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.

After lunch, Tigger proposed a trip to Victoria and from there to St James’s Park.

Catching the 38

Accordingly, we masked up and caught a number 38 bus.

Victoria Station

We arrived at Victoria Station and went inside. The first purpose was to check the “facilities” and make sure they were open. They were, so we could come here if need be.

Inside the station

Stations are apt to be busy places but as it was still early afternoon it wasn’t too crowded.

Visiting a shop

The station has upper area with shops and food outlets. We went for a look and found that many were closed but one or two were open. One of these was Hema and we paid it a visit. This is the first time I have been inside a shop (apart from Sainsbury’s) since lockdown was imposed. Quite an event, in its way.

Near the station is a public garden. It is shaped like two triangles touching one another by one corner each and the parts are called Grosvenor Gardens and Lower Grosvenor Gardens, respectively. We had noticed something interesting in the gardens as our bus went by and now returned for a look.

Small, Medium, Large
Richard Woods

What we had seen was in fact a work of art, by Richard Woods, entitled Small, Medium, Large. This website provides an explanation of the work.

In the second photo above, you may notice that there is a rough sleeper asleep against the end of the artwork. Perhaps the art provides some shelter from the cold wind.

Little Ben

Near Victoria Station, at a crossroads, stands this pretty tower clock. First installed in 1892, it was refurbished and reinstalled in 1964 by Westminster Council with the help of Elf Aquitaine UK as (according to the plaque) “a gesture of Franco-British friendship”.

Presumably a work of art

Passing through a shopping mall, we spied this object of green glass. It’s presumably a work of art though I didn’t see a plaque.

Icon above a door

On a street corner, we saw this small tableau or icon above a door. I assume it has religious significant though I could be wrong. It reminded me of our visits to Flanders where there are religious sculptures on many street corners.

Beds of flowers

The sight of these vividly coloured beds of flowers indicated that we had reached St James’s Park.

Buckingham Palace

St James’s is a royal park and nearby is the royal residence of Buckingham Palace. All around the palace was still and quiet, the lack of traffic and tourists contrasting with “normal” times.

St James’s Park Lake

St James’s Park is quite large (23 hectares or 57 acres) and has different areas of flower beds, trees and a lake. It also has a sizeable cafe, currently closed. I was pleased (relieved even) to discover that the park’s toilets were open for an entry toll of 20p (electronic payments only!).

The park is big enough that you need to decide what to concentrate on, whether strolling or lounging, for example, or, more to our taste, watching the birds on and around the lake. There are dizzyingly many birds and different species, attracted no doubt by the abundance of food, some natural and some provided by human visitors.

Black swan

One of our first sightings was of this black swan, one of several on the lake.

People come to the park to feed the birds and the birds have become used to this and to putting aside their usual caution. Several people had birds perched on their hands feeding.

A pigeon muscles in

This lady has perfected the technique of holding bird food in both hands while providing fingers for parakeets to perch on while eating. All was going well and calmly until a pigeon tried to muscle in and knocked one of the parakeets off her hand.

Pigeon frenzy

Someone must like pigeons as much as I do! I have often shown you pigeon photos but none quite as animated as this scene!

Amazingly many coots

We sat on a bench beside the lake and watched the water fowl. Along with ducks, geese, moorhens and other species, coots are present in huge numbers. I have never seen such a concentration of coots anywhere else. Despite their small size, they are quite aggressive at defending what they consider their territory and we did see some scuffles but for the most part, they were willing to co-exist. I can only think this is because there is plenty of food for all.

A flotilla of pelicans

At a particular moment, a flotilla of pelicans went past. Fortunately, they did not approach but continued on their way. I say “fortunately” because these birds can cause trouble. It’s not unknown for one to scoop up and swallow a live pigeon, to the fright and disgust of onlookers. I was therefore glad that they moved on.

Paths for strolling

The park has pleasant paths for strolling (or jogging!) and provides an amenable place for exercise, if you live close by.

Well-kept flowerbeds

There are beautiful beds of flowers and all kinds of shrubs and trees, all well ordered and clean.

Fine old trees

On the way out, I admired this stand of mature trees, beautiful in the sunshine. The park, of course, is full of trees of all sizes, some of them young saplings and others ancient trees of great size. All quite admirable.

We now went to a bus stop close by and took a bus first to Victoria Station, then the 38 that had brought us here and now carried us back to the Angel.

We had a couple of errands to run this morning and thought to dispose of them before going out for a “proper” outing.

There is a very chilly wind again today and the sky was cloudy. We had discussed whether we might lunch out somewhere but, no, it’s really too cold for that.

Blossom in Pentonville Road

As we walked down Pentonville Road, I was struck by the beauty of these two trees covered in blossom. If only the sun had been shining to bring out their full colour.

The undertaker’s clock – right at last

Having completed the first errand, we headed for Amwell Street where we would perform the second errand and (of course!) pick up some coffee. In Chadwell Street, I checked in the undertaker’s clock. It has been working but showing the wrong time for months so I was happy to see that it has been set right at last.

(Obsessive, moi? Surely, not. Well, just a little maybe but I like clocks and feel sad when they are neglected and not working.)

Myddelton Square Gardens and St Mark’s Church

We walked round Myddelton Square and I took a quick photo of the gardens with their beautiful old trees, though the dull lighting does not show them to best advantage.

Parakeet
Photo by Tigger

We could hear parakeets chattering in the trees and Tigger managed to spot one. (The image is a little blurred because I have cropped it severely to pick out the parakeet.)

Only very slim people may pass here

There was an Openreach engineer working in the square. He had lifted a couple of covers to access the wiring underneath and had put barriers round the holes. We were amused by this screen whose message, if taken literally, would have had us squeezing past against the railings. You would need to be paper-thin to do that.

Nothing special, perhaps, but I love them

I took a photo of this range of Georgian style houses in the square. Yes, they are just like so many other houses in the neighbourhood, nothing special, you might say, but I have come to know them, appreciate them and, yes, to love them.

At the watering place
Photo by Tigger

On the way home, we spotted this little scene. I have so often commented on the water leaks in the streets, especially this one that they have tried twice to repair but today, we saw the other side of the story: to the pigeons and squirrels, the leak is a useful source of water. The squirrel, in particular, was taking a long drink. I won’t grumble about water leaks again!

We hurried home with our coffee and will have lunch at home. We have an outing planned for this afternoon. More about that anon.