What’s on at the Club tomorrow
Tomorrow will be the final round of the Colour Print Competition to be judged by Tim Morland.
Next week (15 February) is a Members Evening. Please bring in some of your pictures on a memory stick and explain why you took the picture and why you like it. If you are going to take part please let Steve know in advance.
It is also hand in for Round 3 of the Mono Print Competition.
Camera Club Wildlife Outing – Sunday 18 February
Greg Gillies and Czech Conroy are planning to lead a trip to the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes on Sunday 18 February. Times and travel arrangements to be confirmed. We will try to arrange car sharing for those not wishing to travel independently.
Camera Club Coach Outing – Saturday 28 April
We are also planning a coach outing to Brighton on Saturday 28 April. We will leave Bromley at 8.30am and return around 6.30pm. On the way you can visit Gatwick Aviation Museum or Nymans Garden with a stop of 90 minutes at either place (the coach will do a circular drop-off/pick-up). We will arrive at Brighton sea front around 12.30pm and depart at 5.00pm. Cost of transport is £30 per person. Entry to Aviation Museum is £7.50. Nymans is a National Trust property.
In order to confirm the coach booking Steve will need sign-ups and deposits of £10 by Thursday 15 February. There are still some seats available. You can email Steve to sign up or speak to him at the meetings.
What’s on this weekend and soon
Look out for steam trains on King’s Cross passenger concourse. The locomotives will be rolled into King’s Cross Station at 1:00am on Saturday 10 February and will be on display in the ticket hall until Sunday 18 February.
Steam trains are usually found on the rail tracks, but for one week, two locomotives will be sitting in the middle of the passenger concourse at King’s Cross. The restored heritage line, the Ffestiniog Railway are bringing two of their light engines to London to promote their Welsh railway to visitors. The two ‘Quarry Hunslet’ locomotives from the Victorian era Hugh Napier and Velinheli will be making the trip from Wales where they originally transported slate around the local quarries. Following a period of dereliction, they have now been lovingly restored to working order. For the duration of the visit, staff and volunteers will be on hand to talk to the public and answer questions.
There will also be the opportunity to win a short break in North Wales, staying at Portmeirion and including visits to Zip World and first class tickets on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways.
Chinese New Year at the V&A Museum of Childhood – Saturday 10 February – 11:30am Free
Music and dance performances will fill the Museum of Childhood (Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA) in celebration of Chinese New Year and the year of the dog. Drop in workshops for all ages will cover Chinese Opera mask making, plus costume and calligraphy classes.
Orchid Festival – starts Saturday 10 February
Kew Gardens’ celebration of the orchid returns for its 23rd year, this time with a focus on the plant life of Thailand. The tropical greenhouse will be bursting with colourful species and 2018’s highlights include hanging orchid bouquets, handcrafted floating Thai umbrellas and an impressive sounding Bang Pa-In inspired orchid palace.
Victorian Covent Garden Walk – Sunday 11 February 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Cost: £12.00
Embark on this 90-minute guided walk exploring the age of improvement. Delve into the underworld of Music Halls, the introduction of ice cream to the masses and the fortitude of Victorian engineering.
Your professional tour guide will help you master the back alleys, away from the wide shopping street you can easily imagine the characters who lived and worked in the area. You will explore some of the beautifully maintained Victorian gardens; discover their hidden secrets before venturing through some residential streets, once the homes for artists Samuel Clarkson and William Etty and workplaces for literature giants Rudyard Kipling and Charles Dickens.
Stand where the Thames used to dominate, take in the messy madness of one of the most famous London markets and count the fair maidens on the way. Meet at Charing Cross Station, outside Cafe Paul Express ending at Covent Garden. Duration: 90 mins.
Reserve tickets by sending an email to bookings@londonguidedwalks.co.uk or telephone 07545 020406.
The Barbican Complex Photography Walk – Sunday 11 February @ 11:00am – Cost: £9.00
Take a three hour guided stroll through the glorious Barbican estate and snap away at what you see with a group of other brutalist architecture enthusiasts. You’ll visit the conservatory and stop for a break in a local cafe. Meet outside Barbican station at 11.00am sharp and book your spot in advance. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-barbican-complex-photography-walk-tickets-41921331832
Is it time to restore Collop Monday as an English tradition?
There is rarely any need to have an excuse to eat bacon, but the Monday before Shrove Tuesday (13 February) offers a good reason to munch on the porcine morsels – for it is Collop Monday. Rather overlooked now, Collop Monday was traditionally the day before Shrove Tuesday (aka, pancake day) and would have been part of the Shrovetide celebrations during the days before Lent.
The collops of which it is named from refers to meat — traditionally cured meats such as bacon — and would be eaten to use up the last of the meats that were not expected to be edible once Lent was over and eating meats was allowed again.
British Wildlife Photography Awards
Help celebrate the wealth and beauty of Britain’s diverse natural heritage by entering your best shots and films into the British Wildlife Photography Awards. Anyone can enter, and winning photographers will have their work featured in a travelling exhibition which aims to showcase the very best of British nature photography and videography.
The 2018 competition opened for entries on 1st February and the winners will be announced in November. More info at bwpaawards.org.
And don’t forget its Valentine’s Day on Wednesday 14 February!!!
