It's summer! We're having a heatwave, with temperatures soaring to 32 degrees this week, which is rather unusually in this city.
Commuting was not much fun during the week. And, this weekend, even though the sun has been a bit more shy, we're happily headed for the park and the water.
We re-discovered the Hampstead swimming pond and had a great time having a bit of a splash.
This morning we got up at 4.30am. It was hard, especially on a Sunday. We got out of the house 10 minutes later after putting on quite a few layers of clothing. It was rather cold outside. We hurried down the road. It was still dark but we didn't want to be late. The night was clear and the weather forecast promised a sunny morning.
A group of volunteers had organised a meet up in the little nature reserve 15 minutes walk from where we live. The Railways Fields, is off one of the busiest road in North London. yet, it is a haven of peace once you take a few steps inside.
The plan was to be there at dawn and hear London come to life through the song of birds.
It was well worth the effort; we were not disappointed. As dawn broke, the Blackbirds asserted their presence, the Wrens joined them. We were told that the Robins also normally started singing around that time, but today they played shy.
Later, the Great Tit took centre stage, followed by a Blue Tit and a Blackcap. We also heard a Dunnock. Sparrows were missing but expected later in the day as they are often spotted in large numbers in one part of the reserve :)
Ducks flew high above, so did Gulls . A Crow and a Magpie looked at us suspiciously, sometimes expressing their disapproval.
Spring is a great time to listen to bird song and spot birds.
Living a such a big city, we often forget, ignore or are oblivious to the beauty of the natural life that surrounds us.
This morning was a great reminder that we should pay a little more attention :)
I love spotting new trends in London. When I say 'New', I mean things that may have been going on for some time but that I only started noticing more recently and now feel to me like I cannot escape them: they are everywhere! A feeling any good Londoner may be familiar with.
The trend of stained glass on front doors has been creeping on me for at least the last couple of years. I had noticed this style before, but, all of a sudden, it seemed to be spreading all over town. Wherever I was going, wherever I was staying, I spotted stained glass. And they seemed to be getting more beautiful and intricate every time..
Last winter, spotting new ones became an obsession. This was possibly due to the fact they can best be admired in all their splendour when darkness falls.
