Picture of the month

ST MARY'S CHURCH IN BLOXHAM claims to be Oxfordshire's tallest church steeple. The church (below) is a handsome structure with a clock that announces the time, and bells that bring the faithful to service on Sundays, and often a wedding held the previous day. 

VIEW FROM THE SPINNAKER TOWER, PORTSMOUTH gives a fantastic view on a clear day. You can look south across to the Isle of Wight, northward to the New Forest, while east and west look all down the south coast. 

Note too, the glass floor section (middle below) which gives a vertiginous view down to the quays and shopping zones far below. 

ROSE OF ENGLAND IS A PATRIOTIC SONG written in 1937 by Welsh composer, Ivor Novello. The last verse sums up the thrust of Novello’s writing well:

“Rose of England breathing England’s air

Flower of liberty beyond compare

While hand and heart endure to cherish thy prime

Thou shalt blossom to the end of time”

Rose of England featured in Crest of the Wave, a Novello musical which played at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. The flower of the song is an English national emblem, the Tudor Rose, which combined the roses of two powerful dynasties, the House of York (white) and the House of Lancaster (red).

More on the Wars of the Roses at the English Eye soon.

DAVID HOCKNEY EXHIBITION (below) glows with colour at Salts Mill, in Yorkshire. Always a pleasure to visit for Hockney's work, Salts Mill is a grand celebration of the Victorian era at its height.

Click here for more on Salts Mill.

THE RIVER THAMES in London (below) bustles with activity in this view from the footbridge linking the Embankment and the South Bank.

In the far distance, the gleaming towers of the City rise as a mark to the power of global finance, while on the right, the Royal Festival Hall provides a counterbalance in the form of culture for all.

This area is my very favourite part of London. However busy the streets of the capital, a brisk walk across the Thames provides exercise, fresh air, and a sense of perspective.