Only the shoes

Bicycles again. Madingley loop again today, on the ride home from work. My 6th or 7th time on that route, sometimes with more than one loop, in the last ten days. Convenient in unsettled weather. But at the weekend I took the Black Sheep on two longer rides, other routes. Good rides, on a completely silent bike - finally no squeaks! Now, in the rare moments of smooth pavement and light wind, I can hear the noise of my shoes, a gentle quiet creak of leather on leather. Sounds olde. And slow.

We went to London yesterday, to join friends from Boulder for dinner - they have come to England for a few weeks of scientific visits. Mary Lou and I went early to visit the Royal Mews. About as close to the royalty and palaces as I want to get. Only a few (four) horses, but we did enjoy the audio tour.

What a colossal waste of funds, I think, all those fancy cars and carriages and clothes and harnesses. And who needs, really, a Master of the Horse? On the other hand, the royal support continues a tradition and craft that goes back 600 years. How, without royal support, could one imagine keeping fine carriages and fine horses? We did learn that The Queen personally selects which carriage for which event. Oh, well done. If we could only have the craft traditions without the royalty traditions.

We walked to a park along the Thames, unusual for its grass and trees (plane trees, of course) immediately at the river's edge. Most of the Thames through London has concrete and pavement. I call the little park we visited Parliament park, as it lies just up-river of the Parliament buildings. On the map it might have the label Millbank Park. From there we walked to meet our friends at their hotel, and then through James Park to dinner just off Trafalgar Square. We caught a distant glimpse of the fourth plinth; we will have to return for a more careful look.