I found myself, unexpectedly, in Kensington Gardens yesterday evening – on the kind of clear, glistening evening that only happens after a good downpour. I parked on the Hyde Park side of the Serpentine Bridge – parking only just reopened – and walked down to the edge of the lake.
The lake, a single swan, the swimming pavilion and restaurant on the far side of the lake and in the distance the Hyde Park Barracks, home of the Household Cavalry who ‘guard’ Buckingham Palace and Troop the Colour.
(The barracks were designed by Sir Basil Spence, built in the 1970s and did not find favour with all – ‘an eyesore – the ugliest building in London.’… However, Spence had been required to accommodate over 500 soldiers, flats for 120 families and stabling for over 270 horses plus a parade ground, all in a relatively small area so upwards was possibly the only way he could go. The horses are stabled in the upper stories of the tower and have their own lift to take them to their quarters. There are a great series of pictures here in a 2017 edition of Horse and Hound.)
I turned west and started walking toward the bridge – past a willow tree under wich were swimming two more swans.
I walked on – and what was this in this time of coronavirus? A black swan….. Grooming itself vigorously.
I then realised that I was surrounded by swans – I have never seen so many gathered together. It is was obviously the hour for the toilette as they were all at it – totally oblivious of the joggers, mums with pushchairs, and keen photographers all but climbing over them.
Btw – a gathering of swans is actually called bevy of swans (a wedge if they are in flight) but that seemed such a dull name.. A concantenation (the combining a string, text, or other data in a series without any gaps) seemed remotely relevant and sounded so much more multiple swan-like.
My daily blog now has an Instagram account! WalksonHampsteadHeath – the idea being to widen the circle of people who might enjoy a daily ramble across the heath. Please follow us and pass on the news!!
If you would like to get a notification of each new post, please ‘subscribe’ in the box on the right. It is very easy to ‘unsubscribe’ you if you get bored! You will get an email asking you to confirm your subscription but if it does not appear, check your junk box as the emails are often seen as spam.