They've been spreading across London like nobody's business but I've never seen them so close up and so tame - just feeding from the tourists' hands in Kensington Gardens. Jury's out on their negative or otherwise impact but they are gorgeous.
Couldn't decide on which Ramblers walk to do today so in the end decided to do the Princess Diana Memorial Walk - a good 7.5 miles through London's great parks.
Started at 9.30 at Green Park station and wended m way through familiar territory initially, doing a bit St James's Park, loop. Lots of tourists, some seriously interesting water birds (including a hooded merganser) and some speckly brown ducks with brown and white heads that I couldn't identify.
Next stage was to move back into Green Park by crossing in front of Buckingham Palace. But I was seriously stymied by the Changing of the Guard. Didn't realise what all the crowds were massing for and lots of police trying to keep them in order - what a shenanigans that must be every day.
In the end I had to double back and go the long way round into Green Park and along Constitution Hill. Reached Hyde Park Corner and crossed into Hyde Park. Walked through the very pretty rose garden then along the Serpentine admiring Simon Gudgeon's Isis statue - a most elegant bird, not an extremist terrorist group - and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
Stopped for water and a banana at the lido. Here they had lots of nice chairs by the water. I watched a coot who entertainingly seemed to have got the hiccups and a group of flying swans flew overhead.
On into Kensington Gardens, a park I don't know very well at all. Lots of lovely green leafy walkways and interesting sculptures including of course the fabulous Peter Pan by George Frampton, George Watts's Physical Energy, and Henry Moore's Arch.
At the Princess Diana Memorial playground I found an oddity - the Elfin Oak - originally carved from an ancient oak tree by Ivor Innes. Its restoration was spearheaded by Spike Milligan and it's listed now.
By the time I got round to the pretty Italian gardens it had started spitting and it stayed a bit damp for the rest of the walk. Was getting seriously tired now. But was home by 2, for a lunch of mozzarella and cavolo nero and tomatoes. Watched a couple of episodes of Mum.
Read on the bed for a while. Was going to try and do a bit of photo uploading catch-up but ran out of time especially when work called about a news story that needed scheduling - in the end I didn't have to do anything, but had wasted enough time logging in and checking the inbox.
Cooked up a big sausage and chickpea casserole for the evening and our lunches then did a bit of packing for a weekend away.
Greylag goslings looking for mummy in Hyde Park
https://365project.org/boxplayer/extras/2019-05-29
29 May 2019
Kensington Gardens W2
