Heavenly Worldliness

Florence Nightingale Museum

My recent walk along the Thames landed me near the Florence Nightingale Museum, a museum I have known of and wanted to visit for a while. It is small and specific but very well done. I timed it right to catch a woman performing (convincingly) as Mary Seacole for half an hour. That added to the experience. Evryone should know about Florence Nightingale and the museum helps us to that end well. Musea today are eager to cover all the bases and so it was good to see that ion the bookshop they not ony had Mary Seacole's story but that of Betsi Cadwaladr too.

Thames Path South 4b-7 More Pics

Modern Marriage, Embassy Gardens

Tideway Village Housboats, Vauxhall

Tarra Ludi, Nine Elms

Gazebo, Albert Embankment

Lack's Dock or Effra Quay

"The fountain of filth"

St George Wharf Tower

Thames Path South 4b-7 (Nine Elms Lane-Westminster Bridge)

American Embassy

Mary Seacole Statue

Houses of Parliament

Tower Big Ben with fountain near
St Thomas's Hospital in foreground

I spy with my little eye

Violet Szabo Memorial

I had a rest Wednesday but Thursday I was back to it at a pace, covering three and a half sections and at the end grabbing some lunch in Lower Marsh Street before heading to the Florence Nightingale Museum. More anon. I took the Northern line from Golders Green to Nine Elms and took a coffee at Sendero's. After a little difficulty I found the path again and walked from the new American embassy to Westminster Bridge. Sights on the way included Vauxhall Bridge, St George Wharf, MI6, Effra Island, Lambeth Bridge and Palace and St Thomas's Hospital with Parliament on the opposite bank, of course. Lovely weather but not too warm.

Thames Path South 2-4a More Pics

Thames Path South 2-4a in reverse (Battersea Power Stn-Wandsworth Bridge)

I found it difficult to get back on to the path Tuesday. After a coffee on the Finchley Road I got a train to Victoria again and then a bus to the Chelsea Gate, Battersea Park. I then walked beyond Battersea Power Station before deciding to walk backwards to the Wandsworth Bridge where I had left off the day before, seeing New Covent Garden, the cats and dogs homes, having a lovely walk along the edge of Battersea Park (eventually) and also passing the Albert and Battersea Bridges and seeing the heliport (just missed one taking off) and St Mary's, Battersea, where I failed to locate the grave of Benedict Arnold. Having walked in reverse I could revisit the MacDonald's I had found and catch the bus to Victoria once again to head home. Warm weather though it actually rained at one point.

Thames Path South 1 More Pics

Thames Path South 1 (Putney to Wandsworth Bridges)

From Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge

St Mary's where the Putney debates took place

Wandsworth Park

In these final weeks in London I thought I might try and do the Thames Path South or some of it at least. I took my time over the northern path but I'm trying to fit the southern elements into a much shorter time. So on Monday, after I'd visitethe Escher exhibition, I got down to Putney Bridge on the Underground and crossed the bridge south where I began to walk along the Thames Path towards Wandsworth Bridge. As I came to Wandsworth Bridge I discovered a MasDonalds and nearby a bus to Victoria and then home on another.

Midweek Meeting August 5 2026

Just three of us in the church last night but another four online. We looked at the priestly blessing at the end of Numbers 6 and then spent time in prayer, praying for camps, beach missions, Aber, Ukraine, Ghana and all sorts of other things.

Tu ôl i bob dyn gwych ...

No-one knows quite the origin of the phrase that behind every great man there is a great woman. In 1985 the Eurythmics urged us to ditch the phrase and Maryon Pearson subverted it to "Behind every great man is a surprised woman". The truth is, however, that still today there are great men whose strength lies partly in their excellent wives. That is certainly true of many a man of God.

When I was growing up Derek Swann (1927-2007) and Eryl Davies were among the men of God in Wales and beyond who were serving the Lord with distinction. What I didn't know about them was that, as in the case of my own father-in-law, the two were married to godly Welsh speaking women, both of whom had been students in Aberystwyth University, my own alma mater. Both women died today and will be greatly missed by their families and fellow believers. There is an interview with Ceinwen Swann who married Derek in 1959 on YouTube. Magwen Davies had been very unwell in recent year I understand. Ceinwen's son Phil Swann is the main speaker at next week's EMW Conference in Aberystwyth.

(I should have mentioned that Helen Gibbard, the widow of Rev Noel Gibbard, also died recently. She would have been similar in age.)

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.