UK or England thread?

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There are a few people who would like me to make an appearance in Bromley.

I have an old friend there in her 80's and she would be so pleased to see me.

My sister doesn't live too far away either.

Bromley has probably changed so much since I left many years ago Mr Kraftie.

There is still a merry-go-round in Bromley Town Centre.

I hope Bromley doesn't evoke bad memories. It's hot in NYC (about 32 Celsius)....and dragon fire would make me even hotter.

I think there's a newish shopping center, and a big Sainsbury's there. And the usual chain stores like T.K Maxx and Marks and Spenser.

Otherwise, I don't sense that it's changed much----except there's more Indian take-away places.

I have looked at some recent pictures of Bromley and I don't recognise much.

I would like to revisit some time - perhaps next year.

Did they have the pedestrianised street in the 1980s? I’m sure they had the merry-go-round and other rides for the kid at heart.

I’d be shocked if the entrance to the village green, with the church and pub, has changed much.

I guess there are probably newer houses in the area away from the town centre.

I hope your Bromley memories were good ones.

My memories of Rego Park, Queens, NYC, were mixed. It hasn’t changed all that much since the 1970s. It’s more more ethnically diverse, though.

There were roads everywhere in the 80's.

I don't remember the pub or the church - I was about 14 when we moved from there.

When we went to town I remember Mc Donalds, the cinema and some big dept stores.

I also walked through the town gardens on my way home from school to get the bus.

Perhaps there are some pics on google images of Bromley in the 70 or 80's?

The pub and church were right next to the village green.

You had to climb a big hill within the village green from a little area called Shortlands, to Bromley Town Centre. It would have been a memorable hill; it would have made a little kid quite tired to climb it.

The church was to the right as you exited the park (village green).

The pub was on the other side of the street.

There's no cinema in Bromley Town Centre, as far as I can tell.

There's a Gregg's there, and a few restaurants whose name I forgotten. The department stores on the left side of the street lead into the mall.

What's the weather like where you are in the UK?

It's hot, sunny and barely a breeze here.

Perfect for a day of gardening.

What will you do today?

It’s cloudy here in NYC—about 16 Celsius.

Not in the UK....but there in spirit.

It's been a beautiful weekend so far here in Yorkshire - a little bit of cloud and a gentle breeze just took the edge off the heat nicely (and on a Bank Holiday weekend too - whatever next!?)

Went on a nice long walk over to the local reservoir, including a couple of nice little bluebell woods on the way - they're just coming into bloom - I love that smell so much!

The first martins and swifts have been about; there were crested grebes on the reservoir; plenty of curlews calling, though I never saw them; and I was lucky enough to watch pairs of Red Kites in a couple of different places. The Kites have been slowly spreading from release programs further north and east, and they seem to have reached our little dale this year. The local crows don't seem to appreciate it much, but their dogfighting made the Kites all the more spectacular to watch.

I quite like watching the crows, some of them are huge, and they seem to have their own distinct personalities.

Had a headache most of the day so still haven't mowed my grass, hopefully tomorrow. If I leave it much longer I'll get a nasty letter from the letting agency

Yes, I agree, there's something a bit special about crows. I love it when it's a really gusty day, the crows seem to revel in it; I always think they're the bird that most looks like they go flying just because they enjoy it so much. There's a really steep railway embankment near here where they gather to play in the updraught when the wind is just right - I'm convinced that there's a crow call that just means "watch this everyone - Wheeeee!"

The S.A.S did a fantastic job of protecting the last two breeding pairs in the U.K. , some could argue too good a job.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens now that they've reached this area. I'm right on the edge of a big conurbation, and I have heard quite a few friends mention sightings over the heart of the built up areas. In earlier times, kites were pretty common in the cities, due to the feral pigeons etc. being such easy pickings. It's too early to tell if they will displace populations of other predators/scavengers; the furry critter population seems to be very high for the last few years here, so all birds of prey seem to be doing very well, along with the foxes. I suspect there would be a lot of competition if the bunnies had a few bad years.

The kites usually get chased away from here by the crows and jackdaws.

I love the sound of blackbirds calling to each other.

We have indeed had a belter of a sunny weekend.

This week has been so relaxing and pleasant.

You folks in the UK are warmer than us now.

It looks like you made it into the 80s Fahrenheit, which is the upper 20's Celsius.

We only made it to about 70 Fahrenheit, which is about 21 Celsius.

We are cooling down a bit from today for a while then it will creep back up again the following week.

I have spent so much time sitting in the garden or gardening that I haven't had much time for WP.

Why does this leave me feeling a bit guilty?

Anyway, it is time to walk around the field and listen to all the different birds, then a Toby roast later with my lovely neighbour. Who could ask for more?