An Eye For Architecture, Southbank, London

Woke up in the hotel this morning with a bit of a hangover (I stupidly had another pint at a pub after leaving the Pie Night) and the worst crick in my neck I've had in years. So, I forced myself to get up and head out to find some medication to treat the pain (definitely NOT hair of the dog!).
It was a beautiful morning so I decided to walk through Kensington Gardens to a nice little cafe in Hyde Park  where I had a large cappuccino, an almond croissant and two Panadol tablets for the ache. I then decided to do a bit of culture and went to see the Rose Wylie exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. She's this remarkable artist who was only "discovered" recently even though she is now in her eighties. Her paintings are huge, exuberant, colourful, childlike works full of humour but with historical and cultural references. I liked them very much.
Extra shots one and two were taken outside the Serpentine Gallery. I loved the strong shadows and how they looked almost exactly like barcodes. Extra shot three is of the hire boats and pedallos tied up for the winter on the Serpentine itself.
Culture, Part Two, came in the form of going to see the Taylor Wessing Prize at the National Portrait Gallery. I always go and see this every year and I always really enjoy seeing all the wonderful images. Portraiture is something I find very hard to do so I really admire how the photographers chosen have managed to produce such evocative and arresting photographs.
I needed a rest after all the artistic stimulation so met up with all my work colleagues at our usual Friday pub for a bit of a chinwag and a laugh. The afternoon involved a walk to the Southbank (where I took today's main shot) and then on to Borough Market. I'd never been there before so it was amazing to walk through it and see the vast array of food and drink stalls - I did restrict myself to a bratwurst lunch (it was delicious) and three cakes to take home. By the time I headed back to catch my train home it was getting dark and all the Christmas lights were twinkling away as dusk was settling in. All in all, a very enjoyable day but I think I knackered myself out with all the walking!