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Diary – 2018 April
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All my diary pages going back to 2009
DRAWING & PAINTING:
2 April
This is the engine house for Markfield Beam Engine in Tottenham, North
London.
It took a long time to get it going, as the weather was cold, but
eventually they managed it. It was hard work as they have to turn the
flywheel slowly by hand with a big lever to get it in position each
time.
This is the pressure gauge and the governor.
There was also had a working display of miniature fairground rides and a
workshop with all the machinery going.
These pigeons are tucking into a pile a rice left by the riverside. It
began to rain so we sat under this circular shelter and had our
sandwiches.
A lovely thrush finding lots of worms in Markfield Park.
3 April
These are the fish in Polhill Garden Centre. You can buy a pot of food
to throw to them. They are enormous fishes with very big mouths.
You can go up stairs and get good pictures and video looking down on
them.
4 April
We watched the ferries at Woolwich for a while. This is a spare old ferry that has been floated onto a platform for parking. Someone had dumped a huge pile of bread by the steps. As we moved away, the pigeons came in and cleared it up bit by bit, but they had to work hard at it, because it was stale and not breaking easily.
10 April
We went to the park in Bromley. This is the shelter at the top of the
hill. it has a metal bird on the roof apex.
This is the lake, and at the other end of the lake a glut of bread and
only one pigeon to eat it. The usual ducks and geese were nowhere to be
seen.
11 April
We went to Hampton Court. On the riverside two swans were bathing. In
the Palace forecourt, we saw this outsize model of a chocolate rabbit.
There had been an Easter Bunny hunt here recently.
We came to see the Million Daffodils in The Wilderness part of Hampton
Court Palace gardens. We were glad the recent rain had not beaten them
down.
We thought there must be more than a million.
We saw a jay having a bath in a puddle, and then he flew up into the
tree to preen.
This is the Laburnum Walk, only little buds showing so we will be back
another time to see it. Here is the diagram for the Hampton Court Maze.
It was quite noisy with the sounds of excited children coming over the
big hedges.
We walked down the river as far as one of the rowing clubs, with this
boat and rowers sculpture. We watched the big weirs for a while. The
best view of the rapids must be on that walkway but you can't go on
there unless you are the lock keeper.
14 April
This is Mounts Pond on Blackheath. It dries up in summer. Whitefield's
Mount behind was used for preaching by George Whitefield and Charles
Wesley in the 18th century and the songs of the huge crowds could be
heard 2 miles away.
More daffodils in Greenwich Park.
18 April
We went to Box Hill in Surrey. It was a very very steep climb up to the
top. The views are worth the climb.
Brown Teddy said it is easier when the trees roots make little steps up
the dusty or muddy paths. This tree has fallen and Blue Parrot said he
hoped the birds were not sitting on it when it fell. We decided it would
have fallen slowly and the birds would have flown away when it started
creaking.
It was much easier going along the flat top. This is the main viewpoint
looking towards Leith Hill and the town of Dorking on the right.
This is a little 3D model of the hills. We decided to follow the
Riverside Walk, which would take us along the River Mole and then back
to our bus stop.
I like stiles but this led to a field by the side of the footpath so no
reason to climb over that one. At the bottom we saw the cows who were
nibbling the plants through the wire fence.
The river is slow and a bit muddy. Brown Teddy said he wished he had a
boat.
Now Brown Teddy is glad he wasn't going downstream in a boat! It is very
noisy with all the rushing water and another smaller stream joining it
with its own waterfall.
This is Pixham Viaduct carrying the railway lines. Looks like a few
winter storms will be washing away more soil from under this tree on the
river bank.
These are anti-tank concrete blocks. Further on we crossed the Stepping
Stones over the river. It is not something to be done hastily!
This old piece of ironwork has cogwheels and holes in the bars, we think
it must have been to tension wires. Another tree hanging on to the bank,
but I think it has enough roots the other way to keep it going.
20 April
We went back to Woolwich to go on the ferry. We walked to the pier part,
down the pier footpath and onto the ferry.
Here we are underway and then arriving at the north side in North
Woolwich.
This is a flood barrier gate. We had our lunch in Victoria Royal Park.
We walked on to see City Airport. It is very industrialised in this area
and although there are lots of high rise flats, I would not want to live
here, I like to be in green areas.
21 April
This is the upstairs ceiling of the bus, with pictures of local history.
It was a bit difficult to read as you would have to keep changing seats
to see all the bits different ways up.
This is Lesnes Abbey. Here is what it would have looked like many
hundreds of years ago.
The wooded hill behind the Abbey is full of bluebells and very quiet
with just birdsong to listen to.
Blue Parrot suddenly lost interest in bluebells once the lunch bag was
opened. We had bluebells growing up through the wooden seat!
We carried on round the back of the hill and downwards. We came to a
secret pond and saw a magpie having a bath.
The old tree stumps are left to rot away and provide places for insects
and wildlife.
These stone shapes are meant to look like the beehives that the Abbey
monks would have had. On the outside are these little metal bees.
22 April
Today we went to Perivale to see the bluebell woodland. There are more
bluebells here than anywhere else that we know.
Everywhere you turn there are more carpets of blue. In the field at the
back people were sitting around on the grass having their snacks. We sat
in the sun where the grass was dry. On the way out I saw this flower
chain made of dandelions that someone had made and left hanging on a
piece of pipe.
Back along another path through the wood, we came to the observation
tree house. More soft paths and lots of people admiring everything and
taking lots of photos.
Finally back to the entrance buildings. These are the tools that are
used to maintain the woodland.
These men were making wooden household items. I like this spoon, sitting
on the wood it was made from. No metallic taste in your porridge!
23 April
We went to the daffodil meadow in the park. The daffodils are now gone
and the Queen Anne's Lace plants have taken over, looking very frothy.
The blossom trees are now starting to come out.
I like the way that the red buds turn pink and open out white. I think
these double flowers are my favourites.
The azalea section was very brilliant in sunshine. The blue azaleas look
better in the shade.
This is a berberis, very prickly. Here is an old millstone in a corner
of the flower garden. There used to be a mill on the river here.
A Lego building brick model of the main house and gardens. It must have
taken ages to make.
This is one of the Queen's Beasts topiary animals. I think it is the
falcon with wings.
Here are all ten Beasts in a row.
28 April
Today we are going to Chingford. Arnos Grove railway station is famous
for its modern architecture, which was modern at the time, but not so
now. The old ticket office is full of memorabilia and posters telling
the history. The manual ticket machine is still there, but you have to
peer through the window.
Outside the shopping centre is a cork oak, which does not normally grow
in this country. The underpass was the best part, with colourful tiles
and flowering shrubs. Everything else is warehouses, motorways and very
noisy traffic with lots of trucks thundering past.
This is part of the River Lea, but most of the watercourses here are
manmade channels.
We went into Pymme's Park which was much more pleasant surroundings.
Next to the playground are piles of rocks for sitting and climbing.
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