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- The Royal Connection
- Greater London Eats
- Owlbut's Birdwatch
- Greater London VIPs
Most people know of Buckingham
Palace and its obvious royal connections. We tell you more about Buckingham Palace here
on our website. It is the official home of the monarch when in London. However. there are other palaces within Greater London.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022 there will, no doubt, be some changes to who lives where in these other palaces.
However, at the time of her death, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, when staying in London, have an apartment within Kensington Palace. The Princess Royal,
Princess Anne, and her husband have an apartment within St James's Palace. The Earl and Countess of Wessex have rooms inside Buckingham Palace for when
they stay in London.
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, lived at Clarence House when staying in London. It is not officially a palace but is attached to St
James's Palace and shares a garden. It was, from 1953 until her death in 2002, the home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It is a four-storey house and was also
the home of Prince William and Prince Harry for some years. The King and his wife will now, most likely, move into Buckingham Palace.
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An admission coming up. I have never
eaten jellied eels. I have never wanted to eat jellied eels. They are a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century, mainly in the east end of
London. Eels were always a cheap, nutritious food that was readily available in the River Thames. Nets used to be set in the river, as far upstream as the city
of London.
Jellied eels are made using freshwater eels, such as found in the rivers of England. Recipes vary and are peculiar to different shops and markets in
London. They were traditionally sold in eel, pie and mash shops; pie and mash being another east end dish. At the end of WWII there were about 100 eel, pie and
mash shops in London, today there are far fewer.
To make jellied eels you chop the eels into rounds and boil them in water and vinegar, some adding lemon juice and nutmeg. Once the mixture has
boiled, you let it cool. The boiling of the eels allows proteins, like collagen, to be released and this solidifies into a jelly during the cooling process.
The differences occur in the choice of herbs and spices used to flavour the dish.
Jellied eels are also sold, in jars, in shops and supermarkets.
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Wherever there are woods, hedgerows, parks and gardens, wherever there are bushes and trees, you could find a song thrush.
It's a fairly small bird and its numbers have declined on farmland and in towns and cities. It has a habit of repeating the notes of its song, making it different
from a singing blackbird. Its feathers are black, brown, cream, orange and white and it has brown and pink legs. It has a black, medium beak.
Song thrushes eat worms and fruit but they also like snails which they break into by smashing the snail against a stone with a flick of their head.
There are over one million breeding territories within the UK.
Song thrushes are 23 cms in length, have a wingspan between 33 and 36 cms and weigh between 65 and 100 grams.
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Seven random people who were born in Greater London in the last 100 years:-
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor ‐ the late Queen Elizabeth II (Royalty), Daniel Radcliffe (Actor), Adele Laurie Blue Adkins ‐ Adele (Singer),
David Beckham (Footballer), Sir David Attenborough (Naturalist and Broadcaster), Benedict Cumberbatch (Actor) and Dua Lipa (Singer),
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