2022-2023 The Dead & The Bands – Boomerang

In London ….

BDK Iron — Mon, 01 May 2023 14:05:08 +0000

…waiting for the flight to Seattle.

It’s a big goddamn aircraft:

I’ve flown the A380 twice in the past. I think both times were between New Zealand and Australia. It’s a very quiet plane to be on.

Alas, today’s flight will be on a 787 Dreamliner. Which is fine.

The Last The Band Elwood, The Band!

BDK Iron — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 18:02:03 +0000

At the ENO for Henryk Górecki’s Third Symphony, known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. A good piece. Especially so since it’s contemporary music. Would have preferred just the instrumentation. Still, good.

Secrets of the Underground

BDK Iron — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 08:56:26 +0000

Paddington is my fav train station in London. Also, below a couple outside pics of Kings Cross & St. Pancras. Also, shown below the official storage permit for custodial supplies in the Tube.

Cadogon Hall

BDK Iron — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 08:51:21 +0000

CH is my favorite hall in London. Here for some choral music.

I did this!

Cambridge American Cemetery

BDK Iron — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 08:44:24 +0000

Dedicated: 1956

Location: United Kingdom

Burials: 3,811

Missing in Action: 5,127

It took 3 train, 1 tube, and 1 bus ride to get to the Cambridge cemetery. They’ve built a nice visitor center there. An absolutely huge number of MIAs.

While I was walking about, for some strange reason, a P51 flew by the neighborhood. Video of the black dot in the sky below.

A Few UK Notices

BDK Iron — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 08:32:57 +0000

A typical BnB. Can be very good value for the buck.

Whilst in Wool I went to the nearby pub for dinner. Again, often times good value and good food. Fish & Chips for $15:

Too bad I wasn’t there for the weekend feed:

Odd sign series:

An Orlando method?

At the Woking RR station, some art and a Queen Victoria mailbox:

One of the dumber ideas, benches where a third of the seat area is weeds:

Rural RR station, honor system of safety compliance:

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

BDK Iron — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:25:44 +0000

Went to TIGER DAY at the Tank Museum at Bovington. The museum contains the only working Tiger Tank in the world. Twice a year they fire it up and do a reenactment of its capture in North Africa. (More on the museum in an upcoming post.) I bought a premium ticket (100 sold) that results in “behind the scene” access and a chance to climb aboard the Tiger. (Alas, I didn’t win the Ride in the Tiger raffle.)

The movie “Fury” used this tank. It’s really the only movie to use a real Tiger tank. They also used the museum’s Sherman M4A2E8. It also was shown and driven about, video below.

Brookwood American Cemetery

BDK Iron — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:24:57 +0000

Dedicated: 1937

Location: United Kingdom

Burials: 468

Missing in Action: 564

Took a combination of a bus and train to get to Brookwood from London. WW 1 graves. Next door are allied graves from WW 1 & WW 2, including some German war dead — looks like German pilots killed during the Battle of Britain.