See the Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival

Taking tradition alive in London, the annual London Pearly Kings & Queens Society Costermongers Harvest Festival Parade Service takes place today, with the Kings and Queens gathering in Guildhall Yard and then parading through the City to St Mary-le-Bow church on Cheapside.


The parade is expected to leave around 1pm and the service to begin about 3pm and Ian tells us to expect "London mayors...donkeys and carts, marching bands, colourful characters and of course the Pearlies, distinctive, pearl button-swathed Londoners who date back 150 years".

For more, see http://www.timeout.com/london/around-town/event/234284/pearly-kings-and-queens-harvest-festival-2012.

_{^Picture © Dunleavy Family used under a Creative Commons license^}

Tour 13 Princelet Street

Your author is rather keen on 19 Princelet Street, London's Museum of Immigration and Settlement, and thoroughly enjoys volunteering there on open days, but there is another house in the same street which occasionally opens to the public. 13 Princelet Street is owned by the Landmark Trust charity, which restores old buildings and rents them out to the public for holidays.


This weekend, however, is a bit different, as the Trust is opening the house to all comers, and in a street of houses which historically were homes to Huguenot silk weavers, it is fitting that the London Guild of Weavers will also be demonstrating silk weaving over the weekend.

For more on the opening, see http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/visiting/opendays.htm#Princelet

Do some sport at the Hub

Though it may not feel like it, now we are in the summer, a time at which we traditionally did many sports. If you can remember how, the Hub, in Regent's Park, is a great little sports venue and cafe which provides a centre point for many of the sporting activities which take place there.


At the Hub, it is possible to book cricket, football and softball pitches, and even a boules piste, and there are also regular exercise classes including Pilates, yoga and other such nonsense. You can even do astronomy when the clouds clear.

For more, see http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park/sport-in-the-park-the-hub

_{^Picture © Nigel Chadwick, used under a Creative Commons license^}

See the BAPS Mandir Haveli

Your author has written about the Neasden Mandir in various places, but the temple complex isn't limited only to Indian marble, and alongside the traditional temple sits a stunning intricately-carved wooden Haveli, which would certainly be worth a visit in its own right.


We are told that the Haveli is a remarkable revival of wooden craftmanship, and that the wooden carvings are unique in that such a structure has not been created anywhere in the world for a century. Your author has no way of knowing whether of not this is true, but except for one more than a hundred years old on the South Coast, this is certainly the only such construction he has seen.

For more, see http://www.mandir.org/haveli/index.htm

_{^Picture © David Sky, used under a Creative Commons License^}

Eat a big lunch at the Old Royal Naval College

As part of a combination of the annual Big Lunch series of street parties and the Diamond Jubilee, the Old Royal Naval College is today holding a street party for up to 8,000 people, on a table stretching the length of the college.


The event, which lasts from noon until 5pm, hopes to be the largest street party in the UK, and is attempting the world's longest ever lunch table, also hopes to have live entertainment, market stalls, workshops, ales and activities for kids.

For more, see http://www.ornc.org/events/detail/the-big-jubilee-lunch

Wander on Mitcham Common

During one of your author's regular aimless wanders in South London, he stumbled across Mitcham Common as part of a survey of large green spaces in the A to Z and was not disappointed.


Once dominated by oak woodland, the massive 460 acres of common land are thought to have been cleared as early as neolithic times for grazing, and today the common has a real gritty suburban charm, and is wilder than many green spaces in London, with overgrown scrubland and ponds dominating, and living alongside a full 18 hole golf course.

We are told that the soil here is acidic, and has also suffered from frequent rubbish dumping, but yet the views across the surrounding neighbourhoods and patches of trees and scrubland make it an interesting environment.

For more, see http://mitchamcommon.org/.

Maintain your bike with Islington Cyclists' Action Group

Your author's poor yellow bike is on its last legs, but with a little maintenance it manages to struggle on, and the great news for anyone needing to get a second opinion on their bike woes is that London has a strong network of cycle user groups full of friendly sorts who are willing to offer advice and assistance.


Tonight, as every fourth Wednesday of the month (except August and December), the Islington Cyclists' Action Group is meeting at North London's Sunnyside Community Centre for a session of bike maintenance from 7pm – 9.30pm for which a very reasonable £1 is charged. Expect the session to be full of friendly faces and an unrivalled range of tools you didn't know existed.

For more, see http://www.icag.org.uk/events/maintenance-workshop/

Attend London Reads at the Deptford Lounge

Tonight at Deptford's new Deptford Lounge library-community-leisure-space-thing, Londonist Editor Matt Brown is hosting a London book event with two very talented London writers and one lightweight chancer speaking about their books on London.


Your author is joined by Craig Taylor, author of Londoners and we are told erstwhile writer of the Guardian’s One million tiny plays about Britain, and Christopher Fowler, author of am amazing 30+ London novels, notably thrillers such as the Bryant and May mysteries.

For more on all this, see http://londonist.com/2012/05/londonist-presents-london-reads-deptford-lounge.php

Watch the Cavalry Memorial Parade

As per advance warning given by Ian and other websites the 88th Combined Cavalry Memorial Service and Parade takes place today in Hyde Park, as it does every May.


The event kicks off at around 10.45am, forming up on the Regimental Marker on the Broad Walk in Hyde Park. We are told to expect music from two marching bands and the saluting of an international golfer.

For more, see http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/calendar/detail.php?uid=18861

_{^Picture © Dave-F used under a Creative Commons license and actually of the trooping of the colour but you get the idea^}

Eat at the Roundwood Park Cafe

Despite some rather odd happenings in the past, the cafe in the lodge in Roundwood Park, North London, is a pleasant spot for a quick cup of tea or bite to eat, and a good place to escape the sort of showers we had yesterday.


Today, the forecast looks brighter, which means the young noiseboxes might even get to use the neighbouring children's play area whilst their minders tuck into sandwiches, reasonably priced teas, and plates of delicious noodles.

For more, see http://www.brent.gov.uk/pks.nsf/Parks/LBB-61

Visit the Rookery in Streatham

A small formal gardens which are maintained by Lambeth Council as part of Streatham Common, we are told that the Rookery was once known as Streatham Spa, and was a place where people came to take local spring water for its medicinal and healing properties.


The gardens stood in the grounds of a larger house called The Rookery, and visitors to the Spa declined the Rookery and surrounding woodland were acquired for public use, opening as a public garden in 1913. Today, the spot is a lovely place to while away an hour or so and is popular with local families.

For more, see http://www.freewebs.com/streathamfriends/history.htm

Attend Dickensfest

For anyone not yet suffering Dickens fatigue as a result of all the bicentenary events taking place in recent months, today's Dickensfest at King's College London looks set to be a real treat.


The festival offers a free day of talks, readings and film clips in association with the College and Westminster City Archives, in the company of Dickens enthusiasts from around the country, and chaired by Dickens experts Professor Brian Hurwitz and Professor Clare Brant.

For more, see http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/ahri/centres/lifewriting/dickensfest.aspx

_{^Picture © Copyright Kevin Gordon and reused under a Creative Commons Licence^}

Explore the unexplained with London Fortean Society

Back in February, your author attended an interesting evening with the London Fortean Society, exploring various prophecies of the end of the world with an open minded audience. Tonight, the society is meeting again for its monthly gathering, this time examining the many theorists who suggest that William Shakespeare may not have been the author of the plays attributed to him.


The society meets in the company of writer and poet Dr Ros Barber and writer, actor and board member of the Francis Bacon Research Trust Susan Sheridan to explore the many theories around the subject in the room above the Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7EX. There will also, as usual, be a recap of the past month's Fortean goings on.

For more, see http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/was-shakespeare-shakespeare.html

Talk to Strangers

About a year ago, your author decided that it would be nice to gather together people in London who wanted to talk to people they didn't know, based simply on the premise that conversations with different people are a social good, and should happen more often. Talking to Strangers was born, and first met in May 2011, at the Royal Festival Hall.


Eleven months later, it is still going strong and those who take part report that they are enjoying it. The next meeting is tonight, and bringing together a room of people who all want to have conversations with new people is an interesting thing, and removing the barriers which usually prevent the shy amongst us from sparking up a chat with someone new is great fun. For all those who want to try it, the event takes place tonight at the Devereux near Temple Tube, and costs £3.

For more, see http://www.meetup.com/talkingtostrangers/

Support the London Marathon runners

It's that time of year again, and as most readers will know from the scores of emails and social network updates from friends and acquaintances seeking sponsorship, the London Marathon kicks off this morning on Blackheath.


Runners will cover the usual between-26-and-27-miles, and the best place for supporters to cheer them on is probably in the vicinity of the Tower of London, where runners pass by at both roughly-13 and roughly-23 miles, and charities line up their branding to support those taking part, and get as much TV coverage as possible.

For more, and a map, see http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com

Visit Syon Park

Whilst your author often reacts against the cult of aristocracy, looking around large houses & estates remains a pursuit that engages many, and Syon Park in West London is undoubtedly an interesting example of such an estate, which reopened in March for the summer season.


Still home to the Duke of Northumberland, Syon Park is a 200 acre park just across the river from Kew Gardens, and has been home to the same aristocratic family for more than 400 years, then as now separated from ordinary Londoners by just a short distance, and a vast wealth gap.

For more, see http://www.syonpark.co.uk/

Learn to sail on Island Barn Reservoir

Established in 1959 and sailing on Island Barn Reservoir in the outer ring of South West London, 15 miles from the centre of town, Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club is a fully operational Sailing Club, offering courses in sailing for beginners and more experienced sailors.


This year, the club is running its annual Tuesday Trysail training course, offering those new to the sport the opportunity to learn the ropes for 13 weeks from 1st May to 31st August, at a bargain basement price of just £75.

For more, see http://www.islandbarn.org.uk

_{^Picture © Copyright Mike Bovington and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence^}

Attend the Hammersmith Irish Book Fair

The Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith is holding its annual Book Fair today, with hundreds of Irish and non-Irish books brought together by new and second-hand book dealers, and a lineup of various authors, performing and speaking about their work and the work of others.


The event takes place today from 10am - 3.30pm, and is followed by a one-man show by Irish actor and writer Frank Grimes titled "the he and the she of it..." A portrait of James Joyce. Entry to the fair is free, but tickets to the show cost £10.

For more, see http://irishculturalcentre.co.uk/?q=content/annual-book-fair

_{^Picture © SoniaT 360 used under Creative Commons^}

Have a Chocolate Adventure at Kew

In an attempt to appeal to the family market this Easter, Kew Gardens are trying their best to make chocolate seem educational, bringing together the ancient history of the Maya and the Theobroma Cacao growing in their Princess of Wales Conservatory, which weary parents can use to try to teach the kids about where chocolate comes from.


Your author can't fault them for trying, and if you have little ones in tow it sounds like Kew have put on some entertaining stuff over the holidays, with a pretend ruined Maya village, craft workshops and even origami to hopefully divert even the shortest attention span.

For more, see http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/easter/maya-chocolate-adventure-trail/index.htm

Explore the formal gardens of Canons Park

Once part of the grand estate of the 1st Duke of Chandos, Canons Park is now maintained by Harrow Council, and is combines 18th, 19th and 20th Century landscape gardens in a park that is recognised by the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Interest in England.


A beautiful spot, offering a quiet place to be in any season, the park is surrounded by Grade II listed buildings, including the remnants of the original Canons Mansion, The Temple and the Grade I listed St Lawrence Church.

For more, see http://friendsofcanonspark.org.uk

_{^Picture © Copyright I M Chengappa and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence^}