The heatwave continues. With temperatures forecast to reach 28-29°C by mid-afternoon, we went out this morning while it was still comparatively cool.

Looking down Chadwell Street

This view of Chadwell Street shows the sunny conditions and the cloudless sky. It also shows that the air is somewhat hazy, no doubt owing to various sorts of pollution.

The hidden church

We walked around Myddelton Square and, in River Street, I took this photo looking towards St Mark’s Church. I have photographed it before from this angle because it amuses me to see how the church is clearly visible in winter, when the trees have shed their leaves, but becomes gradually less visible in spring and summer until now, when it is almost completely hidden from view by luxuriant foliage.

The Bicycle Family
Photo by Tigger

There is a family living in the square who own a couple of bicycles, one for each parent. I suspect they don’t own a car because the bicycles are extenstively fitted out with add-ons. As we went past this morning, they were preparing to go out as a group. Father had, not one but three children on his bicycle. They are quite a sight as they go by but I can’t help thinking that having so many people on one bicycle is rather risky, especially on busy roads.

The deli – no chairs in the shade

On the way, we debated whether to drink our coffee sitting outside the deli but when we arrived, we found that the seats on the shaded side were all occupied. Instead, we carried our cups to the gardens in Myddelton Square, where we had intended to go in any case.

A bench in the shade

We returned to Myddelton Square and found a shaded bench in the gardens. There was a gardener making an unholy racket with a mechanical leaf-blower. Why they indulge in this pointless exercise when the leaves simply blow back onto the path again, I do not know. It’s a waste of time and energy as well as adding to the noise-pollution of the city. Fortunately, he soon completed his task and switched his instrument of aural torture.

A peaceful place

In the ensuing quiet, I could look around at the park and enjoy the peaceful environment that it usually provides.

Just a few pigeons
Photo by Tigger

Once settled on our bench, we looked around for the wildlife. The garden was curiously quiet: there were no pigeons on the grass, as there usually are, nor in the trees. Neither were there any squirrels. After a while, a few pigeons did fly in but they were interested only in the food that someone had left at the foot of a tree.

A corner of the church

I photographed a corner of the church, with a decorative pinnacle, from my seat on the bench. I don’t know whether you can make it out but there is a sign board beside the church here, of the sort that usually stand at the front with the church’s name and details on it. This one, strangely, stands in this hidden corner and is completely blank. Why was it placed here and for what purpose?

Leaving a deposit

In the absence of the squirrels that she had hoped to attract, Tigger left nuts in the bark of several trees, as she did before. The squirrels will find them eventually.

Wood pigeon

I photographed this wood pigeon though he was a bit too far away to make a good photo. Unlike their cousins, the feral pigeons, wood pigeons don’t approach humans. If you do throw them food, they are so slow and indecisive that, more often than not, the feral pigeons jump in and snaffle it.

Butterfly

As we were leaving the gardens, I spotted this butterfly flitting about among the plants. Butterfly numbers have fallen disastrously in recent years and though I have seen a few this year, their numbers are still low.

A lamp and its shadow

This is me being “artistic” 🙂 No, not really. I don’t believe there is any such thing as “art photography”, though some photographs are certainly artistic. This view of the tall lamppost and its shadow appealed to me so I recorded it.