A positive attitude makes the world flatter...

Flat Stanley is a little boy with a positive attitude; a bulletin board fell on him and he was smashed. He wanted to visit a friend of his in California, so he made the best of a bad situation and folded himself up and mailed himself there.

Flat Stanley ( Jeff Brown, Harper Trophy, 1964)

Jeff Brown could never have predicted the popularity of this young character who shows the world the power of a positive attitude...


Multiple websites offer games and activities for students and parents...


Flat Stanley and Flat Stanley Project are two of my faves...


There is even a Flat Stanley App...


Like I said... 


he is a big deal and I am honored to have him guest blog on my site...

Hello there...
Flat Stanley here...
I was very keen about taking the train to London...
Kids... 
you should google a map of the UK and trace our travels...
You may have to zoom in...
Which direction would the train travel from Aberdeen to London?


After arriving at the very cool hotel...
I finally gave in to a wee nap...
Later, Ren Man joined us and we all went out for a look around...

This is a very cool building and is the 6th tallest building in London at 30 St Mary Axe, referred to as the "Gherkin".  It is 180 metres or 590 feet tall and is located in the financial district of London...
I think it looks more like a missile...    

The current London Bridge, completed in 1973, is only one of many to have occupied this spot crossing the River Thames (pronounced Temz)since around 50 AD...
That is a long time ago...

and is often confused with the iconic suspension Tower Bridge which I am pointing to on my right in the background...
I know...
I know... 
I thought that was the London Bridge as well.
On the south side of the London Bridge...
beneath the railway viaducts...
is one of my traveling companion's favorite markets...
Oh, who am I kidding...
it is her favorite...

Borough Market...
Where all types of food products and food ready to be devoured by hungry shoppers...
await...
I was introduced to the brilliant toasted cheese sandwich, grilled to perfection...
we were drawn to the smell the moment we entered the market...
However...
When the flattening process began...
I had to turn away...
painful memories were trying to invade my otherwise delightful day...


other temptations...

Finally, the adults remembered that I am just a wee lad and had experienced enough of the market...
so...
I mentioned that what I really, really, really wanted to do...
was...

after listening to way too many rules to remember...
and being told where to meet up again...
and what time...
I was allowed on the bus...
by myself...
can you believe it?
Cheerio...


While Flat Stanley was off on his whirlwind tour of London...
Ren Man and I set off in search of a coffee...

the walk was lovely...

and we found the perfect spot for coffee and...

chocolate...
When you are in London...
notice... 
I said when and not if...
you must visit Cocomaya...
Oh my...


We hooked up with Stanley near Green Park...

I had to literally drag him off of the bus...
he wanted to take one more lap around the city...
honestly...
He could not stop talking...


That was sooooo.... much fun!


We drove by Big Ben...
Did you know that the minute hands are 14 feet long?

and the London Eye...

I wish I could've gone up in one of the 32 capsules for the 30 minutes it would have taken for the entire rotation...
I would have been traveling twice the speed of a tortoise sprinting...


Oh well...
it is good to be back with friends...

and, it was a beautiful sunny day so people were just layin' around...

It looks like they are getting ready for some big wedding...

all the tents are for the media...

who will be hanging out near Buckingham Palace...

even though this guy looks like he has everything under control...

I wonder if I can run faster than him?

On to Hyde Park...

more flowers...
is there anything fun to do in this park?

Yippee...  
a ferris wheel...
almost like the London Eye...

one of the benefits of being as light as a feather...
fluttering freely...
while on the tip top I could see some very cool figures on the edge of the park...
near Marble Arch...

This Jelly Baby Family is by Mauro Perucchetti and will be on display as part of the City of Sculpture festival...
they look friendly...


At this point we realized that we needed to head to the airport to catch our flight back to Aberdeen...


where I was very excited to meet Wenlock and Mandeville...

mascots of the London Olympics coming up in 2012...  

Wenlock is named after the birthplace of the Olympics and Mandeville is where the Paralympic movement began...


Do you know which is which?
Click on Puzzlers to find out...