Other people's weddings

If you have a camera in hand and there's a wedding nearby, it's hard not to take a snap. They're just so darn photogenic, the folks in their finery.

At the weekend, we were in Richmond Park and parked at Pembroke Lodge which now hosts many a wedding. In fact, there are often two weddings at the same time, and as lovely a venue as it is - I'm not sure I would choose it, given that you could easily find yourself mixing with hikers in muddy boots or a small messy child who does not follow directions (like mine). When we were there, a wedding party was taking up the picnic area. It was a beautiful day, but a bit chilly. Standing around doing the chit chat may have been uncomfortably cool.

On our way back to car, the wedding party seemed to have broken up and we caught the tail end of a photo shoot with one of the nuptual couples. Richmond Park is beautiful and it looked like the photographer was getting some good shots. As they were reviewing the thumbnails on the back of his digital camera, the bride must have shivered or complained of cold. The groom shrugged off his coat and gave it to her. How wonderful. What a lovely touch.




If you ask me, I think that photographer missed a trick but not turning around and shooting that. On the bad days, for all marriages have them, it would have been a lovely reminder to consider each other in the small things that make a big difference.

Azalea plantation

Regular readers will know that we can often be found in Richmond Park (aka the Deer Park), and as the sun was glimmering weakly through the haze instead of being drowned by a deluge we jumped at the chance to visit Isabella Plantation. Isabella is a walled in area of the park planted with rare trees and ericaceous (acid loving) plants like rhododendron, camellias, magnolias and azaleas.

I really fancied taking Buddy to the grassy area with a picnic and let him crawl around on the grass and play with his little toy football (soccer). Oh, the photos I would take of him against the great, bright blaze of an azalea in full bloom.

But, alas, it was not to be...as Buddy looked like this the entire time we were in the park - all through our picnic even when a full bus load of horticultural tourists surrounded our little picnic to hear about the history of the garden and to glimpse rare rhodies. He slept when the Italian laughed at him when his hat had completely fallen over his face and said "He must be overwhelmed by the beauty all around him."

He snoozed all during our walk to the lake and back up over the hill. And he slept all during the time I was taking floral photos - so I guess I should be grateful for that.

Bombs away

We often visit Richmond Deer Park - apparently the largest enclosed space or largest enclosed park in Europe.

I like to visit Isabella plantation. It's full of magnolias, camellias, rhododendron and azaleas. So this time of year (and through the end of May) visits are especially rewarding for the floral photographer (or lovers of ericaceous plants or both).

The park service is redoing a path from one of the parking lots to the plantation and they found an extra special surprise recently. An unexploded World War Two bomb. Bloody Germans, messing up our park.

The bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion and the work carried on.

I'd like to say that we'd walked over that spot a million times, just to heighten the drama on the old blog. But we hadn't - we tend to approach the plantation from a slightly different direction.


The work on the path where the bomb was found

Signs of life

I tend to think of the horticultural year following the calendar year. I often have a few hardy flowers hanging on in sheltered areas of my garden well into December. The weather in England is mild, but the early days of January can bring some harsh cold. But rarely, if ever, pipe freezing cold.

But by the end of the first month I expect to signs of spring, the hellebores in bloom - the green tips of narcissus and snowdrops poking through.

The hellebores are in bloom (pictures from last year) and the bulbs are coming up.

We took a walk in Richmond Park today - for the first time in a while. The weather has been so rainy and overcast that we can barely go for short local walks some days.

In Richmond Park, the witch hazel trees are in bloom. I've never been able to take any photos of witch hazels that I've been happy with - so this one is from Mason Bryant that I found on Flickr. It was too gray today to an attempt a shot against the sky and I can't seem to get the effect I want with the camera's automatic flash. And I guess I can never quite capture the sweet and spicy smell of the witch hazel or the brightness of the yellow in a bare and cold winter forrest.

I did photograph some other signs that the horticultural cycle is starting over. Like these incredibly early azaleas



or these mahonias - another sweet yellow bloomer in the winter woodscape

Soltice sun

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year and also the Vol-in-Law's birthday. As we did last year, we took a walk in the deer park.



It was very cold and the lake was frozen over



And the pond was frozen over, too. And we learned that ducks either can't read or just think that it won't happen to them.

Sunset in Richmond Park

No goose down

I posted yesterday about my fears for the welfare of a pair of Egyptian Goose Goslings. Well, I think saw them today in our walk in the park.

They were really cute before:



But I'm afraid that when they get big...



--they get ugly



(But like so ugly they're kinda cute...) Anyway, I was relieved to see them. And then just as we were moving on - some woman's dog starts chasing after them and they just barely made it to the water in time. I thought I was going to see the little goslings get eaten after all. Then the dog remembered he could swim. And I really thought I was gonna see gosling slaughter. But, the dog gave up.

And what did the owner do? Did she call him off. No, she just chuckled indulgently.

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We saw other kinds of wicked bird behavior today, too. The swans with their swanlings thought that a Canadian goose got a little too close for comfort so the swan bit down on the goose's ass feathers. The goose swam/water skated/flew all over the place trying to shake his tail feathers (and the swan) - but not til the goose got onto land did the swan let go. It was hilarious. Though kind of scary.

Swans. Did you know that they can break your arm with one beat of their mighty wings?

Goosey gone

I think these little guys have been eaten. I've been looking for them every time I visit the park. I've seen their parents (Egyptian geese), but no sign of the goslings on a number of occasions now.

The mountain laurel

Regular readers may know that I'm quite fond of visiting Richmond Deer Park and since becoming pregnant we've gone even more regularly. It's not smoky, focused on drinking and the long walks are healthful and relaxing. And recently, walking is the only thing that reduces the increasingly uncomfortable swelling in my feet and legs.

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In the Spring, the most beautiful part of the park is the Isabella Plantation - a fenced in area (to keep the deer out) known for its magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. There are great drifts of azaleas to rival to the most ambitious dogwood-trailer in Knoxville (but of course, there are no dogwoods).

On Sunday, we went a way I hadn't gone before and I noticed an enormous mountain laurel. It must have been very old, because laurel as extremely slow growing. It wasn't yet in full bloom.




I pointed it out to the Vol-in-Law. I was pretty excited, because it's a native of the Eastern US - and a formerly favorite plant of mine (since I worked at a garden center I had a lot of favorite plants) and I've always liked the unusual crinkled flower buds. Its latin name is Kalmia latifolia. Apparently, it was once very fashionable among the plant collectors of Europe (probably because it is so slow growing and a little picky about conditions). I don't know if the variety pictured above is anything special, but you can now buy cultivars which are quite showy and useful in a partly shaded, acidic garden.

Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, himself named this plant after a friend. I told all this to the ViL - and how I'd also read recently that Linnaeus named nasty plants - like stinkweed - after his critics and detractors.

The unsolicted comment

In England, unlike America, the unsolicited comment is frowned upon. You can't just - as a passer by - say "Nice suit" or "That dog sure is frisky." (In some circumstances you may make an unsolicited comment about the weather.) I have to admit - I like being free from the unsolicited comment - at least on the receiving side. But like many Americans, I do like to make unsolicited comments. I do my best to refrain.

But as we were still admiring the Kalmia, a couple came upon the shrub and were discussing amongst themselves what it might be. They determined that it was more like a rhododendron than a rose. That's the right approach to plant ID. What's it like? What might it be related to? But comparing it to a rose is just ridiculous. I interjected. "It's a laurel, a Mountain Laurel." (It did have a tag, but it was pretty well hidden and read only Kalmia latifolia).

They were surprised. They thanked me. I refrained from adding anything else (like it's native range, growth habit or use in the garden) But as we moved on I asked the ViL if I had been totally out of line. He said no, that he thought they were crying out for information.

t-7: I go out walking

I've got two reasons to go walking. My feet are pretty swollen and gentle strolls actually help to keep them from being quite so puffy. And it's said that walking, walking can bring on labor.

Yesterday, we took a fairly lengthy stroll in Richmond Deer Park. The weather threatened to be terrible, but didn't really carry it out so long as we were there. We walked down through Isabella Plantation where the recent rains and slightly cooler weather have sustained the azalea and rhododendron displays.


drifts of azaleas, this area is normally covered in picknickers


the flame azaleas were especially lovely

And with the unsettled weather and gray skies the place wasn't overrun with visitors as it often can be this time of year.

Even though yesterday was the last day I wanted to go into labor, I still did all that walking. I was rewarded with a few twinges, but nothing major. Cletus is a good boy and will arrive at a convenient time, I'm sure.


7 days til baby Cletus

t-35: Tennessee wiggle walk

35 days til baby Cletus

A long time ago somebody lent me a tape that had the tune "Tennessee Wiggle Walk" (lyrics below) - I can't find the tape (did I return it?) and I don't remember exactly how it went, but it had the line:

And you wiggle and you waddle like a baby duck

It struck me as funny. I hadn't ever been around many baby ducks, but when I came across one, I realised that they do have a funny little waddle.

Guess who else has a funny little waddle. Me! The Vol-in-Law and I do try to go on a nice walk every weekend, usually in Richmond Deer Park. But it's getting harder, especially the last bit back to the car which is all uphill. Especially when you wiggle and you waddle like a baby duck. I definitely feel like I'm walking for two.

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Speaking of baby ducks...we walked down to the big central lake to see if the young swans were still feeling frisky (they weren't) and to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Egyptian Goose goslings. The picture below hardly does justice to their cuteness - they were so fluffy - I wanted to pick them up. But then I remembered, they are nasty old geese, after all - and their honking, nasty old geese parents would be likely to take a chunk out of me.

I'm not easily able to bend down anymore to get shots at interesting angles. So I had to sit on the muddy bank (avoiding any goose droppings) and wait for the little goslings to waddle into shot.




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Tennessee Wiggle Walk

I’m a bowlegged chicken I’m a knocked kneed hen
Haven’t been so happy since I don’t know when
I walk with a wiggle and a giggle and a squawk
Doin’ the Tennessee wiggle walk

Put your knees together and your heels apart
Snap your fingers ready to start
Flap your elbows just for luck
And you wiggle and you waddle like a baby duck

Come dance with me baby keep your toes in time
Haven’t been so happy in a long long while
Walk with a wiggle and giggle and a squawk
Doin’ the Tennessee wiggle walk
Doin’ the Tennessee wiggle walk

Lyrics found at this website

with one beat of its mighty wing

Did you know that swans can break your arm with one beat of its mighty wing?

It's true.

And you know when you see the one shoe on the side of the road? Yep. That's usually all that's left after a particularly vicious swan attack.

I have to admit, I'm a leetle afraid of swans and geese, too. Any kind of big bird. They used to be dinosaurs, ya know. They have cold, evil eyes. And the bigger they are, the more powerful and dangerous they can be.

I've been watching a set of adolescent swans at Richmond Deer Park all winter. They're well beyond the ugly duckling stage, but they still have a lot of brown in the plumage. They're teenagers. And yesterday they were acting like it.



They were fighting and biting and flying and skating across the water and honking and threatening each other. I was standing on the side of the pond, hoping to get a halfway decent shot.

A family next to me summoned the swans with offers of rice crispies (which they loved). I wasn't so sure about them coming so close when they were so wound up. Did you know they can break your arm with one beat of their mighty wings? And there were three or four of them and they were beating their mighty wings.



I was trying to take pictures of baby geese which were attracted by the rice krispies - so I didn't want to leave. Besides, I find that standing behind a camera makes me immune to all danger.


The kid asked her parents about the swans said "Can they hurt you?"

I wanted to say "Yes, did you know that with one beat of their...etc. I would move off now if I were you! You're not much more than a tasty snack, little girl."

But the mom said "Just act dominant and they won't bother you."

What? Act dominant? Is that true? Doesn't that just make them mad? Isn't that just a provocation? Best thing is to just keep a nice, safe distance.

Greek to me

As we were walking in Richmond Deer Park yesterday, I exclaimed -

"Oh, the rhododendrons are in bloom!"

Which they were, to a limited extent. There are a lot of rhododendrons and azaleas in this park, and when they're all in bloom together it's pretty darn amazing. Yesterday, the first blossoms were starting to emerge.







Behind us, a father began to lecture his teenaged son.

"Rhododendron, from the Greek, rhodo - meaning pink and dendron meaning tree. So it literally means pink tree."

I thought to myself - will I be like that? Will I "inform" my kid with a bunch of knowledge valuable mostly as a shibboleth of intellectualism?

Why - yes, I will. But I would have probably added other examples of the use of dendron - e.g. dendritic river systems.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I was always most impressed with the way some of my mom's neighbors drilled their daughters in plant ID. I'd always thought of it was simply teaching potentially useful nature lore - but it's also a great way of teaching Latin and Greek root words, too.

Anything for a free rack

On Sunday, the Vol-in-Law took our usual amble in the Deer Park. I find the fresh air and open spaces destressing, plus it's beautiful in the Spring.

The young deer were feeling their oats, too and we watched from afar as two young bucks clashed violently.

The Vol-in-Law noticed that one of the deer seemed to be missing an antler. We assumed it had just come off. It had clearly come off fairly recently (see rather gruesome picture here). I said "Hey, we could collect that antler," and the Vol-in-Law started up the hill to find the thing. I ambled along after him at my waddle-dy pregnant pace.

We did a "finger tip search" where we'd seen the deer fight. Nothing. Nada. Rien. I really don't think it was there. But, of course, antlers are the same color as sticks. Probably for adaptive evolutionary reasons.

We finally gave up looking for it, and the Vol-in-Law said - "I only wanted it for you. For me the antler is just a piece of bloody anatomy, but for you it means something."

((What?))

Springtime in London

Magnolia in Richmond Deer Park

Blue

I've never managed to get these to grow in my own garden.

Mandarin ducks

My dad is visiting. We took him to Richmond Deer Park. We stopped by our favorite cat food store in Wimbledon [borders] on the way. I used some of the cat food to feed the ducks in Isabella Plantation.

Our cat food is very expensive because we have to get hypo-allergenic food for Other Cat who has sensitivities to food coloring. (Basically she itches so bad she scratches bleeding holes in herself). The Vol-in-Law thought it was a terrible waste of money.

But luring the ducks within range of my camera was worth it...



...I think.

we're lame

We're a bit lame now. Never exactly the big social butterflies, we did at least hit the pub regularly. But now on Friday night we go to the gym together. On Saturday we go for a long walk in the park followed by grocery shopping and this usually tires me out which means I fall asleep on the sofa by 10 or 10:30. Sundays we do usually have dinner with friends who have more exciting engagements on the other nights of the weekends.

Last weekend was a big exception. We cleaned in advance of the Vol-in-Law's parents visiting us midweek. When we tired of that, we went out and distributed leaflets for this Tuesday's Conservative Party primary (more to follow on that later, I'm sure).

But we were back to the old routine this weekend. A lovely walk in Richmond Park. A little shopping in Wimbledon Village (not something I would advise the frugal shopper to partake in - as any village which has a Max Mara on the high street is probably not your average village) - and then dinner and zonking on the couch.

I didn't even manage to get very many good pictures. But I did spy a not-so-shy robin - and managed to slip off my back pack, open back pack, slip out camera case, open camera case, turn on camera, focus and shoot:



before the inevitable happened:



I also got a lovely shot of a Mandarin duck. I always wonder if the poor things will be slaughtered in an anti-bird flu frenzy one day - and the discovery of bird flu at a turkey farm in England in the last week or so only makes the question more pressing in my mind.

Deer park

Yesterday we took a long walk in Richmond Deer Park. It was one of the first weekend days with a bit of blue sky that I can remember.

We went down to the lake and saw Sam the dozy looking English shephard mix nosing around the water, upsetting the swans. The swans were hissing and spitting. His owners were concerned - as well they might have been - a swan can break you arm with one beat of its mighty wing. They kept calling "Sam, Sam" - but in a nice sweet way. Sam ignored them and the swans.



These swans were mighty upset with Sam.


Then we walked past a big open field of dry bracken. I didn't really notice anything special about it at first, but then the Vol-in-Law pointed out that the field was full of deer. They are about the same color as the bracken and only their antlers were poking over the top of the dead vegetation.

Feral

Feral parakeets live in South London. Refugees from the pet trade, there are colonies all up and down the Thames. There are quite a few in Richmond Deer Park. They squawk and squeak and unfortunately usually stay too high up in the trees to get good pictures of them.