Remembering nature on our doorstep

It’s all too easy to forget what’s on our doorsteps isn’t it? Even though in lockdown and since we’ve stayed relatively close to home. For us it’s easy to remember Greenwich Park, and of course Blackheath. But even so there’s bits of those we rarely visit. A few weekends ago now, we took an overly long walk to the shops around the corner. Partly to get out, and partly to see something a little bit different as cabin fever started to take hold, and of course ultimately to pick up supplies.

It threatened rain, but didn’t quite manage it. It had been raining and there was a distinct whiff of autumn in the air. The wet leaves were golden, and glistening started to confirm this.

We headed into Blackheath, stopped for a long overdue look at ‘my tree’ and then headed on into the private estate for some serious house spotting - something we did often when we first moved to the area - then through Blackheath Village and our plan was to go onto the shops. However once we were out, and as the rain was holding off a new plan was formed.

We were very tempted to stop for a pint in the pub edging the Heath (which you may know as Blackheath Common - something we never call it), but we didn’t. Instead we headed straight for Greenwich Park, entering through the gates you see runners streaming out of on Marathon days, of course, sadly not this year though. Turning right we were in the Flower Garden and it wasn’t long before the fungi on the bark had me curious.

It really was a peculiar pale pink colour. It’s not just a reflection of the brightness from the flowers below, which despite their raindrops were ever so vibrant.

As it was a day of unplanned plans, we made another unplanned move. Instead of taking our usual route to the shops, we headed into a part of the Heath we rarely visit, and which we refer to as Vanbrugh Pits. It’s a wilder space, with a huge dip in the middle. It’s not open, and not somewhere I’d walk through on my own.

But it was worth the detour. I’d forgotten its wild side, and forgotten the gorse it was home too.

It’s just as well we’d forgotten about this though, or else you’d be experiencing many, many more gorse shots here. I’ll try to resist, well at least a little.

Post Comment Love 15-17 October

Welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked and share some of that love.

With the change for London announced yesterday, I”m struggling for publishable words to describe quite how I feel. What I do know is it meant for another busy, random and disrupted day at work. Another day where my Teams notification was on and off throughout the day, and one where the radio was turned on and off in equal measures. Sometimes by me, mostly by MOH.

We knew it was coming, I think we all did. But I was hoping it would be next week and we would already be safely on leave, but no. The lack of clarity and information is particularly frustrating, not only for me as an individual, but for me in my job. But anyway, next week I’m off for a week, and we will be away for part of that, trying our best to make sure we stick to the rules.

My photo this week is from a walk in Petts Wood, a local wood, at the weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this, isn’t it amazing?

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My garden in June

Yes June. Let’s just call this a bit of a throw back post. I’m putting my tardiness down to a change in how I’m editing and storing my photos, which although it’s not hugely different has thrown me a little. But looking through the photos I’d added to this post, the memories were strong, so I couldn’t not share. And yes, updates for July and August should also follow, hopefully this side of Christmas.

But anyway, let’s head back to June and roses in bloom - can you smell them?

Although it does look a little nibbled doesn’t it?

June was also the month of the Little Shed and the Great Greenhouse Clearout. The photo below is one of the before shots and on reflection it doesn’t seem that bad, but I couldn’t move in there so it needed some tidying, at the very least.

The chillies I ordered arrived and survived - in fact most are still going strong. I’ve even had some padron peppers, which if I’m really honest I probably wasn’t expecting. Only a few, but a few more than I thought.

We made friends with two little cats from a couple of doors down. They both quickly became known as #notmycat and both provided much entertainment, even for MOH, who - well let’s just say, he’s not a natural cat fan. This one - we started to call her Bob-alike because she looked like my Bob. She spent a lot of time that month on our fence, and was young and impressionable enough for us to talk her out of chasing birds, but our talks are less effective now.

The little shed was reassembled after spending a fair time in parts behind the pizza oven, where it had lived since it came back from the laptop. Clearly that it’s not its final home, as that would just be odd.

Ah yes, cherries. This year we had so many. It was also the year that MOH needed to pick them all before the pigeons got them. He brought them indoors and left them, so then needed sorting again as those with bugs in made themselves known. To be fair though he stoned all the ones we kept - it’s a thankless task, and I’ve a feeling that he won’t be so keen next year! He also made cherry conserve, some runny, some more set than rubber - but I’m sure both will be tasty.

We cleaned out the big shed, and discovered this in a cardboard box. I was both fascinated, curious and scared - though as it turned out whatever lived there had long since moved out. It was beautiful too, but from a distance.

Once everything was out of the greenhouse, it felt so much bigger. As you’d expect. The photo above is a midway shot. It clearly filled up again pretty quickly, but even so, the resulting layout is working much better.

My nasturtium leaves went speckled, and very pretty they were too.

We saw wildlife. In our kitchen. This stag beetle wasn’t the only one to fly in - but oh, the noise. They are fascinating creatures, but they’re a little pre-historic. I think each of us were equally stressed, and I’m still not sure if the ‘dropping into the garlic pot’ was a planned move, or a stroke of genius. Either way that’s where it ended up, well just before it was rather rudely turned out onto the patio table.

Peonies. Sigh. They were great.

This is only part of the contents from the now empty greenhouse. And a fair bit of it ended up in the little shed.

Our lettuce was just getting going in June, and it quickly became a daily ritual to pick lettuce for lunch, shortly before we ate it.

The roses on the patio went wild, and the petals dropped as the weather changed. We patched up next door’s broken fence during lockdown, and have spent most of the time since threading the plants through the trellis to regain that privacy. On the whole it’s been successful.

Above is the final layout of the greenhouse, with much smaller plants than I remember.

We had quite a few home grown strawberries despite neglect.

There was extraordinary weather. It teamed down. And of course MOH was out on his bike in this. So was rather wet when he got back.

The sun shined and the jasmine smelled sweet. It was a good year for jasmine too, and it seems an early trim and shape really helps.

We moved this plant - and split it in half. Only half survived, but not as you’d expect the half that moved to another part of the garden - that was fine, and flowered successfully. The half that stayed in place was less lucky and I think we’ve lost it - which is peculiar, but one of those things.

The sweet peas found ways to flower, and the agapanthus threw up 9 flowers between them. Now it was just a case of waiting for them all to break out.

Ah yes, the other #notmycat and as you can see, clearly making himself at home.