Update...

Most days on this trip I upload photos we've taken during the day's sightseeing to the iPad and also most nights I work on blog posts. The tiresome thing I find about blogging with the iPad is inserting the photos I want to use, into the blog template... When the photo icon is clicked the photo 'montage' that pops up has the pics in a tiny sized formatt. Also photos have to be inserted one at a time. But with trial and error I can honestly say that it has got easier with practice! Most evenings I also write some blog posts and I have a number in draft form ready to publish. I do that so I can delete photos stored on the iPad and thus avoid those messages informing me that there is not enough 'storage space'. The images are still on the SD card and will get copied over to our portable hard drive when we get home. 

So having said all that, I will now get on with this post...:-)

The last post published was about our visit to Newcastle. Since then we have travelled south to York where we stayed for 3 nights. On the way to York we stopped at Whitby and Scarborough. After York we  travelled to Folkestone which we used as our base to travel to Dover Castle. Today we left Folkestone and travelled to Canterbury in the morning so we could attend the Easter Day service at the Cathedral there.

We got there very early as the service that we were attending was not until 11 am. However by being so early (9.45) we were able to park in the Cathedral grounds...for free!!

The staff supervising the parking suggested we walk through the grounds to the coffee shop near the entrance. Along the way I stopped to pat/scratch behind the ears the Cathedral cat?...a beautiful tortoise-shell cat. 

A better view of the Cathedral than in the last photo...

And what a lovely streetscape we found near the coffee shop...

Decorated shop windows...

We returned to the Cathedral long before 11 (10.15) as we could see the crowds of people walking in the gate...

I noticed people taking photos before the service so I thought I would too...I snapped this photo and then felt a hand on my shoulder...it was one of the Cathedral volunteers...oops? no photos please during the service ! I had had no intention of taking photos during the service but wanted this one photo showing people half an hour before the service. People are so generous...one man in front of me offered to email me  his photo as he thought I hadn't managed to take the photo...but I'm quick! 

The service was magnificent with the Archbishop of Canterbury taking the service. ( the Archbishop of Canterbury is like the Anglican Church's version of the Pope, even though the Queen, as the monarch, is the head of the church...confusing right?) 

The choir and the music were magnificent; the choir sang all the anthems which were in Latin...High Church you see. The BBC filmed this Sung Eucharist Service, so it was quite overwhelming all this pomp and pageantry...very different from our little parish church, that's for sure! 

We went out the West Door and there was the Archbishop of Canterbury shaking hands. I was wearing my parish name tag and said to him that we had come all the way from Australia...he said dryly that he had noticed...I was in a panic as I couldn't remember the form of address to an Archbishop..but 'Your Grace' sounded right! :-) 

The Archbishop is still at the West Door shaking hands...

After Canterbury we headed off for London, where we started this holiday on March 19. It had been raining lightly in Canterbury but by the time we got to London the rain was heavier and it was quite misty...you might have to squint to see those tall buildings in the distance as we drove into London. 

Approaching the Blackwell Tunnel...

We checked into our hotel where we will stay for the next 3 nights. Then on Wednesday we will head to France on the Eurostar. The hotel is in Kings Cross and is in walking distance of Kings Cross/ St Pancras Station where we will catch the train...so after we checked in we walked to the station to see where we will leave from...

The station is very swish with lots of cafés and shops...and there were some entertainers who were playing pianos...and they were great too!

At one end there was this guy...

And at the other end were these 2! And then they swapped ends! The 2 young boys played honky tonk style and the other man played Beatles songs...including Imagine, one of my all time favourites.

Satisfied that we knew where to come on Wednesday, we then caught a train to Leicester Square. We bought tickets to a show tomorrow night, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Robert Lindsay. Then we wandered around..

Nelson' Column in Trafalgar Square...

The National Gallery...l

DH suggested we walk down Pall Mall...

We noticed some vintage cars there...

Then we noticed people dressed in 'olden days' garb. It was a film set and we watched them doing the last takes for the day...

These 2 were in the scene...the girl had to chase the girl dressed in male clothing...here they waiting for the cue...after 2 takes, the director was happy and everyone started packing up...

The vintage cars being driven away...Admiralty Gate in the background...

On the way to the station we visited the Horse Guards. Lots of puddles at that complex !! 

The rest of our stay in London will probably be going to more museums...well DH deserves to do the things that he likes best occasionally...after all I got to see the Falkirk Wheel, The Liberty Shop and Portwenn didn't I? Lol