A year in Greenwich Park: February

Well the story of this month is lighter evenings - yay! That's been a real treat and long may it continue, and I'd rather this than more Doris, but more on that later. Let's start at the beginning of the month, and at the northern edge of the park. It's this gate that I've been using most mornings leaving the park, and you know how partial I am to some ironwork. It's full of character isn't it?

Close to the gate, quite early in the month there was signs that Spring was coming, it was lovely to see a blast of pink.  I've been walking past the tree below regularly too, and this month it's been the trees that I've seen most often. I've missed the man with the Jack Russell for most of this month, I think that's partly a timing thing and partly a route thing, but I'm hoping to bump into them again.

Good news is that I've started to see the man with the black spaniel again, but I think it's a different black spaniel, a younger version if you see what I mean, and it's fun to watch them as they take their walk. I think the new spaniel has its owner well and truly trained and wrapped around their figurative little finger already, and I expect the owner is enjoying his new companion.

It's been a dull month mostly, weather-wise I mean. There have been blue skies but not so many and at one point I thought I might be struggling for photos for this post, but the lighter evenings turned that around. With the lighter evenings came some gorgeous sunsets, the photo below was on my first evening walk through Greenwich Park on the way home. That hasn't happened since October/November last year, so it was quite a treat.

Relishing walks home through the park I decided to make the most of it and instead of leaving at the Maze Hill exit I carried on towards the flower garden and across the grass on my most-usual summer route. It was still a little damp, but it was nice to walk that way again. This tree had me puzzled as I approached it. 

The dark circle you can see is in fact mulch, and I presume it's to give the ground around the tree a feed and a boost. It's not something I've seen before, but it does make sense. While I was pondering the mulch I noticed a couple of tree stumps in the distance, where up to fairly recently there'd been trees.

The evidence m'lud:

Bolstered by two visits to the park some days, when Doris came along I was keen to see what impact she would have. And that's Doris the storm, not any other Doris. And it was pretty windy, my hair was going everywhere so I thought I'd capture that. Doris, the little minx, had other ideas and threw my scarf up into my face. Indeed.

Yesterday the blue skies were back and there was sun too. Feeling the sun on my back as I walked down the main avenue towards my tree - well I couldn't not include it could I - was very welcome. You can just feel the warmth can't you in the shots below.

So that's February, still full of action despite it being a short month. I'm already looking forward to March and to seeing the bulbs spring into life as along with autumn, spring is one of the times of year I enjoy most.

How's your February been?

A year in Greenwich Park: January

Well January was a funny old month weather wise wasn't it? And I think I captured most of it on various days. It started with heavy frosts and blue skies, and gorgeous light. Over the month I've settled on a more regular route, discovered new parts of the park and bumped into people I know at times and so had company on my journeys. So six months into this series and I'm still making new discoveries, that's something I never expected, but it shows how things can be the same and yet change.

My most regular route takes me parallel to Maze Hill and I've been intrigued by these properties whose back gate opens onto the park. How special is that?

And as well as the view, I'm also rather taken by the brick wall.  Imagine having this view though.

Onto the new discovery. In the bottom right hand corner one day I stumbled across this rather fancy gate, which I later discovered leads to the Queen's Orchard. It's shut for the winter - I know, boo! - but given the date in the ironwork, and it's name I'm taking it as a Golden Jubilee tribute. Which means that the last time I was in the section of the park, it wasn't there. 

I can't wait for it to open in the Spring and have a nose around, and learn more about it.

I mentioned before about the light this month, it's been amazing that I've made it to work on time as I keep finding new vistas to snap. The one below is a reminder of just how close to the City you are.

THAT'S THE SHARD IN THE DISTANCE

I also spotted some welcome colour - the yellow of the flowering witch hazel, a funny looking plant and one most of us are more used to seeing in a bottle or a gel.

Another boundary wall of the park has also held my interest this month. It wends and waves its way along Maze Hill. I've taken many pictures of how un-straight it is, and where it's been repaired and this is the best of the lot.

Ah. And then there was the snow. Or the excuse of the snow. For the first time in a long while the threat of snow didn't bother me. With a walk to work, and the chance to take some snowy pictures, I was almost quite looking forward to it. Hurrying home in the flurry of wet snow on the Thursday night, I did the sensible thing and got my sensible boots out of the car in readiness for use the next morning.

The only thing was, it didn't materialise. 

This was the snow.

PEERING OVER THE RAILINGS AT THE FLOWER GARDEN

I couldn't believe this former hater of the white stuff was disappointed. But these frozen puddles almost made up for it.

Like mini ice rinks - untested by me though - they're something I've not seen before, although I did see some unfrozen versions back in November.

And if the weather hadn't already given me enough, then came the fog.

And eery walks through the park when you really couldn't see much in front of you. And when all of a sudden a neon-clad runner would appear out of nowhere. At times I'm not sure who was more shocked.  Later in the month the frosts returned and gave this bush a covering. It made me smile and almost looks like its gone grey overnight.

There's been another new development too, scaffolding on the Royal Observatory, which you can spot in the distance between these trees.

So with all these new routes I've missed seeing some of my regular dog walkers, but I've bumped into people I know and at times have had company on my walk through the park, or stopped for a chat. It really is quite a social place, even for its commuters.  And as I said at the start, quite a month, who'd have thought that for January!

A year in Greenwich Park: December

Understandably December has been the month when I've had the least 'park time' since I started this series. I don't think I walked home through Greenwich Park once in the whole month, so there's an immediate fifty percent reduction right there.

Actually, I'm wrong - I walked back through the park in daylight on 23 December as the office shut at 12:30 for Christmas, how could I forget? That was also my last visit to the park of 2016 too, and now almost two weeks later it seems funny *not* to have been there for so long!

Throughout December I'd been experimenting with a more reliable morning route too, one that removed the need to walk across the grass, as with dew and frosts I'd prefer to stick to the paths. I probably didn't choose too well when trying this path for the first time. Not only was there a bit of frost, but I also had mid-height heels on instead of the flats and trainers I usually walk in. 

Not my best decision making skills on show, but I made it to the bottom safely and it must be said rather gingerly. I've since decided that this isn't my morning route, or my regular one at least. That's entering the park on Maze Hill and rather than taking the path that seems most logical (and leads to the slope above) I've discovered taking the path straight ahead leads me to my favourite avenue of trees, and has meant I can pick up my grass-crossing route a bit further along. There are though, as you can see, a cross-cross of paths on the way. 

And this route which I've settled on means I can still keep an eye on that tree, the one that now the leaves are down has exposed a rather large nest.  

So with a shortened path route in the mornings, my rough calculations mean I'm seventy five percent down on a summer month, that's quite a lot isn't it? But the shortest day has been and gone, so things can only be getting better, even if it is just by minutes each day.  

And my mornings now start with some brick wall love, perhaps January will be the month I capture that well enough to do it justice. I view it from outside the park, but marvel at its size, materials and even lack of straightness (really) and it looked even more mysterious in the December fog. 

There's been quite a bit of fog this December, but as all dog owners know dogs still need walking fog or not. And so there's a more business like feel to that, it's been about getting the job done, heads down, hands in pockets, and getting home again.   And who can blame them?

The fog has made for some rather atmospheric photos though, so while I may not have many photos of this month, they are still pretty special.   

Today I'm back at work and am keen to walk through the park again, to see if my regular nod dears are also back at work or still have the same routines, I expect they will. And I wonder if there'll be a spurt of New Year fitness activity to spot, I suspect so. Who knows, maybe even I will finally get my bike out for my daily commute, I know I've been threatening that for a while now.  

But in the meantime, now seems the right time to wish you all a very Happy New Year and thank you for reading. I hope 2017 is a corker for us all, as well this year I've got some celebrating to do (think significant birthdays!)