Saturday afternoon saw one of Hampstead Heath’s periodic cross country events – 5, 7 and 10k runs for children, woman and men respectively – although, in the event, the children’s run was cancelled because of the mud. (Not a popular decision amongst the onlookers that I spoke to! ‘Lot of health and safety nonsense – …
Hampstead Heath
Spider season
Autumn – Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – and spiders! Sadly, by the time I got back from the Heath Hands Spider walk this web in my garden had already been abandoned but it looks as though it might have had good use. And for those you who, if you are like me, always …
Himalayan balsam
Pretty, isn’t it? And it looks lovely when it lines the route of a railway line or a river. But… In the Himalayas, from whence it hoves, balsam is kept reasonably under control by rust fungus (Puccinia komarovii var. glanduliferae for those who want to be technical). But in the UK the rust fungus is …
Snow……
My path down to the heath yesterday – the men’s pond looking very bleak and uninviting, snow on some of the willows which, bizarrely, have still not lost their leaves – and a stream hiding beneath the snowy branches. Closer to home, my garden – pond frozen over, Tawny Pipit and the patio furniture all …
Clearing out the Hill Garden pond
A rather grey day last week saw the full complement of gardeners in thigh high waders gathered around the Hill Garden pond to attack the sedge and the water mint. As with so much else during the pandemic, both had taken advantage of the reduced gardening input to go forth and multiply – to the …
Springetts Wood
The highest point of Hampstead Heath – what used several centuries ago to be open heathland but is now heavily wooded – runs along a ridge running from east to West with Hampstead on the west side and Highgate on the east. In the middle is Kenwood House and grounds, and The Elms, the home …