The Voice Box

October 1st, the Chinese National Day, I intended to rise early and take in the expected celebrations in Tiananmen Square. I did not make it.  Still jet-lagged from my ten hour flight from London, I overslept.  Rising swiftly, I quickly got dressed, and  grabbed some breakfast downstairs in the restaurant, at the excellent Novotel Hotel where I was staying  in the downtown area of Dongcheng, and headed for the ‘Forbidden City’ complex . Today called the Palace Museum – (The locals call it Gu-Gong which means Ancient Palace), it offers a striking insight about the Emperors who ruled China many years ago. It was so impressive that I spent a whopping five hours there; walking through an imperious Meridan Gate, gliding into numerous halls of Harmony and Palaces, all offering splendid architectural styles of the day. And then on towards the revealing Treasure Gallery with its minature icons, and finally exiting through the Imperial Garden...

Suddenly it is September.   At this time of the year, as the weather changes, it is a great time to review the summer successes, and plan for the upcoming winter.  I have had a tremendous time with Aloes this summer, lots of fun propagating new plants, and quite a few interesting flower appearances.  .

WATERLOO STATION Since the main photo for the blog was taken at this station, I thought it would be the right time to say something about it. I use it about a few times a week usually on my way to Richmond, and simply as a shortcut to visiting Kew Gardens. There was a time when I used it on my way to Paris, but that was years ago when the Eurostar operated from here to the Gare du Nord. The Eurostar has since left, and now operates from St. Pancras International. Today, Waterloo station is owned and operated by Network Rail. The first trains started here around 1848, and it got its name around 1886. It is the largest and busiest station in the UK, covering approximately twenty-five acres. And in Europe it is second only to the Gare du Nord with passenger traffic. Its trains generally serves The South West UK including all the surburbans areas. It also connects with the Underground via the Jubilee, Bakerloo and Northern Line; and Waterloo East station..

KEW GARDENS: A Sense of the Tropics