Our plan this afternoon was to visit Hyde Park, the third of our Royal Parks. When we stepped outside, however, we found it was raining. We quickly went back to fetch rain jackets and set out again, hoping for the best.

On the 73 bus

We caught a number 73 bus and as it was fairly full downstairs went to the upper deck where a front seat was free.

Marble Arch and ping-pong tables

The bus dropped us off in Oxford Street and from there we walked to Marble Arch in front of which, incongruously, there are now two public ping-ping tables

Deckchairs in Hyde Park

A further walk brought us to Hyde Park. Entering from the north-eastern corner (by Speakers’ Corner) brings you to a wide open space of grass, crossed by paths. On a day like this, it seems bleak, despite the deckchairs and people sitting on the grass in defiance of the rain.

Some trees at last

After crossing the open space we came upon some trees which made me feel a little better though not completely at ease.

The Serpentine

Central to the park is a large lake, the Serpentine. You can hire a boat and row about in it, if you fancy that sort of thing.

A coot

I was more interested in the water fowl of which there were very few. Compared with St James’s Park, the lake seemed empty. I did observe this coot near the edge. Coots don’t have webbed feet like ducks but have “flanges” on their claws to help propel them in the water. You can see these in the photo.

A pair of swans

Seeing me standing by the water, a pair of swans came sailing over, obviously hoping I had food. Seeing I had none, they quickly moved on, looking for more generous folk.

Serpentine Bar & Kitchen

We passed by this rather oriental-looking structure. Beside it is a board announcing it to be the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen.

A heron

There is a bridge over the Serpentine and we crossed it. This led to the highlight of the expedition: the arrival of a heron. These strange but elegant birds are easy to photograph because they are champions at standing still. In fact, this one moved about quite a bit but in between movements stood statue-still, ideal for photos.

A flowerbed

I was finding the park rather dull when we at last discovered a flowerbed. Perhaps there are others but this is the only one I saw.

Sandy track for horses

Hyde Park is famous for providing facilities for horse-riders. We crossed a number of sandy tracks made for that purpose. The best known one is called Rotten Row, which I think is the one in the photo.

Narrow passageNarrow passage

We left the park by the south, crossing a roadway called South Carriage Drive, and engaging in a narrow passage which probably has a name but which I do not know.

A gallant figure
Photo by Tigger

Just before we left the scene, however, this gallant figure came riding past and Tigger managed a photo. (I expect he’s used to being photographed.)

Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge

We reached the main road where we were in deepest Knightsbridge, as you can tell from the presence in the photo of the premises of Harvey Nichols.

Doorman, Mandarin Oriental
Photo by Tigger

We set off along Knightsbridge, looking for a bus stop. On the way, Tigger photographed the splendidly dressed doorman outside the Mandarin Oriental.

Down there somewhere

The bus stop was right at the end of the road just before the traffic lights. We out our best foot forward and reached the stop at last.

Aboard the 19 bus

We caught a number 19 bus, which is a three-door, and sat in the rear-facing seats. This bus brought us back to the Angel.

I found Hyde Park somewhat disappointing. Perhaps I will learn to love it more with further acquaintance. For now I was glad to reach home and make a nice pot of tea!

The sun was shining fitfully between clouds and we discussed the possibility of having lunch in Percy Circus. Once we stepped outside, however, we felt it was too chilly for eating outside. In the meantime we had some shopping to do.

First we called at Muji in the Angel Centre.

Then we passed through Chapel Market which was very busy, much like its old self.

We needed something from Marks & Spencer. Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded.

We queued at the checkout (remembering to leave one metre between ourselves and others) and paid for our purchases. (Will we laugh about all this one day, I wonder?)

We walked back along Chapel Market where the pub and cafes had their tables outside. Lunching al fresco is definitely in fashion!

We walked down Amwell Street to Myddelton’s deli. By now it seemed a little warmer and we decided to join the al fresco club ourselves and have lunch there. I acquired a table while Tigger bought lunch and coffee.

We had toasted baguettes and a cheese tart. And coffee, of course!

After lunch we returned home, though we have plans for this afternoon.

As we passed Myddelton Square Gardens, we spotted a crow, busy with something. We saw he was gathering twigs, presumably to build a nest. (He was rather far away so the image is somewhat blurred.)

After an absence, the Phantom Newspaper Dumper has returned. I can only presume that the delivery person runs out of time or energy (or both), dumps the load and claims to have delivered them.

We reached home where we had a rest (the less you do, the tireder what you do do makes you!). We may go forth again later.

Today’s jaunt was to another park but one of a rather different kind. Parliament Hill Fields is part of an even bigger spread of parkland called Hampstead Heath. Despite the name, it is managed by the City of London.

To reach our destination, we took the 214 bus that goes to Highgate Hill.

In case you are wondering about the figure 14 stuck to the driver’s door, this is nominally the maximum number of passengers allowed on the bus at any one time during the pandemic. The 214 is a small single-deck bus and larger ones may accept up to 30 passengers. I said “nominally” above because it is up to the driver to enforce the rule and while some do, others do not.

We left the bus at the bottom of Parliament Hill Fields (the origin of the name is uncertain though this BBC site offers a possible explanation) and entered the park. We had hoped today would be sunny but we had to make do with clouds and the occasional sunny moments. Bravely, we had brought a picnic lunch.

We found the cafe open and bought coffee to go with our lunch. The familiar pandemic rules were in force: enter by one door to buy your food and drink, exit by a second door and consume your purchases outside.

We followed a path up the hill, looking for somewhere to sit and enjoy our picnic.

As we went, we admired the view and there was plenty to admire.

We were looking for a bench, preferably with a view, but there were none that we could see. Then we spotted a tree trunk part way up the hill, just in front of the trees. Can you see it?

It turned out to be clean and dry so we sat down to try it out.

Parliament Hill is famous for its views and from our log we had a good view across greenery to the City of London whose taller buildings stood out like a mouth full of broken teeth. Impressive? Yes, but I prefer more natural surroundings.

I enjoyed looking at a large tree near us. The sun was in front of us and when it appeared between the clouds, it lit up the new leaves and made them shine golden green.

After a while, we felt that the log was rather uncomfortable and that it would be better to find a bench. We followed this path and eventually found a bench where we ate our lunch and finished off the coffee.

After lunch, we walked over the hill in the direction of the ponds. First, though, we had a rather different view than the one from the log. There were no City buildings here but houses almost hidden by the trees. Much pleasanter, in my view.

We soon had a glimpse of water between the trees. Hampstead Heath ponds are famous. Some have been used for bathing since time immemorial and still are. I think the one we were approaching is called Highgate Pond.

Some of the ponds are busy with water fowl but there were none visible here, perhaps because people had brought their dogs here a few minutes ago and the dogs had been splashing about in the water.

From the pond, we walked back to the entrance through which we had arrived, crossed the road and caught a 214 bus back towards the Angel.

We left the bus at Claremont Square and walked down into Amwell Street. We had decided to “top up” our mileage with a little walk on home territory.

When we reached Myddeltin’s deli, we stopped for an extra coffee. The shop was busy, with people waiting outside. I reserved a table by sitting at it while Tigger bought the coffee.

Afterwards, we went for our little walk.

I’ve mentioned letterboxes before and how the houses in this neighbourhood display their history by possessing all possible types. This door, obviously dating to a time before the postal service was invented, has had a letterbox added in what seems a very awkward place but look how small it is! These days, most mail won’t fit in it and I imagine the postman has to ring and hand over the mail person to person.

I was amused to spot this lion apparently hiding among flowers. I have mentioned before that there are many lions in this neighbourhood, on roofs, in front of doors, as lion-head door knockers and, as here, free standing in gardens.

Finding ourselves in Wilmington Square, we walked along this pedestrian-only path that marks its northern boundary.

We met a squirrel who flirted with us, obviously hoping we had food to share. Unfortunately, we had to disappoint him.

In a nearby street, we met one of the neighbours, a feline one. S/he was very friendly so it was a pleasant encounter.

And here we are, finally, back in Claremont Square and nearly home, where I will leave you for today.

It turns out that we were right to make the most of the last few days by going out and about because the weather has performed one of those reverses so common to the British climate and today is rainy, cloudy and a tad chilly.

In the circumstances, we preferred to stay on familiar ground and take just a short walk to the deli and back for coffee, conserving our energy for what we hope are better days to come.

Blowing in the wind…

To see how far Covid-19 has penetrated our culture, look at our rubbish. From an exotic item once used only by the medical profession, masks have become the everyday wear of citizens and, worse still, a staple item of our rubbish heaps. We have seen lost gloves and shoes on railings and today we saw a mask. Could there be a more eloquent witness of our lives in a time of pandemic?

The kitten in the window
Photo by Tiiger

We always look out for the neighbourhood’s cats and saw one today. This pretty kitten was dozing in the window. I wonder what people’s pets make of the changes in their humans’ behaviour due to the pandemic – do they formulate theories to explain it or merely accept it?

Recovering their greenery

Throughout the winter, the trees in the corner of Myddelton Square have been bare, showing off the marvellous structure of their twisting branches, but now they are gradually reclothing themselves in green.

The Circling Cyclist

As I was taking the previous photo, the one I call the Circling Cyclist hove into view. Without her signature red jacket I almost missed her. She was in good form today, speeding round the square and overtaking several other cyclists who passed through the square.

Covered in flowers

On a recent previous stroll round the square, I showed a single blossom on this vine that Tigger had spotted. Since them, it has burst into flower all over.

A door with a face

As we passed this door, I suddenly saw that it seemed to have a face! It doesn’t, of course, and the illusion is what is called pareidolia, the tendency of the human brain to see meaningful shapes, particularly faces, in random patterns.

Gradually screening the church

For the last few months, the view of the church from this angle has been clear but now, the building is gradually disappearing behind a green screen.

Nature design cushions

In Amwell Street, the shop called Timorous Beasties was open and I looked in the window to admire the cushions with wildlife designs. I must count my pennies and see whether I can afford to buy one!

Going up…
Photos by Tigger

On the way home we spotted this strange sight: a large van with, protruding from its roof, a telescopic mast with what appeared to be a camera on top. The mast was gradually extending itself upwards…

The van belongs to a company called Upshot UK Ltd who, according to the text on the side of the van, perform “ground-based aerial photography”. This is no doubt useful for checking on damage to buildings not visible from the ground.

We did not tarry, though, and hurried home with our coffee. Perhaps the weather will be better tomorrow so that we can make a longer walk.

Today’s outing was to another royal park, Regent’s Park or, as Royal Parks prefers to call it, The Regent’s Park.

It is much larger than St James’s Park that we visited yesterday, comprising 166 hectares/410 acres. You will find information about it here and here.

Aboard the 30

To reach the park we took a number 30 bus. It was a bit fuller than yesterday’s buses and so we went upstairs.

York Gate

We left the bus at the Harley Street stop and crossed the road to the gated street called, appropriately enough, York Gate. I don’t know whether they ever close the gates and, if so, in what circumstances.

Into the park

We entered the park by one of its many gates and walked a little way along the path until we found a vacant bench and sat down. In this position we were near a branch of the lake which here presented as a narrow strip, rather like a river.

A branch of the lake

There was quite a lot of bird activity with pigeons foraging and courting on the path and grass and ducks and geese on the water and the banks.

Grazing goose

After a while we went for a walk. Regent’s Park has a strange structure with pedestrian paths and vehicle roads intercalated. We were careful to avoid the roads and keep to the paths.

Chestnut in flower

Arboreal filligris

Much of the park is composed of open grassy space (some of it used by schools as sports grounds) with scattered trees, wooded areas with more closely planted trees and some formal avenues, as we shall see later.

Tree in blossom

Tree in blossom

There were trees in blossom and some with new leaves and quite a few still bare. Are they late responding to spring or are they dead? The former, I hope.

One of the broader paths

There are broader paths, like this one, that are used by many people, including joggers, and even by motor vehicles used by park staff.

One of the narrower paths

Then there are narrower paths, like the above, that are followed by fewer people. Depending in your preferences, they may be nicer to explore.

Another branch of the lake

We generally stayed near the water or curved back to it as it was more pleasant and interesting.

Formal avenue

To return, we followed the formal avenues. On first entering the park, I had pronounced it less attractive than St James’s Park but discovering these formal gardens caused me to change my opinion because they are very pretty and well set out.

One of the formal arrangements

These avenues are straight, thus providing a vista. Along their length are formal arrangements with flowers and perhaps a sculpted object as here. The flowers were chosen, it seems, for their brilliant colours.

A squirrel appears… and disappears

At one point, we spotted a squirrel and I just managed to catch a photo of him as he disappeared among the vegetation.

Formal arrangement with griffons

This was perhaps one of the most striking of the formal arrangements, including, as it does, a chalice of flowers supported by four griffons.

The griffons – detail

This detailed view shows the dramatic styling of these mythical beasts, the winged lions or griffons.

A last look

From the formal avenues, we soon reached the street again at York Gate and then made out way to a neighbouring bus stop.

On the top deck again

When our bus arrived, we again needed to go to the top deck but there were plenty of seats and it wasn’t crowded. We were soon back at the Angel and home.