Category: Nature

Tractors, Tracksuits and a Turtle

The big four-wheel drives used to drop the children at school were known as Chelsea Tractors – I never imagined it was a compliment but it gave somebody an idea as there is a real Chelsea Truck Co.

Swans and a Sesquicentenary

There are few swans on the tidal stretch of the Thames between Hammersmith and Richmond. Recently I have seen three where the Grand Union Canal joins the river at Brentford and I assume they come from the canal for a change of scenery.

Eat Fish

“It’s brain,” I said: “pure brain! What do you do to get like that Jeeves? I believe you must eat a lot of fish, or something. Do you eat a lot of fish, Jeeves?” “No sir.” (My Man Jeeves, PG Wodehouse)

I Told You So

Two years ago I told you so. Read Yellow Menace, one of my favourite posts from July 2016. A bit of Barmeath, a bit of Barons Court and a great number filmed on the Thames at the end.

Numbers

The fourth book in the Old Testament is the Book of Numbers, sandwiched between Leviticus and Deuteronomy. As we seek the Promised Land outside the EU, Numbers has a chilling resonance: the first generation of Israelites are condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, the second generation are led to Canaan.

Wind in the Willows

This fine willow tree is beside the north bank of the Thames at Fulham Reach. In the plans approved for the new blocks of flats in this Conservation Area the tree was to be retained but the developer has had a change of heart.

Royal Mausolea

There are a few things that can only be done at restricted times. One is visiting the Mansion House. I had hoped to advise you to turn up on any Tuesday afternoon for an hour long tour but these jaunts have now been cancelled until further notice.

Mastaba

The Serpentine Gallery pavilion is still under construction but this summer it will be dwarfed by a giant, red, floating mastaba across the road on the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

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Categorised as Art, Nature

Nature Notes

I noticed this sculpture for the first time today. It is in Duke’s Meadows, below Barnes Bridge. Meanwhile, and most noticeably, the box moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is back in west London in force.

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Categorised as Nature

Red-Veined Sorrel

Red-veined sorrel (Rumex sanguineus) is easy to grow, decorative and edible. Like spinach it’s rich in potassium which lowers blood pressure and I expect it to become very fashionable in gardens great and small.