Day 5: Monday morning, 7am

Geoff and I leapt nimbly from our bed quite early this morning to wash a few smalls and watch a bit of rubbish television.  The BBC is yet again providing wall-to-wall coverage of the Queen's indisposition, with breathless reporters revealing from their bunkers outside the hospital that no official health updates on Her Maj are expected.  Meanwhile, various medical types in the studio are providing their professional opinions on ER's symptoms and expectations for recovery. We, the public, are urged not to panic.  I'm glad they said this because I was about to rush out into Upper Woburn Place, screaming hysterically.

But back to The Shard. Finally managed to download a pic.  This is actually a little too flattering in my view:  

Note how it diminishes the ambience of Southwark Cathedral to the right of the pic.  Cousin Bob has asked our opinion of another  skyscraper, the Gherkin. I reckon it's marginally less offensive, if a trifle crass. It's certainly less pointy. That's it in the centre of the pic below. I'll shut up about offensive architecture now and end by saying my friend Prince Charles and I are as one on this issue! ;-)  I don't know what her Maj thinks.  (I can't ask her as she is currently laid up with gastro, apparently. No, really.) 

 

An finally a pic from our sojourn to The Harp pub in Covent Garden yesterday:

 

 

Geoff's old Hurstville Public School friend, Larry, his son Keir, wife Helen and the beauteous Nigella Ackroyd.  The pub, like every other London building, was heated to about 50 degrees celsius, so was a trifle warmish.    

 

More this evening!