Free Parking....

...I know what you are thinking, oh my god he's lost the plot, what has this got to do with Free Parking, well I have the answer for you, just to go that extra mile I like to do for you all I have found the original rules to the Parker Bros game from 1936, no really I have, look.

It seems that Free Parking had nothing to do with cars at all, it was meant as a trading spot for people who needed to sell their properties for money to either the bank or other players, it was in fact a 'Stock Exchange' (all coming together now, although it has ruined my plan of the series finishing on Saturday because I wasn't going to do this square and it also gave me and idea for 'chance' as well).

The Stock Exchange is situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cathedral, its original location was in the Royal Exchange next to the Bank of England (a regularly blipped site). The Royal Exchange had been founded by Thomas Gresham on the model of the Antwerp Bourse, as a stock exchange. It was opened by Elizabeth I in 1571.

The Stock Exchange in Paternoster Square was the initial target for protesters of Occupy London on October 15, 2011. Attempts to occupy the square were thwarted by police. Police sealed off the entrance to the square as it is private property, a High Court injunction had previously been granted against public access to the square. The protesters moved nearby to occupy the space in front of St Paul's Cathedral.

Sorry to be one of 'those parents' for a minute but it's nice to be told by teachers how wonderful your children are, overachieving their levels and decent human beings to go with it. I am so proud of them both so here are blips of Matthew and Alex looking smug. It means that we shall continue to feed them both for a while longer.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my blip of a back alley yesterday, I was surprised it went down so well.