royal visit
Jun. 5th, 2007 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaSo, this morning instead of trudging into the office as usual, I took a leisurely stroll down to Cardiff Bay to see the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive to open the Senedd for the new session, now that the various parties have just about decided who is going to be in charge. Having been awake half the night with a migraine and therefore being pretty washed out, this was just about the right speed for me!
Boss was meant to be going, and had a spot booked with the rest of the Voluntary Sector bods, but had to go to London instead for a Policy Group meeting, so suggested that I go in her place. Morning out of the office? I wasn't going to argue with that! As it turned out, though, I didn't take up the Vol Sector spot - seemed way too much like hard work to try and work out where I was meant to go to get behind that darn barricade, and by the time I finally spotted Pingu to even know where I was meant to be, I was nice and comfortable where I was, standing in the sun.
Had a bunch of schoolkids in front of me, and a very nice police medic by the name of Russ kept them entertained for ages, explaining all his gear to them, letting them try on his helmet - handcuffing them each in turn! They were just about ready to fall down and worship him by the time he had to return his attention to duty. There were also lots of TV cameras around, recording reports for the news, and I have a nasty suspicion I may have been caught on camera once or twice, as they were delighted by the kids and kept using them as a backdrop for filming. And then the procession of AMs and Judges was highly amusing - especially when one of the AMs lost her hat, which blew clean off her head, and one of her colleagues had to go sprinting down the steps to retrieve it for her.
The Royal arrival itself was kind of an anti-climax - I'd have had a much better view if I'd been where I was meant to be, up on the steps with the rest of the Vol Sector bods, but such is life. Frankly, I was rather more interested in the HMS Exeter, which I could see moored over in Queen Alexandra Dock, so the moment the Royal party had disappeared into the Senedd, I wandered over there to have a closer look. Warships are always awesome to see up close like that - so huge!
Russ the police medic
The Royal arrival, shrouded in smoke from the 21-gun salute given by the HMS Exeter!
The view I got of the Queen - you can just about make out her back! She's the one in pale blue going up the steps, between all those Naval types. If I'd been where I was meant to be, with the rest of the Vol Sector contingent, I'd have been right up there just to her right.
Anti-Blair protest banners merrily displayed on the waterfront.
Views across Cardiff Bay toward Penarth - it looked absolutely stunning in the sun this morning
There are about a dozen sculptures by this artist dotted around the city, and they are all lovely
HMS Exeter
The Pierhead building
Millennium Centre
The Oval Basin, or Roald Dahl Plaza, seen from below and up on the bridge. I remember when this was a damp, mildewed disused dock - not so long ago, as well! And now look at it. Hard to believe how it used to be.
The old water level markings at the entrance to what was once a dock and is now the Roald Dahl Plaza - evidence of how much the Bay area has changed in the last 15 years
And I think that's more than enough pictures for one day!
I'd probably have got a much better view of the Royals if I'd hung around until the Senedd opening ceremony was over and they came back out, but I decided I'd stood around long enough for one day already. So I headed over to Cadwalader's on the waterfront for an icecream, and then wandered in to the office. Where I have been completely alone all afternoon - could have hung out down the Bay all day and no one would have known! *sigh*
Boss was meant to be going, and had a spot booked with the rest of the Voluntary Sector bods, but had to go to London instead for a Policy Group meeting, so suggested that I go in her place. Morning out of the office? I wasn't going to argue with that! As it turned out, though, I didn't take up the Vol Sector spot - seemed way too much like hard work to try and work out where I was meant to go to get behind that darn barricade, and by the time I finally spotted Pingu to even know where I was meant to be, I was nice and comfortable where I was, standing in the sun.
Had a bunch of schoolkids in front of me, and a very nice police medic by the name of Russ kept them entertained for ages, explaining all his gear to them, letting them try on his helmet - handcuffing them each in turn! They were just about ready to fall down and worship him by the time he had to return his attention to duty. There were also lots of TV cameras around, recording reports for the news, and I have a nasty suspicion I may have been caught on camera once or twice, as they were delighted by the kids and kept using them as a backdrop for filming. And then the procession of AMs and Judges was highly amusing - especially when one of the AMs lost her hat, which blew clean off her head, and one of her colleagues had to go sprinting down the steps to retrieve it for her.
The Royal arrival itself was kind of an anti-climax - I'd have had a much better view if I'd been where I was meant to be, up on the steps with the rest of the Vol Sector bods, but such is life. Frankly, I was rather more interested in the HMS Exeter, which I could see moored over in Queen Alexandra Dock, so the moment the Royal party had disappeared into the Senedd, I wandered over there to have a closer look. Warships are always awesome to see up close like that - so huge!
Russ the police medic
The Royal arrival, shrouded in smoke from the 21-gun salute given by the HMS Exeter!
The view I got of the Queen - you can just about make out her back! She's the one in pale blue going up the steps, between all those Naval types. If I'd been where I was meant to be, with the rest of the Vol Sector contingent, I'd have been right up there just to her right.
Anti-Blair protest banners merrily displayed on the waterfront.
Views across Cardiff Bay toward Penarth - it looked absolutely stunning in the sun this morning
There are about a dozen sculptures by this artist dotted around the city, and they are all lovely
HMS Exeter
The Pierhead building
Millennium Centre
The Oval Basin, or Roald Dahl Plaza, seen from below and up on the bridge. I remember when this was a damp, mildewed disused dock - not so long ago, as well! And now look at it. Hard to believe how it used to be.
The old water level markings at the entrance to what was once a dock and is now the Roald Dahl Plaza - evidence of how much the Bay area has changed in the last 15 years
And I think that's more than enough pictures for one day!
I'd probably have got a much better view of the Royals if I'd hung around until the Senedd opening ceremony was over and they came back out, but I decided I'd stood around long enough for one day already. So I headed over to Cadwalader's on the waterfront for an icecream, and then wandered in to the office. Where I have been completely alone all afternoon - could have hung out down the Bay all day and no one would have known! *sigh*
