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Diary – 2019 April
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All my diary pages going back to 2009
DRAWING & PAINTING:
1 April
We went to Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath to the north of London. It
is a big mansion full of old paintings.
Sometimes there is too much to see at one time, so we just look for the
little details, like animals and birds, and see how they are painted,
especially as they are generally in the bottom corners of the paintings!
Two famous paintings. The Guitar Player by Jan Vermeer. This
self-portrait by Rembrandt is on tour, so we were fortunate to be there
to see it. He is looking a bit sad, and I suppose he had no idea how
famous he would be in later centuries.
This is the library, just right for settling down on the sofas with
favourite books. Visitors can go into the room just a very little way
and but not right into the room as it was roped off.
Here is a dressing up area for children, with clothes and big mirror,
and a dolls house on the right. When you have dressed up, you can stand
in this frame and get your friend to take a photo, or take a selfie.
I just love this marble table, I could look at it all day. The
chandelier is wonderful, but I would not like to have to dust it!
This part is near the house and is full of magnolias and rhododendrons.
A man was round the corner with a big easel doing a painting of the
trees. Here is the house in the distance, it is a big park.
Thrushes like big open spaces so we do not see them in our garden. The
lake was very still and this corner was covered in green slimy weed.
These are Egyptian ducks with their young ones, all pecking the grass or
hiding under the parent bird. They did not mind us as long as we walked
slowly.
5 April
This is Central Park in Dartford. This bath sized planter must weight a
ton, and it is always full of flowers. The wallflowers were highly
scented, especially when there are a lot together.
6 April
Today we went to Battersea Park. It was a grey day and not very warm. I
like to see the old equipment, which is often left in parks and other
areas as historical items of interest. This looks like winding gear for
a sluice gate, as the park is right on the river Thames.
The park is mostly trees and shrubs, but there are a few areas of bright
bedding. This red tulip bulb got a little mixed up at planting time! If
you are planting up a bed and there is a spare bulb lying around, it
just has to go in, of course.
We had two visitors as we had our sandwiches. The robin had tiny crumbs
which he kept flying off with. The crow was quite bold, which is unusual
for crows, and some of the bits of bread he went off a little way and
buried in the grass. I have never seen that before, but worth doing when
there is more on offer than he can eat at one time, and maybe young ones
in a nest somewhere.
The park goes right up to the edge of the Thames. These long stone seats
are lovely and warm in summer, but not today. The river was as chilly
looking and grey as the sky.
7 April
We all like to watch the boat race on the television. Cambridge wore
light blue/green and Oxford wore dark blue. Cambridge won both the
women's and men's races. All the people are crowded onto Hammersmith
Bridge to see the boats go past. I prefer to stay in the warm though!
After the race it is traditional for the teams to throw their coxes into
the water. This pigeon is doing the same, but it is more of a leisurely
bath. Afterwards the water is covered in a white dust and has to be
changed.
8 April
Nesting time for the bluetit, sitting on a nearby phone wire. We went to
Romford and I like this spiral ramp for cars to get to the rooftop car
park on the shopping centre. It just needs some snow and a sledge!
We also went to Upminster, where they had lots these brilliantly
colourful large planters. They really brightened up the grey day.
10 April
Today we visited Gunnersbury Park. The house is very impressive and
looks out over parkland.
The house terraces looks down over the Horseshoe Pond. To the side of
the pond is this wonderful and huge orangery, I could definitely sit in
there with my books, drink and cakes on a summer's day.
To the side of the house is the large Round Pond and the breezes were
making lots of patterns on the water.
We went into the museum in the house. This is a very old printing press.
This is one of the servant bells that were connected by long wires to
the main rooms. Someone in the past had to jump up immediately when it
rang and get the room quickly to take their orders.
These are diagrams of scientist Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. It
would have been a huge mechanical computer but was never built.
Big ornate rooms but a bit sad with no furniture in them.
The old kitchens were very interesting. Lots of cupboards,
shelves of pots and pans, and a huge range with spit roasting equipment.
This cooker was in the form of a long bench, with huge gas rings
underneath. This is the pastry cook's room with cool marble table, and
there was also a separate room for butchery, and a cosy office for the
master chef.
The grounds are large and we walked round some of it. We left by the
little side entrance which is closest to the traffic lights to cross the
busy road with noisy trucks thundering past, what a contrast to the
quiet park.
15 April
This is Holland Park in Central London near Kensington. Here is the
Dutch garden full of tulips, and an equatorial sundial. It was an hour
behind, as our watches are on British Summer Time.
There are peacocks wandering around the gardens. I got a close-up of the
tail with the eye patterns.
We had our sandwiches in the Japanese Fukushima and Kyoto Gardens. A
robin came down for some crumbs.
To our surprise the peacock wandered past us, he obviously knows about
crumbs as well. The Japanese garden is very beautiful with a lovely
pond.
At the far end is a rock waterfall, a bridge of stepping tones and koi
fish.
I could sit here all day and watch the fish.
The park is surrounded by woodland. We saw several piles of logs left
over from the tree maintenance work.
We left the park, near this gate, walked along Kensington High Street
and into Hyde Park.
We walked up to the big round pond.
Too much bread for the ducks, and the pigeons were all full as well.
This starling was sitting by this piece, not sure if he had room to eat
any more.
We came to the Italian garden part, with four large ponds with
fountains. They have little ladders in so the ducks can walk out.
Some of the stone urns have swan handles, and further along in the
main part of The Long Water lake there was a swan on its nest. The
further part of this lake is called The Serpentine.
17 April
Today we went to Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park.
We watched the ducks while we had our sandwiches.
Too early for the main display of azaleas, but there were a few open.
I just love this stream that runs through the middle, with the azaleas
on each side. The log stepping stones are fun, because there are enough
close together to make it easy and safe to cross. They have cut
criss-crossing lines on the tops, so that they don't become slippery.
We walked through the bog garden with lots of ferns just unfolding, and
the heather garden. When we come back next month, the heathers will be
gone over and the azaleas will all be out.
18 April
These are the ruins of Lesnes Abbey in Abbey Wood. I like this iron
sculpture showing some abbey windows as they might have looked.
The wood up on the hill is full of bluebells.
They just went on and on, with more on every side.
We still had time to spare, so we took a bus to the Woolwich ferry and
went over the river.
21 April
This is Ruislip Lido in the north west of London. It is a big lake with
an artificial beach at one end.
There were lots of families sitting around having picnics. We took a
walk round the entire lake. The willow trees were shedding fluffy seeds,
floating everywhere and collecting like snow.
A miniature train runs round the lake. We kept finding little streams
that feed into the lake.
In one corner was another spare engine and a turntable.
As it was Easter weekend, this train is the Easter Special,
with a person dressed as the Easter Bunny and handing out Easter eggs.
We then walked through the woodland, which was very quiet apart from
birdsong, and full of fresh greenery and shadow patterns.
This tree trunk has broken and fallen over, and then sprouted new
branches. There were lots of signs with arrows for walkers, but this one
is for horse riders.
The train at the end of its route round the lake. The beach area has
several of these shower poles, that come on at intervals, and the
children were standing underneath waiting for it to come on. When it did
they were screaming and running around in excitement.
28 April
Today we went to the open day at Perivale Woods to see the bluebells.
Everyone follows the little paths.
In the middle of the route is an information point. I like this bug
hotel, and the paper leaves hanging from the trees with messages on.
A dark boggy pond, before the steps that lead up to the high part next
to the canal.
The bluebells look lovely mixed in with the white flowers. The woods are
owned and managed by the Selborne Society.
This is our train coming into Perivale Station. In the distance you can
see the old historic semaphore signals.
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