I just read some place today that today in 1930, C. S. Lewis and his brother Warren (Warnie) along with Mrs. Moore and her daughter and their dog moved into the Kilns—the home where Lewis lived until his death on November 22, 1963. This photo of the Kilns was taken several years ago while I visiting Oxford. We were there on a day much like today—overcast and rainy. But we had a wonderful time.

The warden of the house showed us around the house, and because no one else was there, she even took us up stairs and into the attic where we saw some of Lewis’s old furniture and even a wardrobe! We were awestruck. Later we had tea and sweet bread cookies in the same dining room where Lewis, Joy, and Warnie would eat each evening. I felt a lot like a character from one of his Narnia novels: the table, the food, and the sleeping kings of old.

They still put out “sweeties” in a small white bowl on his desk. We were told that these were among his favorite treats. I think they are basically pure sugar and should be used to sweeten cups of hot tea.

For the last year or so I have heard that photographing in public places in London is getting harder to do. City cameras capture every move. I usually don’t photograph someone unless I ask him or her first. Years ago, I worked as a photographer for a newspaper. So my blog will never be a “fine art” destination. But hopefully, it is a place were I can post photos that are fun and portray a portion of the “real” life that is going on around us. And in the process, it’s only natural that a twinge of my past photojournalism experience would creep in—or out—every now and then.

The last time I was in London, I had lots of fun with the camera. These folks were willing subjects. They didn’t mind the camera, and they “wanted” to talk and assure me that they would pray for me and those with me.

Have you ever wondered why gates are so perfect in Britain? Probably not but I have. The one above proves that they really are quite “perfect” in England. Of course, this one has golden edges, and it is located at Windsor Castle (where the Queen likes to kick back on the weekends). But that’s beside the point.

Even the ones in Britain that are old beyond imagination are often restored, refurbished, and reused. Not in America, we discard things like gates. We place them on the side of the road for garbage collection, and then drive to Home Depot or Lowe’s where we purchase new ones. Can you imagine see this one on the side of the road in Windsor waiting to be carted away to the recycling center or worse—the garbage dump? Never! It chills my soul to think about it.

On my way to find another photo, I ran into this one and couldn’t believe that it was just sitting there waiting to be posted. Of course, it is of Big Ben taken at 11:55 am on some day over two years ago while I was in London. Has it been that long? Yes, because last May I was in the middle of a huge move.

I wanted to post something totally different—something not necessarily green and from the mountains. So what about these taken from the London Eye a couple of years ago? I think I have already posted one but not both. The Thames is below. Who knows which direction it runs—north, south, east, west. Does it really matter when you think about England and being there? It is enough just to remember what it felt like to be on “top of” that part of the world at sunset. Tomorrow is election day in the UK, and a new Prime Minister will be elected. “Polling stations in 649 constituencies across the United Kingdom will open at 0700 BST and remain open until 2200 BST.” Whoever is elected will have an office in one of the buildings in the above photo. . .  in Parliament!

Just received a Twitter from St. Paul’s Cathedral in London saying today marks the 70th anniversary of evacuation of British citizens during World War II. Germany had begun bombing raids on the city at night, and the decision was made to send as many people—particularly children—as possible to homes outside of the London area. The Kilns, which is in Oxford and was owned by C.S. Lewis and his brother Warren, became a safe haven for several youngsters during the Blitz.

Blackout curtains still hang on the windows at the Kilns as a reminder of World War II and the precautions people had to take even outside of London.