England

The photos above and below show the work of Thames 21 - the environmental charity that works to clean up the River Thames. They were working with the local Army Cadet unit to remove shopping trollies and other detritus from the mud at low tide this Sunday morning. There was a very good turn out of local volunteers to help in the clean up works.It seems that unexploded WWII bombs are a bit like buses – you wait ages without seeing any, then two turn up at once. Last week two dummy practice shells were unearthed by demolition contractors on the Larner Road Estate site, and this week two unexploded bombs were discovered on the Tarmac Construction site in Church Manor Way. These were real explosive devices, and they were made safe by the Army. As I mentioned last week, it is a constant source of amazement to me that not more ordnance is uncovered. The whole of the East and South East of London was utterly plastered in explosives by the Luftwaffe during World War 2, many of which failed to detonate. This failure to detonate was down to a number of reasons; earlier on in the war, most bomb fuses were electro mechanical, and quite often the vibration of being loaded and carried on a bomber would cause the mechanical part of the fuse to jam. Later, as the fuse designs improved and became more reliable, some bomb fuses were designed with a user set delay before they detonated; the Nazis correctly surmised that an unexploded bomb could cause even more disruption and diversion of resources than one that went off immediately, as proved to be the case. Later in the war, the reason for bomb failures changed again; as the Nazis retreated after the Normandy D-Day invasion, they drew much of their manufacturing East, and into the heart of Germany. Most of their established armament factories had been bombed by the Allies, and they resorted to constructing giant weapons factories in caves and old salt mines. These were mainly staffed by slave labour – prisoners from the Russian front and concentration camp inmates. The work regimes were brutal, and many died in the arms factories. Ironically the use of slave labour backfired, as there are many documented instances of sabotage caused by the slaves – things like tiny pieces of cardboard slipped into the electrical arming switch of the bomb fuse, making it unable to complete the circuit and detonate. The Imperial War Museum has a display of WWII German bomb fuses, including a couple of ones that were deliberately sabotaged at the point of manufacture. If you want to find out more about bomb disposal in and around London during WWII, you could do far worse than ordering a copy of the classic 1979 ITV drama series “Danger UXB”. The stories in the series were fictional, but the bombs, the fuse types and the techniques used to render them safe were 100% technically accurate, as the series advisor was a former Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) officer. The bombs “defused” in the series were not props, they were real German bombs from the war that had been made safe. The series really was superb. More on this further down this weeks’ post...One of my local sources attended the comedy evening at The Running Horses last Bank Holiday weekend. He said that the event was very good indeed, and better attended than he anticipated. A couple of people had come all the way from Greenwich to attend. Unfortunately I could not make it, but would like to go along to a future comedy evening at the pub. You can see their website by clicking here. The next comedy night is on Sunday the 2nd of June, which is also the day of the 2013 Erith Riverside Festival - do mark it on your calendar.Some good news is being reported by the News Shopper; amongst all the doom, gloom and conflict that the ongoing story of the Thames Crossing story is currently generating, another far more positive story has come to light. Frank’s Park, which joins Erith and Belvedere has had a new cycling trail opened. It is part of the Green Chain

Here’s what we’ve learned whilst you’ve been en-Eurovisoning: Thousands turned out for yesterday’s Save Our NHS march. Police wanted 1: this man following three sexual assaults on SW London buses. Police wanted 2: this teenage gang following building society raid on Friday. Report on London’s berthing techniques indicates our waterways are just a tad too busy. Fatal fire in Fulham Saturday afternoon. New at the Chelsea Flower Show this year: Will and Kate gnomes… ..whilst Harry gets in there with a garden for Diana. Planted phone box by McTumshie via the ever verdant Londonist Flickr pool. The image was taken at the launch of the Edible Bus Stop pocket park opening yesterday in Lambeth.

Old Trafford boss brings and end to a glittering career. Check in to West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson takes charge of Manchester United for the 1,500th and final time as his side takes on West Brom at the Hawthorns on the final weekend of the season. Having bid an emotional farewell to the Old Trafford masses last weekend, Ferguson will close the door on his managerial career at The Hawthorns -- 26 years, six months and 11 days since his first game at the United helm, a 2-0 loss at Oxford United on November 8, 1986. It promises to be a day rich in nostalgia for Ferguson, who will be succeeded by Everton manager David Moyes on July 1. In his final pre-game press conference, he cast his mind back to the very beginning of his journey as a manager, with Scottish minnows East Sterling in 1974. "I have had 39 years as a manager," said the 71-year-old. "On that day in 1974 when I started at East Stirling, I had eight players and no goalkeeper. Today I have six goalkeepers and about 100 players. "I remember the old chairman, Willie Muirhead. He was a great chain smoker. When I asked him for a list of players, he started to shake. His cigarette was going 100 miles an hour. "I had to remind him a couple of days later. He gave me a list of eight players and no goalkeeper. I said: 'You know it is advisable to start with a keeper -- are you aware of that?'" Ferguson will retire with 49 trophies to his name, 38 of which he has amassed during a record-breaking stint at United in which he established himself as one of the most successful coaches in the history of professional sport.

To the South Country, and then east... The collection of late Gothic windows along the south aisle of St George's, Brede, proclaims this part of the church to date to the 15th century, though the rest of the building is earlier. It seemed to me to be typical not only of its period but also of its place – the combination of grey stone walls and rich red tiled roof is redolent of Sussex. This happy marriage of building and setting is enhanced further by the fact that the church, set just off the main village street, overlooks a beautiful, broad valley, with views far into the distance. Having this place revealed to me – and by a friend who knows this part of the South Country well – was a great pleasure.I wanted to share this picture, with its associations of both architecture and place, because it sums up one of my main preoccupations. And a summing-up is appropriate because I want to signal a change, temporary I hope, in my postings. Regular readers will have noticed allusions in my posts to the Resident Wise Woman, who sometimes accompanies me on my trips of exploration, frequently shares her knowledge of history with me, and sometimes comments from the sidelines during her periods of non-residence – for her work, and indeed her predilections, regularly take her far away from the territory of English Buildings to the heart of the European mainland.It was on one of these trips recently that she was taken seriously ill. After an emergency operation and a stay in hospital, she is now steadily recovering in our half-restored farmhouse in the Czech Republic, and I am there helping her to get better and waiting on her hand and foot. With few new English buildings to share, and precious little time to write about them, I plan to reprise a few of my favourite earlier posts. I expect I will find it difficult to refrain from making additional comments on these recycled posts, but if these comments are sparse, or if my online appearances are less regular than usual, you know the reason. Here's to good health.

Emirates Stadium side to land top notch duo. Check in to Newcastle United vs Arsenal Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will push on with advances for two top talents he feels will help resolve potential problem areas within his Emirates Stadium squad armed with a hefty transfer war-chest handed to him by a Gunners board keen to see the club once again challenging for major honours. Wenger is set to offload experienced French full-back Bacary Sagna after a lengthy contract wrangle and has set his sights on a top level replacement for the Emirates Stadium star. TransferMarketWeb claims that the North London club are one of the favourites to sign Juventus wide-man Stephan Lichtsteiner, who is said to be likely to leave the Serie A side this summer as Antonio Conte targets Borussia Dortmund's Lukasz Piszczek. 29 year old Lichtsteiner may be an intelligent stop-gap solution with youngster Carl Jenkinson still very much being Wenger's long term favourite to fill the right-back slot. £12m rated Lichtsteiner has enjoyed two successful campaigns in Turin which followed three solid seasons with Lazio and the Swiss international may well be keen on a new challenge and could be tempted by the possibility of a Premier League switch. Wenger also continues to track Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain with many sources claiming that Arsenal have reached a 'preliminary agreement' to sign the Argentine international this summer. Higuain has struggled to retain a regular first team spot since Jose Mourinho took over at Real Madrid, with Karim Benzema getting the lions share of the striking duties over recent seasons. The Bernabeu side have confirmed their intention to sell the 25 year old striker and a number of sides, Arsenal included, are said to be very keen on signing the former River Plate man. The French born striker moved to Real Madrid in December 2006 and has racked up 119 goals in 262 appearances for the Spanish giants. Arsene Wenger has been linked with a number of possible striker additions and there is no doubt that the Arsenal boss could do with a more prolific presence up front, with neither Olivier Giroud or Lukas Podolski scoring with the regularity of former sharp-shooter Robin Van Persie.

Anfield boss looks to use Blues connections to secure deal to snap up Stamford Bridge forward. Check in to Liverpool vs QPR Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will look to enter talks to sign Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku as the Northern Irishman sets about strengthening his squad this summer. Rodgers will hope his connections with the Stamford Bridge side can aid in his pursuit of the 20 year old Belgian, who has enjoyed a successful loan spell at West Brom this season. The Anfield boss will look to persuade the Blues to allow Lukaku to join the Merseyside club on a season long loan spell next term, a move that the powerful marksman may well be tempted by in preference to a likely extended period warming the Chelsea bench. With speculation rife that Roman Abramovich will finance the signing of a big name striker it would appear that Lukaku is still no nearer to securing a regular first team spot in the Chelsea set-up and as such will be thinking long and hard about his future. Having enjoyed a run of regular football at West Brom, scoring 14 goals in 34 Premier League appearances this season, Lukaku may not be happy to bide his time waiting for his chance to shine at Chelsea and could well be amenable to another loan deal knowing that first team action is crucial to his continued involvement in the Belgian national team set-up and with a World Cup on the horizon this is perhaps all the more relevant. Brendan Rodgers spent four years at Chelsea prior to his appointment as Watford boss in 2008, during which time he served as youth team coach and then put in charge of the club's reserve team. His connections with the club could well have aided Liverpool's signing of Daniel Sturridge in January and Rodgers is keen to repeat the trick. With Luis Suarez banned for the first six matches of the season and with question marks still hanging over Italian Fabio Borini, Rodgers is hoping to strengthen his attack and believes Lukaku would be an ideal addition. Though any summer move for the former Anderlecht man would be on a loan basis the Liverpool boss would be keen to bring in the Chelsea man on a permanent deal in the long term though it is uncertain as to just how much the West London side would demand for a player they forked out £17m for in August 2011.

A few pictures of the market on Briggate I took this morning. Well worth a visit, some lovely stuff.

Stamford Bridge side to welcome back 'Special One' early next week. Check in to Chelsea vs Everton Real Madrid are reportedly set to relieve Jose Mourinho of his Bernabeu post in a board meeting due to take place on Monday according to Spanish source Marca and this will in turn lead to the 50 year old Portuguese boss making his much anticipated return to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will then look to swiftly appoint Mourinho as the West London club's permanent successor to interim boss Rafa Benitez, a move the Russian billionaire is keen to tie up as soon as possible so that the returning manager can join the club on their North American tour, which sees the club take on Man City in two fixtures later on this month. Mourinho has experienced the worst season of his managerial career this term, failing to clinch any silverware after Real Madrid were beaten by city rivals Atletico in the Copa Del Rey final, during with the under-fire boss was sent to the stands. Jose Mourinho has experienced a rather up and down time of it during his three seasons in charge of Real Madrid, leading the Spanish giants to three successive Champions League semi-finals and landing a La Liga title last term, but in-fighting within the club, a breakdown in his relationship with a number of senior players as well as a growing discontent among the supporters will see the former FC Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea boss leave sooner rather than later. Chelsea fans will welcome the return of the 'Special One' who led the club to two Premier League titles in his three completed seasons in charge.

Liverpool striker the latest name to be linked with moneybags Monaco. Check in to Liverpool vs QPR Liverpool misfit Andy Carroll is the latest big name to be linked with a summer move to moneybags Monaco, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The England international has had a difficult time at Anfield since his £35million move from Newcastle two years ago, and is not likely to be part of Brendan Rodgers' plans next season. Carroll has spent the 2012/13 season out on loan with West Ham, and the Hammers have made it clear that they are keen to keep the 24-year-old on a permanent basis beyond this season. Carroll's former club Newcastle are also fighting for his signature, but Monaco may be able to offer Liverpool the kind of money they are asking for, as they seek to make back a decent chunk of the fee they paid for him in 2011. The Reds are supposedly asking for around £17million, and West Ham are keen to bring that price down to £12million, but Monaco are set for a big summer of spending backed by their wealthy Russian owner, as they look to challenge PSG for the Ligue 1 title next year. Claudio Ranieri's side have been linked with other big names such as Carlos Tevez and Radamel Falcao, but may find it easier to lure a player like Carroll to the French league.

Hamburg confident of keeping hold of star player. Check in to Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich - 2013 UEFA Champions League Final Bundesliga side Hamburg claim they have not received any bids for Arsenal and Tottenham target Heung-Min Son, according to the Daily Express. The South Korean forward is one of the most highly rated young players in the Bundesliga at the moment, and is also a target for Borussia Dortmund in this summer's transfer window. It appeared that Hamburg did not hold out much hope of keeping the 20-year-old, who has 12 goals in the league this season, but sporting director Frank Arnesen is confident that he will not be going anywhere. "I think he stays. At the moment there is no movement," Arnesen told German paper Bild. "There are also no talks. It is agreed that we will talk after the last game. In the coming weeks we will sit together [and discuss it]." The talented attacker could play a key role at any number of the clubs chasing him. Arsenal are looking for more options upfront following their loss of Robin van Persie last summer, while Borussia Dortmund need to prepare for life without Robert Lewandowski, who is close to joining Bayern Munich. Spurs could also use him, as they may see him as an upgrade on current strike force Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe.