In June we picked the clover,
And sea-shells in July
Cecil Day-Lewis
Phew, this has been a busy month! No travels abroad but plenty of other fun times. We started the month with a few days in Broadstairs, Kent. Despite unseasonably cold weather (we put the heating on in the apartment we rented most evenings!), we had a great time getting to know this little seaside town.
We also had a day out in nearby Ramsgate and spent a lovely evening in the company of fellow bloggers the Hungry Travellers, aka Phil and Michaela. Do check out their blog for some fascinating travel stories!
We were at home for the rest of the month but certainly not quiet. We had a day at Wimbledon where I managed to secure tickets for Court Two via the ballot. There were black clouds overhead at times but no rain, amazingly! As the weather slowly improved again we went to two of Ealing’s summer festivals in our local Walpole Park: the beer festival and the blues festival. We met up with three different lots of friends for consecutive Sunday lunches. One time in central London, one in Ealing and one down in Hastings where we caught up with some former neighbours whom we hadn’t seen since pre-pandemic times.
On one Saturday we enjoyed a ‘Rock and Roll Stroll’, a themed walk in central London led by John Ellis. He was a founding member of the punk rock band The Vibrators, and played with the Stranglers too for many years, as well as several other bands and musicians. He had lots of stories to tell and pointed out many locations associated with different bands of that era.
In addition there were the usual exhibitions and cinema visits, including an excellent photography exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery in beautiful Somerset House. It showcased the work of Roger Mayne, best known for his photos of children on the streets of Notting Hill in post-war London.
Technical notes
My Broadstairs, Wimbledon and Rock and Roll photos were taken with my compact Panasonic Lumix, while the rest were taken on my phone. Most have been at least a little edited with Photoshop Elements and some more heavily edited with Nik Color Efex. You may have seen a few in monochrome versions in recent posts, but most should be new! Use the arrows to navigate the slideshow if you want to see all the images.
As always I am linking my selection to Ju-Lyn’s and Brian’s Changing Seasons challenge. Use the arrows to navigate the slideshow if you want to see all the images.
52 Comments
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Ju-Lyn
It’s so strange that you encountered chilly weather beachside – I was just speaking to our Uber driver yesterday and he drove some folks to Brighton on Monday (hot hot hot in London) and they had 15 deg C weather! Did you get to do more than dip your toe in the water?
Sarah Wilkie
I didn’t even do that, it was far too chilly! And back then at the start of July the whole country was cooler than usual for that time of year, including London. But it can often be different at the coast – cooler and cloudier than inland, or sometimes the opposite, with brighter weather there! The sea has a big impact on our climate 🙂
Ju-Lyn
So interesting the weather on this island, unlike Singapore where is it is just hotter or wetter 😅
Annie Berger
Phew, you had an extraordinarily busy month of July with such a huge variety of activities, Sarah! I wonder which one you enjoyed the most? As always, so many great shots but I think my favorite was of Somerset House. Wish I could have tagged along on the Rock ‘n Roll walking tour, though.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 😊 Most enjoyable activity? Hard to choose but probably the trip to Broadstairs (and meeting Phil and Michaela at last!) and the day out at Wimbledon. It was also lovely to see our old friends in Hastings after so many years – we used to meet up regularly prior to Covid but hadn’t seen them since then.
the eternal traveller
Tickets to Wimbledon! How lucky to be able to go. I would love to be there just once.
Toonsarah
It’s not difficult to get into Wimbledon, but to get a ticket for one of the show courts is (literally) a lottery! However even without one of those you can soak up the atmosphere and watch matches on the other courts, which in the first few days of the fortnight especially could easily include some of the better-known players. Worth considering if you ever get to visit London at that time of year!
Anne Sandler
Wow, Sarah, you are a wonderful street photographer and have some great photos in this collection. I especially liked “Waiting for the Bus.”
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Anne ☺️
Anonymous
The Gallery is my favorite, although that last mural is stunning.
Toonsarah
Thank you 🙂
Anonymous
I’m Ruth Rosenfeld (rkrontheroad). Sorry, it didn’t seem to know me!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Sarah, what a beautiful collection of photographs. It looks like you had a wonderful July. I see that you met up with two of my favorite travel bloggers, Phil and Michaela. I imagine they are quite spirited dinner companions. We have toured Wimbeldon, but never tried to get seats to the tournament. I hear it is nearly impossible. Go you for scoring in the lottery. We just spent an overnight in London and once again I thought of you. It was a ‘recovery day’ for us before flying home, so we didn’t venture far from the hotel. The staircase (artistic), the cat (sharp and focused), and the girls on the beach (emotion) all stand out for me – for stated reasons. May August be full of adventure and kind weather.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Suzanne 😊 Yes, we had a lovely evening with Phil and Michaela and hope to meet up again some time if they stay in the country for long enough! I quite understand you will have needed that evening in London to relax, but if ever you’re here for a longer visit we must certainly get together 🙂 It’s great to hear which are your favourite shots and why, as always. I hope your August is lovely too!
Marie
Love “On the beach, Ramsgate, Kent”. So many places and sites. You had a busy month.
Toonsarah
Thank you Marie 🙂 Yes, a fun month with lots going on!
norasphotos4u
Great gallery – I love the simplicity of the beach sign and the elegance of the staircase
Toonsarah
Thank you Nora – yes, that staircase is very elegant 🙂
Teresa
Such a busy month, Sarah. Loving all the artsy stuff in London.
Toonsarah
Thanks Teresa – you know how good London is for ‘artsy stuff’!
Monkey's Tale
I would love to go to Wimbledon! I’m not a very good sports spectator, but Wimbledon would be amazing. Maggie
Toonsarah
I love the atmosphere at Wimbledon, it’s unique 🙂 But you do need to be a good spectator as the matches are often long and you can’t sit chatting except between points or move around too often because it disturbs the players!
Monkey's Tale
Good to know😊
Alison
Such a busy month and finally the weather improved. So much to do in London. A stroll with a former punk! Well that’s a second for you, as your first was with me, I used to be a punk when I was 18. I had fluorescent pink edged hair and wore plastic mini skirts.
Toonsarah
Wow, that sounds like quite a look! I don’t suppose you feel like sharing any photos?!!
Alison
Maybe for a challenge! I’ll have to dig them out
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bluebrightly
You really have been busy! I love that you included your chiropractor’s cat in the mix. Your skill at framing a shot shows up, over and over again. Waiting for the bus is quintessentially British and so charming. I love the gallery stairs and Slo-mo, too – what a jolt!
Toonsarah
Oh, thank you so much 😊 I’m pretty sure people wait for buses in other countries too! But Wimbledon is definitely quintessentially British 😀
bluebrightly
It was the way they were dressed, from shoes and socks to hats!
Toonsarah
Yes, the hats certainly – required wear at Wimbledon for a certain demographic (not us!)
Sandy
Your beach pics were eye catching. What is in the background of your featured photo, is it sand? I do like the composition.
Toonsarah
Thank you Sandy 🙂 Yes, that’s sand, showing the tractor tracks first thing in the morning after it was cleaned overnight.
Marilyn Armstrong
What a wonderful and diverse collection! I love the opera house, but really, I like everything!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marilyn 😀 That Opera House structure, a modern extension to the historic old building, is a stunning success in my view!
grandmisadventures
What a fantastic month for you! The rock and roll walk would be so fun. And meeting up with Phil and Michaela is a great time all around 🙂
Toonsarah
Yes, we’ve had a very good July Meg, and I know you will appreciate that finally meeting up with Phil and Michaela was one of the highlights 🙂
margaret21
A lovely and colourful set of picture potcards to celebrate summer.
Toonsarah
Thank you Margaret – it does feel as if summer has finally arrived!
margaret21
Shhh, not so loud. It’ll disappear.
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Favourites? Can never resist a cat. And I liked the mature couple at the bus stop both busy with their phones. It’s not just the young who do that then, despite all those who tut at them.
Toonsarah
I guess after a day at the tennis they maybe needed to catch up on messages – or maybe they were following the scores as play hadn’t yet finished for the day!
thehungrytravellers.blog
I’d like to do that Rock n Roll tour, especially with something of a punk icon to tag along with. Was great to meet you guys too…even if we’re still talking about the fact that we’ve met someone who doesn’t like peas….
Toonsarah
Yes, you’d enjoy that tour I’m sure Phil 🙂 I bought a voucher for it for Chris last Christmas but it only runs a few times a year and this was the first time we could do it. But really, if the most memorable thing about that evening was my dislike of peas … 🙄
thehungrytravellers.blog
It wasn’t! 😅
thehungrytravellers.blog
Mind you, I did come away relieved that you didn’t bring up my ignorance of all things movie…I wasn’t quite sure how I could explain that! It was a lovely evening and we look forward to a London reunion when our paths coincide again…
Toonsarah
That would be great, and we’ll prepare a film quiz for you 😁
bushboy
It’s good you can get a cat scan at the Chiropractors The staircase was a colourful spin out thanks. Love the dodgems.
Thanks for joining in The Changing Seasons Sarah 😀
Toonsarah
Glad you enjoyed these Brian, and thanks for the ‘cat scan’ quip, I wish I’d thought of it!
Leanne Cole
That looks like a lot of fun.
Toonsarah
Thanks Leanne 🙂 It was definitely a fun month!