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London from Hampstead Heath
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Today was another quiet day. This does no harm for, after all, it is the weekend and if you can’t relax over the weekend, when can you relax?
We started with a late breakfast at Pane Vino in Chapel Market. The breakfast was late, not because we are lazy but because we were going to Sainsbury’s afterwards and Sainsbury’s opens at 11 am on Sundays. There is no point in going too early. Don’t you think supermarket shopping is such fun? No, neither do I but it has to be done.
After putting away the shopping and having an inevitable cup of tea, we decided to go out. We didn’t want to go too far, just a little Sunday outing. You can tell where we went from the photo at the top. Hampstead Heath is a fascinating place. It is semi-wild and there are trees, wild flowers, birds and squirrels; but there are also people, especially on a Sunday, people picnicking, playing games and generally disporting themselves. It’s just like a park should be and so often isn’t.
The Heath itself is beautiful with acres of grass for people to play in, paths to follow and trees to lie under. The photo on the right gives you some idea of that. As you see from the top picture, the Heath is on a hill so there are spectacular views of London. Tigger was looking through binoculars and telling me all the buildings she could see.
As usual, I was interested in the animals. I know people are animals too but they tend to be the least interesting ones. This picture is of a very small animal. I don’t know how well you can see it. Not very well, probably. If I am to photograph insects, I’m going to need a different sort of camera.
You will be able to see this animal better because it is bigger. It’s a crow. There are lots of crows on the Heath and as far as I can tell, they have a fine time. There is plenty of natural food for them and also leftovers from picnics and crumbs and scraps from the cafe. I like crows. They are very intelligent and very observant.
Crows are wary of people (can you blame them?) and don’t like being stared at. This one thought he was safe in a tree and so he let me photograph him. Note the lustrous black plumage, the bright eye and the strong beak. Crows are tough; they are survivors.
We stopped for coffee at the little cafe at the bottom of the Heath and then took the bus home. There is still some Sunday left to enjoy.
Tags: crows, Hampstead Heath
May 19, 2008 at 10:01 am |
You make an outing to Hampstead Heath sound very enjoyable. I would love to go there some day. It is written about much in literature and I am curious.
May 19, 2008 at 2:46 pm |
Hampstead Heath is indeed a fascinating place. It is high up so you get distant views and people come to fly kites there, not just children but adult enthusiasts as well.
People picnic and play games in the open spaces and walk their dogs but it does tend to become crowded over the weekend and during bank holidays.
There is a mixture of habitats from grass to brush and tree cover. Strange goings-on are rumoured to occur there at night and I once met a man who reputedly lived in a tree on the Heath.
On a sunny day, you can spread a blanket under a tree and enjoy the peace and the distant views.