Happy 2011!

Happy New Year, everyone! These photos are from Vauxhall Bridge where we went to watch the fireworks…

Remember, Remember

Bonfire night was cold and rainy, but we bundled up and decided to wander along the Chelsea Embankment, over the nearest bridge, back over Wandsworth Bridge and home for some hot milo and a movie.

We stopped along the Thames here and there to watch the colourful explosion of sea urchin fireworks lighting up the sky in the distance.

It was quiet and dimly lit along the riverbank and the city lights shimmered in the dark water that lapped gently at the sand below us.

Peaceful, away from the crowds.

Anyone have any good bonfire night stories to share? Where did you go to watch the fireworks? Recommendations for next year?

New Year in Parliament Square

Through a friend of a friend, I was lucky enough to be able to bring in the new year in Parliament Square. We went to a fancy dress pop star party at her house just around the corner from Westminster Abbey, were taken through a blocked off area to a nearly empty Parliament Square about 11:45 – just in time to see the fireworks but not have to put up with the crowds or the cold….

Happy new year everyone!

Diwali in Southall

K and I went to Southall last night in search of a good Diwali atmosphere and we certainly found it. I was surprised that my Indian boyfriend had never celebrated the holiday there, so it was a new experience for both of us which made it even better.

All we did was wander down different streets, but everyone was out in their front gardens lighting off fireworks in the streets. Stepping out of Southall station, you are on top of a hill and surrounded by firework displays in every direction. Incredible. If you closed your eyes, it was easy to picture yourself in the middle of a war zone…. and some of the streets we walked down felt like one too! Here’s a photo of a gorgeous temple and below some videos that don’t quite capture the full magic of it, but they’re an idea.

Diwali is called the Festival of Lights. It’s meant to signify light overcoming darkness in different religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, jainism, Sikhism, etc. Of course, like most holidays, it’s a time when people get together and socialise and eat. It’s more religious for some people than others. Diyas, which are small clay pots filled with oil and a long lit candle wick are lit, or just candles. In Hinduism, the lights are a reminder of the story of Rama, an exiled deity who returns to his home along a lamplit pathway….There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the gist of it.