Greenwich Conference

Fantastic action-packed weekend at the RNA Conference at the former Royal Naval College, Greenwich, see reports on the RNA blog.  All the numerous talks I attended were inspiring, including a bracing one by Joanna Trollope who disapproves of pink girly book covers. I dare say a lot of us do, but They who pay the piper call the tune. Fun to gossip with writing friends in such lovely surroundings (the conferences are held annually at uni campuses - not often quite that glamorous.)

Taking an break from intellectual pursuits, I decided to walk to the Royal Observatory, bit daunting as the afternoon was very hot, the path crowded and, it turned out, uphill.  Too many tourists around to have space to take a photo apart from the first above which looks more or less North along the 0 degrees meridian of longitude.  On the horizon, you can see the 02 millennium dome to the right and the office towers of Canary Wharf to the left, with the historic white naval college buildings just beyond the dry grass of the park. I'll definitely go back at a less hot, less crowded time of year.

From Waterloo station, I arrived via the macho modern Canary Wharf and the slightly quaint Docklands Light Railway, but decided to take the scenic hydrofoil taxi along the Thames on the return - hence the photo of the Tower of London all wrapped up.

Feel very happy now back in peaceful rural Hampshire.