I don't know art, but I know what I like

If your artistic sensibilities lean toward Dogs Playing Poker, then the upcoming London Exhibition for The Society of Feline Artists might have some appeal. Whoops...that's feline artists. Well dog lovers might want to give this one a pass, but cat lovers mark your calendars: 28 August through 18 September at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery.

Wonder how they keep the cat hair out of the paint?

Fast trains ready for Olympic race

New Javelin trains that will whisk spectators to the 2012 London Olympic park are already up and running--really running at speeds averaging 114 miles per hour. The new trains operate from London to Stratford now and will provide essentially a shuttle service from London's St. Pancras station to the Olympic venues during the Games.

HRH POW & DOC and YOU

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (Prince Charles and Camilla) cordially invite you to their official residence (Clarence House, not a palace, but nice digs in central London) during the Summer Opening (while Charles and Camilla are on vacation, and it's a nice long vacation too--from August 5th through September 27th!)

Check the Royal Collection website for details.

Keeping the past from disappearing

One of the more important players in historic preservation in the United Kingdom is the National Trust. The Trust owns and maintains thousands of historic properties and important open space in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. American visitors can join/donate to the U.S. affiliate, Royal Oak Foundation, and membership provides free entry to National Trust properties.

Summer season silliness

In startling proof that many London lawyers--and the city's risk managers--must be on vacation, a motocross rider jumped across the partially-raised Tower Bridge yesterday. The rider added a backflip mid-Thames, just for effect. So what's this all about? Publicity for a commercial motocross event at London's Battersea Power Station in late August.

Play it again

Thirty street pianos have been placed throughout central London in an effort to get passersby to pluck out a tune and interact with other music lovers. Amateurs and professions have been attracted to create impromptu performances. The pianos will be in place through mid-July.

London Underground is underwater.

Adding to the woes of London's subway system--a projected £112 million operating deficit in 2009. Reasons? Fewer passengers than forecast and a fare structure that links fare increases to inflation (which has been slowing). According to the London Assembly, the deficit could get even larger...they're talking £1.7 billion by 2018.

Wonder if this means fares will go up? Hmmmmm....

More Tube strikes...redux

The labor situation for the London Underground seems back to normal. And by "normal" we refer to the subway system's sorry history of threatened strikes, actual strikes, and ensuing transportation chaos. After walkouts in June, nothing seems resolved and further strikes are a distinct possibility.

On a pedestal

Between now and October, thousands of ordinary people will get their hour of fame atop a vacant plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. To watch this oddity, log on to the event's website (or stop by the square).

Oh no! Andy does a "Tim"

Fans at The All England Tennis and Croquet Club once again suffer at the results from this year's Wimbledon championship. Scotsman Andy Murray ("He's not English, but he's close enough") failed to win his match against Andy Roddick. British fans have lived this before when their hopes were repeatedly raised, then dashed, by Tim Henman.

Tennis flu?

Media reports indicate that influenza may have surfaced at the Wimbledon tennis championship, causing some non-marquee players to withdraw. H1N1 appears widespread in the UK at present.