VE Day: Celebrations in London!

Wahey! It's VE Day!

'What on earth is that?', you ask.

Victory in Europe day, my friends. It's when Britain was super-happy that the war was over. Though judging by the number of times humans and Britons get involved in war, you'd think that they actually like fighting and stuff.

Anyway, pessimism about the human race aside, VE Day means it's time for a PARTY.

And your Elf was there early to celebrate.

Trafalgar Square was of course decked out in bunting, with the obligatory red bus merrily chundling along behind.

More bunting. I realised that I'd got there so early, the party hadn't even started.

But at least there were some educational stands so that us early partygoers could learn whilst we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And finally, having walked down to St James's Park a little while later, the road was closed to traffic (with cyclists merrily charging through the 'Road Closed' signs and dodging pedestrians), and people filled the area outside Buckingham Palace.

Elf has a theory. And that is that the Victory in Europe was not actually about the war, but more about the sales of ice cream. Look at this quaint little store! People were merrily queuing (another British pastime) for ice creams which would be eaten as soon as they were bought. Meaning they'd have to queue up again.

For you history fans out there: don't ask me what this plane is, except that it's old and in khaki. There were loads of old military vehicles around, with people in uniform explaining what they did, but the crowds were too large for me to hear. So anyway, it's a nice plane.

Look! What a nice plane.

A vehicle too, apparently a British-made general purpose truck.

More bunting!

And back to Trafalgar Square, where this cool band was playing (these are the plain blue steps from earlier in the post). They're playing modern music, and the Square was packed.

Well, I'm just off to watch them a little while longer, and soak up the atmosphere.

Happy VE Day!

Elf Dryadalis

Game of Thrones-esque wildlife

So. You're sitting in St James's Park, enjoying your ice cream and telling yourself that it doesn't break your diet rules because ice cream is, after all, mostly ice, and reading a novel of doubtful intellectual value.

Life is bliss.

UNTIL THE GIANT CROW COMES.

'Excuse me,' you splutter politely, 'is that a euphemism?'

Absolutely not, you disgusting elfling. It most certainly isn't.

You've been watching far too much Game of Thrones.

But anyway, if giant crows are your kind of thing, and you want to do what Bran Stark does without all the polar trekking, then go to St James's Park this instant, because with visitor number soaring due to the warm (in Britain, warm means anything above freezing point) means that there are plenty of tourists and lunchers merrily feeding these giant birds of doom.

You have been warned.

Till next time,

Elf Dryadalis