Photography
Key Lime pie made by Terry (thanks Terry) with the lime grown by the tree on my patio in West London. We first came across Key Lime pie in Key West, it's a classic American dessert made from condensed milk, eggs and a biscuit base. No cream, so relatively healthy.
Looking after a Tahitian Lime tree in London is so far no more problematic than looking after my apple trees. There are urban bees so pollination occurs naturally and the cold weather hasn't damaged the tree so far but the tree is in a spot protected from the wind and favoured by the sun.
View of Tower Bridge and "The Shard" building from Bermondsey Wall, London
Marseille from the main railway station: Gare St. Charles. The Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde in the far distance, crowned by the golden statue of the Virgin Mary by Lequesne. Usually this view is against the strong sunlight which so dominates and overwhelms the traveller on arrival from the north that the sunshine and blue Mediterranean sky becomes the view. The sky today is loaded with rain clouds which the strong and clear Mediterranean light somehow manages to penetrate, revealing the architecture and reminding how Marseille is a fascinating mixture of a Provence village and a modern French town.
Circus artists rehearsing for tonight’s show around the Vieux Port in Marseille, part of La Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque. As well as trapeze artistes and jugglers, there looks to be going to be a high wire cyclist performing high above the port end of the Canebière. And there are searchlights set up to illuminate a high wire stretched between cranes on either side of the port. Although there will be a thin crescent moon and a Mistral to keep the skies clear, unfortunately it’s likely to be a cold night both for the performers and the crowds.
Footnote: the event was cancelled due to the weather
Kew botanic gardens still puts on a refreshing and colourful show in winter. It’s not an obvious place to visit in January; the Palm House and the many rooms in the Princess of Wales conservatory were showing fine cacti and orchids, the latter flowering well. Snowdrops flowering in the stark winter sunshine outside. The admission ticket is £5 cheaper for January but the Temperate House was closed and the cafes were seriously overloaded.
