really warm!” I stepped in and I knew from that moment that I never wanted to leave. The water was about 33 Celsius and felt like heaven. We stayed in this pool for a while just admiring the view. It is not a tall building but as Bath is in a Bowl and the other buildings are also low rise, you can see everything. We finally made it downstairs into the indoor pool area, the pool size was better and it also had a jacuzzi in it so you know that that was one of the first things we charged towards. For those of you that do not now about the Thermae spa, the water is naturally heated from thermal springs. The water is also full of minerals so you feel great at the end of the day with amazingly soft skin (well I did anyway) 

We had one final stop at the spa and that was the steam rooms. This is the thing that I fell in love with. There were four steam rooms and they all had different fragrances in. I could manage three of them as the one that smelt of eucalyptus and mint was over the top strong and I found it impossible to breathe in. It was the most relaxed that I had been in a very long time and I could have spent the whole day in one (even though I would have died!) I was left with overall positive impressions of this place and am already making plans for my next visit. It is so easy for me to get there and I seem to think of Bath as my pamper place now which is how I always want to keep it. After Thermae I had a fantastic meal with my friend and lots of wine. It had to be the perfect evening to a perfect day. If you have never been to Bath then it is something that you just have to do. 

hope you enjoyed, signing out, Thatmfeeling 

10th March 2012: Picture Of The Day

This is the picture of the day as I have been seeing so many of the art eggs scattered around London. It is such a great idea to have these eggs that have been designed by famous people and artists scattered around London as it makes for a great tourist attraction but also goes towards a great cause. The eggs will later be auctioned off to make money for charity so best get your cameras out fast! 

To see more of my photos then check out the link to my Tumblr:http://thatmfeeling.tumblr.com/

A Day At Parliament

so as I said in my previous blog, I have had a week of doing the things that I wanted to do. After my birthday celebrations the next thing on my agenda was so have a tour of the houses of parliament. This took a while to organise but I have to admit that it was better that I thought it would be! The first part of the day was me going through security checks. It is a government building and an extremely important one at that so I wouldn’t expect any less. Once all the security checks had been completed, we were taken underground through a tunnel into the main building that we all love and know very well. We were given warnings that there were many steps to walk up and that from previous experiences, not everyone makes it to the top. This was fine as I am use to walking everywhere and I have walked up more stairs that this from other random adventures that I have taken myself on. What was amazing is that when you looked up the centre of the staircase you could see all the way to the top of the clock tower. It was a very long way up! We aren’t allowed to take photos inside which is a huge shame because the photo opportunities were endless. These pictures however will have to remain in my memory and I am sure they will be there for a long time to come. 

Nearly all the way up to the top and you get to visit a room that has all the gears in it. It is fascinating to realise that this clock is over 150 years old now and that these gears have been moving around for most of that time (apart from the times that things have gone slightly wrong with some of the gears shattering across the room into the walls but this was a long time ago!) We heard the gears move and wind as it was time for the quarter of an hour chime. I was really surprised how loud they are and also how many things move at the same time. It sounded as if a gun was going off repeatedly so you did not know where to turn or where to look. We were given a history of the tower and told some very interesting facts too such as the pendulum has coins on it so make sure it keeps the clock at the correct speed. After these facts it was time to go up all the way to the top. once you get outside the first thing you see is the huge bell. I am not to sure what I was expecting really. Part of it was better than I expected but I imagined the Bell to be taller for some reason. Ignoring my previous comment, the bell was big! I am sure they could turn it upside down and use it as a 6-8 person jacuzzi! We were told to put ear plugs in as it was coming up to three o’clock and that meant one and only thing. 

To be standing next to something that is making the noise that is so familiar all over the world made me shiver. When the other bells had finished ringing and Big ben was chiming it made me feel so proud. The lady that was standing next to me said that she felt really emotional. I understand where she was coming from because it is such a huge symbol of London and we could basically feel the vibrations shaking through us. After we had a look at the spectacular views (and they were fantastic! its an angle of London that you do not usually get to see) we made our way all the way down and back into the houses of parliament. We were asked if we would like to have a sit in at the house of commons and listen to a debate and we all jumped at the chance. Apart from getting lost and seeing so much of the breathtaking interior, we finally made it to the debate. I was gobsmacked that I was sitting in a chamber that I have seen on TV so many times. The chamber its self is smaller than I imagined but it was more beautiful. The details everywhere were stunning and the famous green chairs just finished off the experience by knowing who has sat on them and how close we were to them. 

After this we had a brief stop at the House of lords. This chamber again was spectacular but in reds. Most people would say that this is the more beautiful of the two but I think that the fame and publicity of the house of commons just makes it all that better. After this it was time to sadly leave parliament as I had other plans for that day. I managed to walk around Waterloo, the London eye, Bankside and down to St. Pauls Cathedral. As you can tell by the photos, it was the perfect end to another perfect day. 

I hope you enjoy the photos, I most certainly enjoyed taking them

Signing out, Thatmfeeling

9th March 2012: Picture Of The Day

I looked back at this photo today and had to choose it as it reminds me that there are still so many things to do in my life. I had made a promise to myself that I will start to do the things that I want to and also  try and explore somewhere new or go on a big adventure at least once a month.

To check out more of these photos click the link to my Tumblr:http://thatmfeeling.tumblr.com/

The perfect birthday!

I have been away a bit recently as the week that has just gone was my birthday week. I decided to take the week off work and celebrate it in a different way. As I have said in previous blogs, this year is about me doing the things that I want to do and not just push them aside. I decided for the week that I would do something that I wanted to do every single day and I have to be honest, I swear that it was one of the best weeks of my life so far. The first main date to talk about was my birthday when me and a friend went to the V&A (as I had not been there for years because it was the place that I was forced to go all the time for university study so I just needed a break from it) It was rather fun and to see some amazing collections and then some not so (as you will see by the pictures!) Once I had finished at the V&A we waled a short journey next door to the Natural history Museum. Now I have an odd relationship with the natural history museum. I visited when I was about eight years old and then did not have a visit there until about 12 years later and all I remember is it being exactly the same! 

When I visited this time, no surprise but it was exactly the same but with handles missing and more things broken. I love the idea of the natural history museum and I find the topics really interesting but when the museum does not change at all, I mean it even said that Pluto was a planet  so their facts are out of date. Whilst here however I did find some new places that I had never been to before like the dead animal part and another stone collection! It was a fun trip to the museums but I think I will have to give the NHM a rest for another ten years or so (the birds heads just freak me out so me being me, took a photo of it!) After the museums wee out of the way I did something that I love to do and that was to buy some tea! I love to have a huge collection because you are not always in the mood for the same flavour so I just have millions and then I can pick the one that I am in the mood for that day! 

We were then off to Cafe Boheme which I have to mention because I had never been to the Cafe and it was beautiful! I recommend that everyone goes because it is fantastic and we need more of them around! So there we were sipping tea and talking about the thing that we have done that day. It may sound rather “old” or “OAP” of me to do this for my birthday but I did not want a birthday that I would forget because I was too drunk or just sat at home doing nothing so this to me was perfect! After the Cafe we moved to the kitchen and had a bottle of wine and a really nice (but filling!) meal. The Boheme Kitchen is my favorite place to eat and they never seem to disappoint even though the people around us had the most irritating laughs so as you were talking you had to pause and let the witches laughs finish before you could finish your conversation.

 I finished the night in a small bar with a few more friends and left before things would have turned messy (I am so proud of myself) I went home with the hugest smile on my face and think that I will remember this birthday for a very long time as next year is going to have to top this one and I would say that that will be difficult to do. Take a look at some of the pictures from that day (they are rather random but I would say it was a random yet fantastic day!) Defiantly beats my twenty first when I was the only person that did not manage to make it into the club!