Buying a year’s Kew Gardens membership was one of the best ideas we had last year. We have been many times through the recent lockdowns (it remained open) and every time has been an absolute delight. Acres and acres of well tended botanical garden to explore.
I spotted this cloud hovering above the chimneypots this evening. It has been a sunny Spring day with a cold wind. The temperature drops hard overnight, with a couple of wintry days ahead.
We decided to visit Holland Park, a bit further than we would normally travel in this lockdown! The park was packed – we did not realise that it is actually quite small, especially compared to our usual destination, Hampstead Heath. The Kyoto garden is beautiful, with calming water features and some bonsai trees.
Although London Zoo is closed during lockdown, you can see some animals taking a stroll around the zoo through Regents Park. On a cold, foggy Sunday morning we managed to see penguins, camels, meerkats, goats and a couple of gibbons swinging on their nets. It did make me think of how little space these animals… Continue reading London Zoo
Change is in the air. Not only was it a warmer, changeable day at Kew Gardens; it is the end of the half term holiday, and schools are most likely due to reopen in a couple of weeks after a lockdown of over 2 months. The vaccine rollout has been excellent, meaning that moving back… Continue reading Changing times
I spotted this tree outside Coldfall Wood. Isn’t it great to see a tree that has not been lopped? The branches are free to “branch out” to make beautiful shapes, ending in the finest lines at the edges of the crown, exquisite during winter.
What more to say? A beautiful sunset over the rooftops of north west London. I was lucky to look out of the window, as it was a fleeting view, gone after a few minutes.
I woke this morning to a fire sky. Reds and oranges rose from bare branches, contrasting beautifully with the dark blue sky above. Then, it started to cloud over. Within a couple of hours the snow started falling… and continued to leave the ground covered. Everyone headed to nearby Alexandra Palace to make the most… Continue reading Changeable weather
A cold winter’s day was the setting for a brisk walk across Hampstead Heath. The pale sun seeped through the hazy blanket of cloud. Above, the bare trees creaked as they gently swayed.
What a beautiful afternoon in north London. On a walk through Highgate Wood, the sunlight streams through the trees. Blue skies overhead form the background to the branches reaching up into space. It’s great to get out after our first week of home learning in front of screens in this third lockdown.