Friday 22nd July
Rachael joined us for a day at the 'Society of All Artists' event at the Design Centre in Islington. We enjoyed workshops and demonstrations in the large Victorian exhibition hall.
http://www.saa.co.uk/

In the evening we walked from London Bridge to Westminster Bridge enjoying the lively atmosphere.



Saturday 23rd July.
This morning we visited the National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Exhibition and afterwards looked around St Martin-in-the-Fields church which was very peaceful compared with the noise and bustle of the large crowds in Trafalgar Square outside.
http://www.npg.org.uk/

This green wall was outside the National Gallery and is based on a painting by Van Gogh.

 In the centre of Trafalgar Square is the Countdown Clock for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

 In the afternoon Rachael and Mike joined us to view the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy.
http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-exhibition-2011/

Sunday 24th July
We took the tube to Kew Gardens where we enjoyed exploring the grounds in beautiful weather.
http://www.kew.org/

 The first place that we visited was the recently constructed Treetop Walkway that brings you up close to the large trees.

This Chelsea show garden was relocated here very recently. It was lovely to walk through and features useful plants.

The Japanese Garden felt very cool and serene in the middle of the day.

We returned to Westminster on the river, passing many interesting sights and buildings.