12 of 12 (v4.0) - September

This 12 of 12, I had a fellow 12er staying with me. Christin and I have been friends for a few years now, having met online. I visited her in May this year, and last week she came over for a visit to celebrate her birthday, which is the 12th! Which is partly why this 12 of 12 is up on the 16th... busy entertaining a guest, and then 2 days of crazy work and being too tired when I got back to my house. After managing to finish downloading photos and archiving others to make space last night, I fell asleep. Tonight, the Photoshop scratch disk has been my nemesis, making the whole watermarking process a royal pain in the ass.

Credit for the idea as always goes to Chad! Check out his post here with everyone else's 12 of 12s :-)

1) 00:26am - Royal Albert Hall, London

The illuminated outside of the Royal Albert Hall, home to the BBC Proms every year. Christin and I had booked tickets for the Yo-Yo Ma & Silk Road Ensemble late night Prom, but had also managed to just squeeze in for the £5 standing tickets for the earlier Prom (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra).

Tickets for seats are sold for varying prices, but the Proms offers 500 standing seats (you stand in the circle on the arena floor) for £5, but only for 30 minutes before the performance. We'd seen the queue for the VPO and given up, but as we came by to pick up our Yo-Yo Ma tickets, I asked about the VPO on the offchance it wasn't too late. We had missed the opening short piece, but then they let in latecomers before shutting the door. Squeaked in!

This was shortly before we missed the last Tube (couldn't get into the foot tunnel to the station), walked ages and then gave up and got 2 night buses home. I felt lousy for getting Christin's birthday off to such a crappy start. I'd also been stewing over something work-related and between the two (and the late hour), was ready for a good cry in private, not a tiring two-bus commute home.

2) 08:08 am - House, N2, London

A colleague had given me some blackberry and raspberry homemade jam, so I put some on some cinnamon and raisin bagels for a birthday breakfast for Christin and me. I like raspberries but have never really had blackberries much. I wasn't expecting to like the jam therefore, but it was delicious!

3) 11:50am - Camden Market, London

Getting a crepe from the Artisans Crepe stand at one of the Camden markets. I might be biased, but I think the crepe stand at Exeter (near my Devon home) are nicer!

4) 12:16pm - Camden, London

Walking up the main road, seeing the sights and making our way to Chalk Farm Tube station (as Camden's is exit-only 12:30-4:30pm Saturdays). Eclectic, no?

5) 12:18pm - Camden, London

Looking from one side of a bridge to another, across the canal. I think that's Camden Lock Market you can see on the far side.

6) 12:19pm - Camden, London

Christin was 26, Camden's Starbucks was 7. No free drink for her though :-( I bought her a birthday cupcake though!

7) 12:48pm - Camden, London

Walking up the main road again, towards Chalk Farm. See, the Camden Lock part of the area. Says so right on the bridge.

8) 1:01pm - Chalk Farm, London

Chalk Farm Tube station, right on my estimated time we needed to be there (to get us to the theatre in time for a matinee). Lovely old-fashioned outside, with the oxblood-coloured tiles.

9) 1:09pm - Chalk Farm Tube station, London

Christin taking a photo of a moving Tube train for action photo practice.

10) 2:41pm - Borough Market, London

Cherry tomatoes on sale at the market, as we filled a little time pre-theatre.

11) 3:25pm - Menier Chocolate Factory, south London

We had tickets to see the second-to-last day of Forbidden Broadway. I'd seen it in July with a friend and loved it, and thought Christin might like it too. She laughed a lot, so I hope so! Playing with a bokeh shot of the sparkly curtain before the show, here.

12) 7:06pm - Chinatown, London

Having a delicious chicken/seasonal vegetables/egg fried rice at a place I think is called Gerrard's Cross? Eileen had taken me there once (a friend who also introduced me to Forbidden Broadway), so thanks Eileen!

BONUS - 5:37pm - Borough/London Bridge area, London

These were a tableux of panels alternating yellow and orange jackets, in various poses. They were along the street from the Menier Chocolate Factory, and skirting a building site, so I think someone with a talent for art, and knowing a theatre was nearby, got creative with the "this is a building site" idea! The last one is how I feel sometimes at work, though I admit that living in London brings out the middle guy in me too, quite often!

I'll add links to various things like the Royal Albert Hall and the Proms later. It's 1:30am and I'm frankly more than ready for bed, so the truly curious can get onto Google, and the more patient of you can wait until I've slept and worked :P

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! I recommend reading everyone else's 12 of 12s, there's always interesting stuff there from around the world, and people do love a comment (and tend to reciprocate)!