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Diary – 2021 May
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All my diary pages going back to 2009
DRAWING & PAINTING:
1 May
What a contrast, little robin having a quiet little bath and an energetic starling have a very noisy splash in the deeper bath.
2 May
I need a few extra shrubs for some gaps, so I am doing some air layering. You score the branch with cuts, then wrap soil and plastic around, so the branch thinks it is buried, so that it makes lots of roots. I have used bubblewrap, as I had a big bag of it and it is firmer. I did quite a few in case of failures, so I will be in trouble in they all take! Maybe I can put a few in pots around the house if that happens.
It is not often we see a collared dove having a bath, but this year's pair seem to be bolder than usual.
3 May
Some of this paving had sunk down very unevenly. Too much to take out, but the answer was to take out some and move others to make lots of planting strips. I have some tough old rockery sedum plants to put in, that will cover it all, and they won't mind it being so dry down here under the trees.
5 May
We went to Kelsey Park, still lots of spring flowers around. These pigeons were all settled in the daisy bed, although some of them got up when they saw us approaching!
Lots of white pigeons and black crows around.
We saw a whole family of swans and cygnets.
Here is where we had our sandwiches, looking towards the sunny side of the lake. The other side is very shady with very large trees along the edges.
7 May
More work on the paving, extending my new scheme to the left hand part. Robin came down to inspect and get snacks for himself. When he wasn't doing that, he was singing on a branch, which means "This is all mine."
9 May
At last my plug plants for the pond hedge screen have arrived in four packs of six plants. They had loads of root and very bushy greenery on top. I soaked them for a while and then planted them all pushed together in a big pot, until we are ready to put them in. It will be a very close hedge to keep the screen quite solid with branches.
10 May
When we are sitting in the greenhouse we get a variety of birds landing on the roof. Mostly it is a wood pigeon who gets a fright when he sees us but this time it was the robin who didn't notice us at all. Sometimes the sparrows or bluetits flutter around picking spiders out of the outer framework.
13 May
We went to Erith Pier, this is looking towards the north bank which is Essex. Behind us was the noise of the metal reclaiming facility, with lots of clanking as the grabber moves it around.
We then went on to Dartford. In the park this very small bluetit came right up to our shoes for the scone crumbs. He kept returning for more, so the baby tits had a bit of a treat that afternoon.
At the side of the park is the river Darent, which last time was all dried off, as it was being refurbished by the Waterways people. It is all back in action now. I am not sure if this structure is going to be a bridge, but I think it might be a little weir to make the water flow faster and keep the mud moving.
Here the river is coming from under the main road, one tunnel for people and one for the river. The noise bounces off the tunnel walls and comes out this end with quite an echoey roar. Here is the weir where it enters the tunnel from the lake area at the other side.
14 May
My little pond hedge is now in, and I am watering it with the muddy water that comes out of the filter, full of good muddy nutrients that the fish have made. Other times I would put the mud water around the apple trees. The paving is now all done and the plants are settled in and perking up. I have some seeds in the front part and I hope the squirrels don't bury stuff here and disturb my seeds!
17 May
We went up to London Bridge to see the river. Here is the alleyway looking towards the Shard which towers over the station. Along the middle is a wide stripe of rougher stones with a brassy looking narrow swirly line, which is meant to represent the muddy river. At intervals are signs listing items that were imported in the past and their origins.
At the end of the brass line is a map of the river. The planting here is very citi-fied, but it looks ultra smart and it is good to have as much green as possible with so much concrete and glass towers around.
A few yards further on is the riverside area, with dancing fountains in the paving, stone slab seats, and the Tower of London on the other side of the river. It is usually thick with tourists, but empty for now, and it was a stormy day as well, so no surprise really.
It started to rain on us, and this sundial is not telling us anything other than that the rain has started! There was a very loud clap of thunder but we got to the station nearby before it had a chance to soak us. At home it was quite dry and sunny!
18 May
Today we went to Surrey Quays in Bermondsey. This is Canada Water and we watched this coot adjusting its nest, pulling in the stray bits of straw and grass. I wonder if anyone ever used this rusty ladder to get out of the water, it would probably break under the weight now, and nowadays most places have the chains all round the edges.
I just love these dinosaur egg seats, lovely and warm in summer and no hard edges to dig in, but maybe too smooth for children whose legs don't reach the ground. Further along a family of swans came swimming by, and some people were throwing bread in.
These pigeons braved the shallow water to get at the floating bread, all soggy by now. There was too much even for them. Round the corner someone had thrown grain into the water for the ducks, and some pigeons were trying to get some of that, but most of it was in a inch of water, too deep for a pigeon head.
First sight of a Number 1 bus. I think now we will have to try and travel on all the bus numbers in London. This is Greenland Dock bascule bridge on the same road.
We went on to Russia Dock which is now a woodland walk and ecological park. This compass points to lots of places round the world where the dock imports came from in the past.
We went up Stave Hill, a conical mound made up of waste rubble from landscaping the area. The distant view of the Shard at London Bridge area.
On to Surrey Water and another coot nesting. The duck houses along the canals look very smart.
These two pigeons were clearly an established pair, as they were preening each other very affectionately! This is Surrey Basin bascule bridge, just by the river.
Lots to see on the river, slow container barges and fast RIB boats.
We walked through Rotherhithe. This is the Brunel Museum, and the seats in the courtyard are made to look like his various bridges. This tree in the courtyard has had the trunk bolted together, with a cement infill, to keep the tree from splitting and make it safe. Brunel would be delighted at this engineering feat!
We continued walking towards the Tower Bridge area. This giant granite artwork, it reminds me of opening some fruit with its seeds inside.
Anchors, propellers and chains are displayed on the path along the riverside. At Tower Bridge area, this brass model map is very useful to see exactly where you are.
20 May
This is Well Hall Pleasaunce in Eltham, south London. My favourite part is the wisteria pergola. The laburnum tree has exactly the same type of flowers.
We saw this squirrel nibbling up and down a long piece of twig, but we couldn't work out what he was eating.
This is the moat around a square island. The water was rather murky but we could just see the grey carp, especially when they moved.
23 May
The robin had just had a bath, and sat in the hawthorn tree, preening and inbetween preens singing very loudly. My favourite hawthorn is a double red one.
26 May
Today we went to Bishop's Park, part of Fulham Palace, which is by the river at Putney.
No Mow May seems like a good idea for parks that have loads of grassy areas. Inside the walled garden is this lovely parterre type area. I am glad to say the box plants have not been attacked by the box moth, like many have in other places.
This brick ladder must surely be for hedgehogs to have a drink.
This ceanothus was covered in blue. Brown Teddy was more interested in the sandwich boxes at this point, though.
We walked over Putney bridge. This floating pontoon is beginning to get covered in plants and ducks!
This is in Westminster tube station. It is not an elevator, but a travelator on the flat.
27 May
We went to Isabella Plantation which is in the middle of Richmond Park. We just saw the end of the bluebell display, although they were a little floppy from the dry conditions by now.
This is Still Pond, I could sit here for hours. There was a group of ducks swimming about.
Everyone was having their photo taken in front of the brilliant azaleas, here is mine!
The magpies and hooded crows were finding lots of insects on the ground, as they were hopping and zigzagging about quite energetically.
This dead tree is either rotting way or has had a lightning strike! Next to it was the top sawn off part, a good place to sit and have our snacks.
More azaleas. Brown Teddy wanted photos of every single one, but there were hundreds!
This cut down tree has turned into a starfish! Some of the larger logs are turned into seats.
I like these stepping logs by the side of the pool, and they have made two lines for buggies and wheelchairs as well.
We wandered off into the other woodland part and followed the stream. Lots more bluebells here and very quiet.
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