#Chester cont... there are also upper level arcades with shops on the principal streets, which follow the lines of the crossroads of the Roman castrum or fort. The centre has a strongly medieval character although many of the structures are 19C Victorian

#Chester Beautiful promenades on the city walls & beside the River Dee. As a Londoner, used to a sprawling urban landscape, I appreciate a place with a clear definition between town & country.
Unfortunately Chester's post-war road 'improvements' & unpleasant pedestrian underpasses create barriers

This small group of early-morning bathers congregated on the beach at Deal in Kent but instead of swimming they just stood in the water. I later realised that this was because the water quality is so poor, due to sewage discharge, that swimming could make them unwell.
What a shameful situation

Cement dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures at Crystal Palace Park, London completed in 1854 to complement the relocated Great Exhibition of 1851. London has been dank and misty over Christmas - weather which shows them to advantage! The models are inaccurate but represent 19C understanding

Eduardo Paolozzi's enigmatically titled 'A maximis ad minima' (from the greatest to the least), 1998, looking good in Kew Gardens despite the cold & wet. I like his characteristic aggregation of figurative and abstract elements. He credits his assistants and students at the RCA who cast the bronze

'Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London' at Offer Waterman Gallery.
This show was a revelation - these paintings are the best thing that I've seen for a long time. In fact since I saw the exhibition of his portraits at the Cortauld!
Each painting has a very different character and colour palette