The Postman’s Garden

On Saturday, I went on a free walk with Walk London, sponsored by the Mayor, good old Boris.
I highly recommend one of these walks to any visitor to the city, but even more so for those who have lived here forever.  I honestly believe that you could live in London for years and not discover all it’s secrets!
For example, thanks to this walk, yesterday I discovered possibly the greatest secret viewing platform of the London skyline, completely free! (Take THAT13 quid to get into St Pauls and goodness knows how much to get into the London Eye).
But even more so, I discovered an incredible, tranquil garden hidden away in the busy Square Mile. The Postman’s Gardens, is not high up on the list of people’s must-see’s when they visit the city, despite it having been featured in the movie Closer (the one where Natalie Portman is a stripper), but it has easily become one of my favourite places in the capital.

The garden, maintained by the Corporation of London, opened in 1880 and is a quaint green space and features the Watts Memorial. Funded out of a private citizens pocket, it is there to commemorate heroic self sacrifice.
Featuring simple tiled plaques, I was astonished at the number of children on there, who died trying to save their parents, sibling or school mates. Or strangers who jumped into swollen rivers to try and save someone from drowning. I’d say that half of these plaques, were to commemorate people laying down their own lives to save complete and utter strangers. The  romantic in me was particularly struck by a Gentleman who lost his life in 1869 trying to save a Lady whose horse carriage had become unmanageable.

Some memorials (not mentioning any marble statues of Steve Irwin in Mooloolaba) can be tacky, or too melancholy, this however was positively uplifting and heart-warming, reminding me that even in such a busy city, that there is still some good in the world.

PS. And no, I’m not going to reveal my new secret viewing spot. Just in case TOO many people find out about it. But I’ll give you a clue, it’s closest tube is St Pauls, there are free clean toilets, and it involves a lot of glass.

A History Of Valentine’s Day

Valentines Day.  A day romanticised by young women and young lovers the world over.

Of the approximated ONE BILLION Valentine’s sent worldwide each year – I did not receive one.  Not that I am at all bitter about this.

There are many supposed origins of Valentines Day.  One is attributed to the Matyr Valentine being executed by Claudius II for refusing to convert to Roman Paganism, but not before he healed some blind dude.  Another Roman legend is that, due to the fact that single men made better soldiers, marriage was outlawed, and that a priest by the name of Valentine thought this was a dumbass law and continued to marry people anyway. 

Of course this is the supposed “Christianised” version of V-Day.  The Pagan tradition of Luperci coincides with Valentines Day and is all about agriculture, sacrificing animals and having the men of the village give the ladies a slapping with the hide of a freshly skinned goat. The women didn’t mind because it supposedly made them fertile.  Later on in the day all the women would put their names in a big urn and the men would draw out a name and be paired with that girl for a year.  Kind of like a ancient match.com perhaps?

The romantic poet Chaucer supposedly made the first reference to Valentines Day as we know it, in the poem Parlement of Fouels to celebrate Kind Richard II & Anne of Bohemia in 1382.  The translation of this however is apparently widely disputed. 

In Ye Olde Medieval days there were numerous references to Saint Valentine’s Day amongst literature.  Even Shakespeare’s Ophelia (Hamlet: c1600) lamented about the possibility of not getting any loving (well I think so.. it’s been awhile since I studied Shakespeare at school). 

In 1797 a clever chap published The Young Man’s Valentine Writer.  A book full of romantic phrases for the uncreative and unsentimental to use on their lady of fancy.  It was full steam ahead from here on in, with Valentines being factory produced from the early 1800s (well done Industrial Revolution!). 

So from that very first Valentine (supposedly sent by St Valentine himself from a roman prison to a young lass he fancied) to today billion dollar mass produced card and chocolate industry, it seems that nobody can agree on the origins of Valentines Day.  And if a day is going to be celebrated then surely people should at least agree on why?

Or perhaps I am just saying this because I am, yet again, single on Valentines Day. 

*May be historically inaccurate. If so – I blame Wikipedia & history.com!

King Henry VIII - Phwoar

I am currently watching The Tudors and loving it.  There’s more scandals, affairs, treachery, skulduggery and naked men than any episode of Bold and the Beautiful. 

What makes it even better is that it's all based on real events. Obviously it has historical inaccuracies (Wasn’t King Henry a ginger? And tubby?) and is dramatised for television, but it still makes for juicy viewing.

I find myself wishing I was part of the Tudor court, wearing a tight corset with my bosom busting out.  I wish my hair was lavishly decorated and I was adorned with jewels whilst some courtier ravished me. 

I suppose I will have to make do with daydreaming for now… until I get my time machine working anyway