Many of you may already have been planning a quiet Christmas on your own but some of you will no doubt have had your Christmas plans shattered. So in a very small effort to bring at least a little green to the Christmas period, I’ll be back to a daily ‘Walks’ blog over the holiday …
A talking walk around Sandy Heath and back through Kenwood
Sandy Heath, down the northern slopes of the ridge that runs from, Highgate to Hampstead, is one of my favourite parts of the heath. Wooded, but not too densely, steeply sloping down toward the Heath Extension, with many towering trees, looking especially architectural and splendid at this time of year. And one of my favourite …
A talking walk around Sandy Heath and back through KenwoodRead More
Leaves – dry leaves, wet leaves, drowned leaves…..
Dun coloured London plane tree leaves lying thick on the slope above the Boating Pond. Large and distinctive, stencilled out – three gently triangular sections meeting at the stem – each with its own main artery and branched veins. They look tired – a long hot summer – ready to crumble into mould. But look …
The Museum of Lockdown Losses
In Highgate village we have a vet – a very nice vet. Friendly, sensible, down to earth, kindly – and with the a fine artistic/theatrical flair. Instead of filling the lovely bow window of his shop with bags of pet foods and fluffy coats or collars, each month he uses small models and puppets to …
Festival of the Great North Wood 7-13th December
Back in the Middle Ages the Great North Wood was a natural oak woodland that started three miles south-east of central London and scaled the Norwood Ridge. At its full extent, the wood’s boundaries stretched almost as far as Croydon and as far north as Camberwell. It had occasional landownings as large clearings, well-established by …
Mushroom fest
A week or so ago, as I was walking up the path to Hampstead Lane, I passed a woman on her knees apparently taking pictures of this log. I didn’t want to seem intrusive so just walked on but the following day, on my way down, I stopped to see what she had been photographing …