Yep. It chucked it down, but intermittently, and the kids all guzzled cake regardless. We had toy aeroplane races and pin the tail on the donkey, and they all made party hats, and we adults all looked a bit lost, really. It's great when it works.
The place we went to is a bit of a secret location. It's one of our favourites and is usually empty. It's called The Waterworks, and it's an old water treatment works that has been turned into a nature reserve. Also, it's far enough to the north of Hackney marshes that it will hopefully be spared the ravages of the Olympic site which seems to be swallowing up many of the secret places in East London.
It's a shame, but the 'regeneration' will result in us losing many Victorian buildings, and much of London's industrial heritage. If it were Islington, the buildings would be listed, and probably turned into 'Loft style apartments'.
Still, it's progress, isn't it? Not really regeneration, though. More a bunch of sporting venues landing, as if from outer space, in the middle of nowhere. I think of regeneration as a more gradual, dare I say it, 'organic' (there. I dared) process that helps an area to develop, rather than the leftovers from the largest travelling circus the world has ever seen.
Enough. I must go and lie down, whimpering softly as I recover from the excesses of too much tennis followed by too much fine Turkish food.
On a lighter note...
The place we went to is a bit of a secret location. It's one of our favourites and is usually empty. It's called The Waterworks, and it's an old water treatment works that has been turned into a nature reserve. Also, it's far enough to the north of Hackney marshes that it will hopefully be spared the ravages of the Olympic site which seems to be swallowing up many of the secret places in East London.
It's a shame, but the 'regeneration' will result in us losing many Victorian buildings, and much of London's industrial heritage. If it were Islington, the buildings would be listed, and probably turned into 'Loft style apartments'.
Still, it's progress, isn't it? Not really regeneration, though. More a bunch of sporting venues landing, as if from outer space, in the middle of nowhere. I think of regeneration as a more gradual, dare I say it, 'organic' (there. I dared) process that helps an area to develop, rather than the leftovers from the largest travelling circus the world has ever seen.
Enough. I must go and lie down, whimpering softly as I recover from the excesses of too much tennis followed by too much fine Turkish food.
On a lighter note...
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