The skies are grey again here in London but on Wednesday the sun was shining on the upper reaches of the River Avon where an old stone bridge crosses it on the outskirts of Amesbury. And I was not the only one enjoying it. And for those of you who would like a little more …
Hampstead Heath
Don’t feed the ducks….
An article in the Guardian recently warned us that feeding the ducks may be a long held tradition but it is not a good idea. It has always been questionable whether chunks of Mother’s Pride were ideal food for water fowl but the situation has become acute over the last 18 months. Lockdowns have driven …
Hollyhocks in Haggerston, the Grand Union – and swimming dogs
I do love hollyhocks and have just designated the perfect spot in my new garden at Hampstead Lane – if I can persuade them to grow. (A post on the garden coming very soon.) These were in Haggerston Park, where I found myself yesterday afternoon after a slightly unlikley Sunday afternoon walking tour around Hackney …
Hollyhocks in Haggerston, the Grand Union – and swimming dogsRead More
Poppies, more poppies – and cow parsley
This wonderful drift of poppies and cornflowers are not actually on Hampstead Heath but in the OMVED gardens in Highgate where we were lucky enough to be able to hold two of the Highgate Festival concerts last week. The gardens stretch down the hill towards Crouch End, a gravel path snaking its ways through a …
Kefir grains on offer
Do you, or woud you like to, make kefir? My kefir grains have been experiencing their usual spring spurt and growing apace so that I now have quite a few more than I can use. I would be happy to deliver (if you are in the area) or post a ‘starter pack’ to any readers …
Daisies, swans, bees and a Paulownia tree
Yesterday I headed off across the heath to catch the Overground to Kew Gardens, meeting on my way… First this splendid random patch of daisies growing at the bottom of the meadow running down to Millfield Lane. How did they get there? Who knows….. And then, down on Hampstead Pond 2, the swan family. Our …