Going Underground

I (Annie) went on an Underground adventure today: I travelled the length of the Central Line on the London Underground. Why? Good question. Just because...

It's the London Underground's 150th birthday this year, and to celebrate it's already had a steam train travelling on one of the original routes. It's a great network of train routes - and I've always been fascinated by the way the lines cut swathes through such different parts of London.

The Central Line starts in West London's suburbia, through hyper-posh Holland Park and Notting Hill Gate, to the shopping heaven of Bond Street. Then on to the famous landmarks at St. Pauls, the high-flying businesses around Bank, contrasted so abruptly with the exciting sights and smells of the Mile End markets. It meanders past the recently-changed Stratford area (main host to a couple of sporting events in 2012) and back out through the suburbs. By the time it finishes at Epping, you're outside the M25, in the middle of fields and forests. What a fabulous journey, and so fascinating to jump off along the way at random stations, and stand and absorb life at that stop.

KendallIsHere has impressed me over and again with her entries for her One Street project. I've wracked my brains for a street that means enough to me and not come up with one. So: my brainwave - my "street" is a little longer than the average (46 miles), but it's certainly got a variety of life. This blip is the sign at Epping, north-eastern terminus of the line - it summed up my initial street-roaming day well. In the folio is one of the most interesting stations on the line - Loughton - a grade II listed building. I love the way that most Undergound stations have a certain look to them - you can pick them out even if the station is now disused.

A final inspiration for my journey is my friend Mark Moxon, who has done many long distance walks. One of these was walking the length of all the Underground lines over ground. You can read a blog of the walks with route details. (Incidentally Mark also holds the distinction of having genuinely held the job title "Editor of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Earth Edition"!)

Whilst Annie was adventuring along the Central Line, I (Chris) took a trip to Kew Gardens. I was looking for inspiration for the next set of exercises in my photography degree studies. This part of my course is all about colour (preferably occuring naturally) and this isn't the ideal time of year to find that. Kew was perfect especially the orchids currently on show. Still a few colours and colour combinations to find but real progress today.

Edit: I (Annie) have just remembered a further reason I picked this project. btc is currently moving round the Monopoly board - here is the start of the rolling. Great idea.