Our Guests are Arriving

With less than two weeks before the games begin, London is decorated and ready to receive her thousands of guests.
Regent St and surrounding streets are flying national flags from the 206 countries that will be competing. It looks rather grand don't you think. Your Olympic challenge is to see how many countries you can identify.

Play

Wander along Regent Street at the moment and you will be treated to creative and eye-catching window designs. The Regent Street Windows project partners nine London architects and nine retailers to create windows that reflect play.
The creations are on display until September 2012.

Red Umbrella

Just enough rain to be annoying, especially when I didn't have a brolly. However it was not enough to make a difference to the water levels. We are officially in a drought. Something I've never got used to here, is the first sign of water restrictions and the papers are telling you to reduce bath and showers. No. I want to be clean. I don't get it. Maybe a Brit can explain why bathing is the first thing everyone wants to give up.

After the Rain

Street reflections after the rain.

Dressed for the Occasion

Yesterday I showed you the cars, today a glimpse of the importance of dressing for the occasion.

Vintage Cars

Regent Street was given over to vintage and veteran cars on Saturday giving us the opportunity to examine them up close and even take a ride. Sunday morning the vintage cars set off on their annual London to Brighton rally. Would have been rather cold for most of them.

Someone's Lucky Day

Now wouldn't you like those to be coming to you?

Balloon Magic

Yes she did get them all in much to the amusement of all those who watched. I should add it was rush hour in Regent's St.

Monopoly - Regent Street

Monopoly green square. £300.

"They seek him here, they seek him there,
In Regent Street and Leicester Square. "

Where will you find these words?

A: "Dedicated follower of Fashion" Kinks 1966.

The very fashionable Regent Street was built in 1825, part of the town planning by architect John Nash, although with the exception of All Souls Church, none of his buildings exist today.

Ever since the Great Fire (1666) there had been plans to put some order into the warren of small streets and lanes, with the intention of making it commercial not residential. Christopher Wren had ideas based on a classical formal model but it was nearly 200 years later and Nash's plans of grand thoroughfares before Parliment approved any work.

Now every building in this street is a heritage building of at least Grade II status.
Events to look forward to are the Christmas lights, always opened by a celebrity areound the beginning of November. Taste of Spain in June.

Spiderman

Spiderman enjoying the festivities yesterday at the Taste of Spain festival in Regent Street.

Men at Work #17

A cigarette had been tossed into the bin creating a fire. Look out behind you.

Men at Work #13

Not happy at work? Try a job that gets as many reactions as these guys managed.

Don't forget to enter my competition that is running at present.

Preparing for race day

Today is the big day. The London to Brighton veteran car rally. The oldest running rally of its kind.
Yesterday many of the cars were on display in Regent's street. You could chat to the owners and get a good look at these amazing vehicles. I was even lucky enough to have a ride in one.

Today around 500 of these amazing cars will leave Hyde park this morning and travel the 60 mile (97 km) journey to Brighton. A 10 hour journey for most.

Regent's St Festival

Capturing the festivities at Sunday's festival.

Tomorrow there will be a new competition.

Princess Arianna

The tubes are on strike making travelling around London a bit tricky. Cranky commuters on their way home were showered in bubbles by Arianna from Hamleys Toy Store in Regent street. So ... is your day job this much fun??