Tuesday 27 January 2015

London, biodiversity and the Olympic Swimming Pool

I had booked to go to London to a talk "The bible and biodiversity" on Wed 21 January, and for once had obtained cheap rail tickets. This is my adventure to London. As well as my toothbrush, in my rucksack I had my fins as I hope to visit the Olympic Swimming Pool "on the way home"

You can read the report I made about the talk for Green Christian here  and more important see the videos of the speakers here:
Dave Bookless    ...   Daid Nussboaum (WWF)      ....   Simon Stuart  (IUCN) 


I left home in good time to walk the 1.5 miles to the station. I saw my first field-fares for the year in a hawthorn tree. I would have missed seeing them if I had been driving.


I looked back over the railway bridge over the Settle-Carlisle Line.
 The train I would be catching would be coming down here in half an hour.

At Langcliffe I passed the house from where some
good friends of mine were literally moving. Langcliffe will miss them.

Shortly after this a passing car - the Bayes from Horton - stopped and 

gave me a lift to Setttle (Thank you!) .

At Settle as the train arrives.
At Leeds I almost bought a book about using cartoons in presentations. but decided to get it later. 


At London I visited Westminster Cathedral (Catholic) for the first time, and looked at all the little chapels within the cathedral. I bought a cup of tea and cake.

Then I walked to Westminster Central Hall (Methodist) "It's closed now said a man at the entrance. People were pouring out - it had been used for an Education Conference that day.

I crossed the road to Westminster Abbey.. in time to go to evening prayer at 5pm. A privelege.
After the prayers I gave two of the priests copies of the "Saving Wildlife and biodiversity" leaflet.

Outside Westminster Abbey



Westminster Abbey

I wallked to the talk which was half a mile away, Here is some of the audience



Here are the three speakers - Simon Stuart, David Bookless and David Nussbaum
I hope they are going to put a video of the evening on the Jubilee Centre Website. eventually.


David Bookless gave highlights form his paper "The Bible and Biodiversity"
You can read the paper here

David Nussbaum. David N picked up on several points in David B's talk. e.g  he loved "The image of God" as a "job description" - it is in Genesis that we read that God created Man in his image - but what is God's image? -  the image of God relates to our relationship with other creatures.
He also said that more could be made of the story of Noah. If God had just wanted to save humans, he could have asked Noah to build a big rowing boat for a few people - but instead he told Noah to build an ark. 

Simon Stuart of IUCN.
He pointed out that of the 11 species of animal mentioned in the end of Job,
 7 or them were now extinct in that part of the world.

Brian Cuthbertson

Brain Cuthbertson told us of the plan to carry out professional / detailed wildlife surveys of all the graveyards in London

Afterwards I met the A Rocha Director of Conservation,




I went to stay at St Paul's Youth Hostel - It is in the old St Paul's Choir School. I have been there before. I like it it has more character than some of the newer ones built in central London

After I had booked in,  I left my bag I went for a walk along the Millennium Bridge outside.
I ate some "Middle Eastern salad" that I had 
bought cheap the day before at the end of its sell by date. It was delicious. 



Gulls on the Millennium Bridge, London

View of the Shard
 In the morning I went to the 7.30am morning prayers at St Pauls.

St Pauls

Under the conifer tree was
 a man feeding the grey squirrels

I had good exercise walking the big distances at the Olympic site, to the swimming pool.

The Olympic Swimming Pool at Stratford



View of display of model buses from the Swimming Pool 


There was lots of Purple Moor-grass that had been planted in tubs.
The Swimming Pool is behind.

I enjoyed travelling on the new tube. (Reflection in window).
I enjoyed watching all the people on the train-
but you can't really photograph them and then put them on the internet..

Walking the length of the train at King's Cross platform 1.  Lots of exercise!
And so the train back to Leeds and then Settle.


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