A Little Slippery Fun in London . . .

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Before anything else today, it is of critical importance to gastropods everywhere to take note of the existence of a bar in London, discovered quite by chance on Mr. Toad's recent travels there, named The Slug and Lettuce ! ! ! Why, you might well ask, is this of importance ? Well, it is purely due to a blog connection, and once you have clicked, run, slid, flew, hopped, or waddled over to The Adventures of Mr. Slug and Friends, perhaps the most charming blog ever produced by a mollusk, you will quickly understand why I had to share this. Yes, do pay Mrs. Slug a visit over there, she is wonderfully slippery company !
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And in case any skeptical person out there could have thought I might have photoshopped the above sign for pure amusement, here is another view, and they even have a website here.
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Now, having fed the slugs in the audience a nice juicy lettuce sandwich, some readers had requested something a little more fun, even cuter, than the last post about skulls and graveyards, and one reader also hypothesized that I would not have photographed Westminster Abbey nor the Tower of London while there last week. On the contrary, I did indeed photograph Westminster Abbey, the exterior anyway, (sadly photography is not allowed inside the abbey, as there are a large quantity of beautiful tombs inside), so here is a shot of the outside.
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I didn't get over to London's east end to see the Tower on this trip. Can a shot of Big Ben serve as a reasonable substitute ?
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The ubiquitous postcard stands, on which you can see the Tower if you look carefully. Another one depicts William and Kate !
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Yes, William and Kate are the subject of the season, shops are already full of merchandise for souvenirs of the impending marriage.
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As for royal weddings and other royal family goings on, the question one must ask oneself was on a billboard spotted here.
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Near Buckingham Palace, in Saint James Park, I came across another interesting signpost. Sorry the image is so dark, but the weather was dismal, as is often the case in London. Note that the Cabinet War Room and the Playground are in opposite directions. Also note that the Cabinet and the Lavatories are not the same thing. However, Buckingham Palace and the Playground may be one and the same, the sign seems to say so.
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The obligatory tourist photo of Buckingham Palace, just to prove once and for all that I am capable of taking photos of other subjects besides rusting cars, abandoned buildings, and cemeteries. But on the other hand, probably about five million people a year take photos just like this one, while only a handful will stop to photograph an abandoned house.
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If you see anyone in garish exotic clothes, you will know they are not police . . .
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On the front gates of Buckingham Palace, gilded horsemen were also operating, keeping an eye on the tourists.
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I couldn't help but notice that one of the horsemen had lost his head. "Off with his head", shouted the queen ! A headless horseman. (Are you re-assured now, that even while in tourist mode, I'm still looking for the odd detail that makes life interesting ?)(And no I did not knock the head off the horseman in the previous photo ! How could you even think it ?)
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From Buckingham Palace I headed to south of the Thames to see the Elephant and Castle tube stop, and sure enough, there was an elephant and a castle. If you type "elephant castle london" into Google, you can find any number of stories about how the place got its name, I won't trouble you with all that detail here.
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There is another blog I'd like to give a little nod to here, which I couldn't help but think of when a magpie crossed my path in the same graveyard as featured in the post below this one, which is named appropriately "A Tidings of Magpies". There is an old nursery rhyme about magpies which came to mind also which goes :
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One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret, never to be told
Eight for a wish
Nine for a kiss
Ten for a bird you must not miss"
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And perhaps this could also count for an entry into World Bird Wednesday...
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Finally, I intentionally did not post this last one on Valentines Day, a red heart hanging from a tree in London near the Thames embankment, as I think every day should be Valentines Day, and not just one day set aside for yet another vast commercial marketing operation. So here is a little love to all of you.
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