Lest we forget - Poppies at the Tower of London

Lance-Corporal Donald Salisbury Hunter was 25 when he died from wounds and pneumonia on Oct 30 1918, just 12 days before the end of World War 1. One of the 888,246 troops from Britain and the colonies who gave their lives in the conflict, he had been a member of the 13th Reinforcements, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and was wounded twice, first in the Somme, secondly in France, two months before his death. His distraught family in Dunedin were unable to mourn at his graveside, but last month his brother's granddaughter, Judy Newhook, on the last day of a visit to Europe, remembered him as she stood in silence at the Tower of London. Before her, in the moat, was a scarlet field of ceramic poppies, each flower representing one of the fallen.

The installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great War. The hand-made flowers were for sale for £25 each, with proceeds going to six service charities. Among the first to plant a poppy back in August were Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince Harry. The day after Judy’s pilgrimage, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were at the Tower to pay tribute and lay a wreath, and by the start of November, visitor numbers were estimated to have reached some four million. Many were there at sunset each day to hear the names of 180 of the troops killed read out as part of a Roll of Honour, followed by the Last Post.

All the poppies had been sold well before Judy's visit. The last one will be symbolically planted on Armistice Day, November 11, after which the installation will be dismantled and the flowers cleaned before being dispatched to their owners.

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

East London reborn: the ArcelorMittal Orbit and Queen Elizabeth Park

For a fascinating and very different view of the capital, head east to Stratford and the former Olympic park. In 2012 this was the focus of world attention as athletes competed for medals. Now it’s being transformed into a leisure destination for everyone to enjoy. Easy to reach by public transport, it has enough attractions to fill an action-packed day.

At the park's heart is the twisting red steel tower of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, at 114.5m Britain’s tallest sculpture. Lifts whisk you up to two observation platforms, where the view stretches for 20 miles. Interactive screens let you zoom in on landmarks and learn more about them; to the west, framed by part of the sculpture, are the distinctive skyscrapers of the City.

Looking down gives a bird's-eye view of the park and the Olympic stadium, soon to become the home of West Ham Football Club as well as an athletics centre and live music venue.

 

You can also see work progressing on the Crossrail project, which will mean even more transport links for Stratford.

While the upper platform is encircled by an open-air walkway, the lower one is enclosed and has an unusual touch - concave mirrors designed by Sir Anish Kapoor, which flip the perspective and turn the horizon on its head.

Those wanting to prolong the experience can walk down afterwards - a staircase with 455 shallow steps coils around the central structure, and is filled with sounds recorded around London.

Once down at ground level, there's plenty more to do. If you've worked up an appetite, stop at the adjacent EastTwenty Bar + Kitchen. Sit inside or relax on the terrace overlooking the Waterworks River while enjoying the great selection of food, locally-sourced and seasonal whenever possible.

A stroll along the river will take you past garden ‘rooms’ created for the Olympics, themed for different parts of the world (and still blooming in early autumn).  Behind them is the Aquatics Centre, with its swooping roof. It’s open if you fancy a dip in one of the three pools, but those who prefer to stay dry might like a 45-minute cruise through the park along the River Lea in a Lee + Stort boat, which are moored just below the adjacent bridge.

They leave on the hour from noon and take you as far as the A12 bridge and back again. Our guide, Josephine, has lived in the area all her life and was a mine of information about the transformation she has seen – from industrial wasteland to beautiful public gardens.

The once-polluted water is now a haven for wildlife. Among the reeds in the more rural north of the park we saw a heron, coots and a kingfisher. And as we ended our trip, there was a cormorant perched on one of the park's many art installations, while swans sailed serenely past.

If you're visiting with youngsters, they might like to spend some time in the Tumbling Bay playground with its rock pools, tree-houses, slides and swings. The Copper Box Arena, home for handball, fencing and modern pentathlon during the Olympics is also worth a look, as is the VeloPark where you can hire a bike and try all four Olympic forms of cycling: track, BMX, road and mountain. To round off the day (and a useful refuge if it rains), on the way back to the station you pass through the giant Westfield mall, where stores range from Swarovski and Mulberry to John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Primark  and T.K.Maxx.

Admission to the ArcelorMittal Orbit is adults £15, children £7, concessions £12. Tip: as we left the boat we were given vouchers for £2 off tickets for the Orbit, and £1 off future boat trips.

http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/ 

http://arcelormittalorbit.com/

Strawberry runners - success and failure

Last summer I tried growing strawberries both in a grow-bag and in a traditional pot. Both produced the same number of fruits, but the grow-bag ones were much bigger.

This year I’ve been watching for strawberry runners – the long shoots from which sprout baby plants that can be used next year. Again, the grow-bag has won. As you can see above, it’s now surrounded by more than 20 little strawberry plants, already potted up.

 By contrast, not a single runner has emerged from the traditional strawberry pot. I can only think that by the end of the season, the growbag still contained sufficient nutrients to safeguard the plants’ future, but the compost in the smaller pot was exhausted. Any thoughts, anyone???