Intu Xmas Grotto and Rebuilding in Watford - details

I went onto the Intu website looking for information on the Grotto opening hours and maybe a picture of the fireworks I missed.

I found lots of useful information. I'd seen cordoned off areas where I took pictures of the small Christmas trees. I have learned my lesson. Next time I shall take two pictures, one of the whole area, another close up edited. Amateurs take the picture with litter and scaffolding in the way. Competition hopefuls and professionals in a hurry take pre-edited pictures. Chroniclers take the warts and all or cinema verity pictures as well as the chocolate box pretty close-ups.

I cunningly took the picture without the tape around it to show just the little trees in the boxes. That was to save having to edit later. Now I regret not taking the whole scene.

I hadn't realised that Intu was planning a major redevelopment.

The website says the council sold off land to Intu. Interesting. The Council obviously was pleased to get the money. I'm sure in the long term this will benefit the residents and visitors to Watford. A new cinema complex is being included.

The area was starting to look a bit, let's say old fashioned. in need of a revamp. I'm glad that the 'street furniture will go elsewhere during the building works and not be thrown away. I hope they will retain flower boxes or trees, and climbing animals to entertain children and stop them climbing over things not meant for climbing.

http://intu.co.uk/watford/events/the-intu-watford-redevelopment
https://www.intugroup.co.uk/christmas/
http://intu.co.uk/christmas/win  (their competitions page)
I'd still like a picture of the fireworks which I can add to my previous post about fireworks.
Other Intu centres near Watford include Uxbridge, and Milton Keynes. Further afield Intu centres include Braehead (where's that - it's Glasgow in Scotland.)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and Speaker.

Harrow Open Studios June 2015

Free entry to studios of 30 artists in Harrow, June 6,7, 8, 13 and 14, 2015.

The artists include painters in acrylics, oils and watercolours, glass panel sculptures for house and garden, makers of silver jewellery, wood turners, ceramic sculpture and glass, printmakers, landscapes, seascapes, mixed media collage using gloves, buttons and cotton reels, soapstone and alabaster carvings, glass jewellery, Arabian scenes, life drawing, jewellery with semi-precious beads and pearls, paintings of sports action, steel and metal sculptures, pictures of flowers, etchings, collagarphs, linocuts,  stitched cotton, photographs, portraits, religious paints, paintings based on WWI poetry, abstracts, animal portraits, local scenes, greeting cards. Also artists offering print-making workshops.

The brochure has a handy detailed map of Harrow in the middle as well as advertisements for artists not Exhibiting this year, such as one with vases and post (one pictures with a lizard climbing to peer in. Other advertisements include one fro an electric kiln supplier, local restaurants, Harrow College offering courses, and Bovilles art shops in Uxbridge and Maidenhead.

www.facebook.com/it'sBovilles
127/128 High Street, Uxbridge, Middx UB8 IDJ
tel:01895 450300.

www.harrowopenstudios.com
On the back of the brochure is a testimonial from a Dorothea who came over from Belgium and acquired a wonderful painting and gorgeous bowl. Look at the website. You can download a copy of their brochure. Many of the artists will undertake commissions.

You can often see paintings by local artists displayed all year in the Harrow Arts Centre on the Uxbridge Road. Pictures of Harrow personalities through the ages are on the interior wall of the civic centre. Plaques to local authors are at Harrow on the Hill, where you can visit Harrow School, see the impressive outside and in season book tours of the school.

Angela Lansbury B A Hons is an author and photojournalists and draws coloured caricatures. See more about Angela on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook.